One year ago, we published a post called Texas law firm does HUGE disservice to registrants. Teri Estes-Hightower, a Texas lawyer, saw registrants as a business opportunity. She used their state’s public registry as a marketing list to solicit clients at $5,000 +/- a pop for a lawsuit to challenge the registry. That lawsuit was total garbage, as we mentioned in the post “While the firm did file lawsuits, in the opinion of attorneys familiar with the issues and the pleadings, the cases were very rough from the get go. With respect to the TX case we were told, “existing precedent in the Fifth Circuit was already in place that rendered each and every one of Estes-Hightower’s claims frivolous.”
The District Court case in Texas was dismissed, but not leaving well enough alone (and likely to grab more cash), she appealed to the 5th Circuit, where to nobody’s surprise, she lost and created bad binding precedent for everyone in the 5th Circuit and bad persuasive precedent for everyone in the Country.
At the same time, realizing she had burned out her credibility in Texas, she started using Florida’s registry to solicit more unsuspecting targets. Apparently, she found 69 people who were likely vulnerable and desperate enough to pay her to be part of a similar Florida challenge that was similarly horrible. We have spoken to many who were part of this group and feel horribly for them. We tried our best to warn others.
In April of this year, we reported that her case was dismissed. We wrote, “while we never want a challenge to sex offender laws to be unsuccessful, we are relieved to see a case brought by Estes-Hightower in the Northern District of Florida was dismissed last week.” We were relieved because we didn’t want her grievous mistakes to impact the Ex Post Facto Plus case. We concluded by saying, “While the Court gave Ms. Estes-Hightower leave to Amend, it is our sincere hope that she will seriously consider the options and entertain our invitation to reach out for some guidance and help from those who have offered it to her.”
Well guess what… she didn’t. She disregarded what we believe to be the best interest of her clients and the registrant population and filed an amendment (which was just as bad). Fortunately for some, 22 of her clients dropped out of her lawsuit. Unfortunately for the 47 who didn’t, they received their final nail in the coffin when the case was dismissed against them WITH PREJUDICE. You can read the order here: Estes-Hightower Final Order
What I would highly recommend is for anyone that experienced this so called Attorney, is to file a Texas bar complainant. AND any other state they are licensed to practice in. Don’t let this Lawyer, this firm take advantage of you.
They used the registry to harm the people on it. SonGlad I wasn’t enticed by this scheme.
THIS IS THE FIRM’S WEBSITE IS:
pleadwrite.com
Intersting Name!?!?!?
The Firm’s Motto, per their website is: “A Law Firm Providing Document Support for Individuals, Businesses, Litigations, and Beyond!”
SO, with that in mind, This Firm would be similar to:
Rocket Lawyer
Legal Zoom
Is this correct? What does everyone else think?
Go to their website and see that in order to do business with them, you first MUST purchase a ‘package’….that is how I see it!
Again, more bottom scum to deal with!
UGH!
Did she solicit her clients directly from the sex offender registry scarlet letter hit list?
https://www.pleadwrite.com/image/130116926.jpg
Estes-Hightower, Houston Attorney at Law
There are a lot of douche-bag attorney’s doing this and they will be punished by God’s Wrath when it is time.
Oh wow! I did not know that she had actually went ahead and filed one in Florida too. The woman has certainly made a bad name for herself…
When I lived in Florida I got mail from her and I knew about her lawsuit in Texas. I just wish she’d leave Floridan registrants to the professionals in Florida.
She should be disbarred for violating the ethical code of conduct for using the registry to solicit business. This must be an offense since it is against the rules of ethics for lawyers solicit business from crash victims (ie. ambulance chasing is not permitted).