Houston Team Obtains Defense Verdict in First Amendment Retaliation Lawsuit
Houston Partners Bill Helfand and Rachael Fountain recently secured a trial victory in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas on First Amendment retaliation claims allegedly valued at $40M against an elected Harris County, Texas constable who the plaintiffs alleged retaliated against them for participating in an outside investigation of the department and refusing to support the Constable’s re-election campaign.
Houston, Tex. (June 11, 2025) - Houston Partners Bill Helfand and Rachael Fountain recently secured a trial victory in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas on First Amendment retaliation claims allegedly valued at $40M against an elected Harris County, Texas constable who the plaintiffs alleged retaliated against them for participating in an outside investigation of the department and refusing to support the constable’s re-election campaign.
Originally, eleven former employees of Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 2 sued the former elected constable, Christopher Diaz, claiming First Amendment retaliation allegedly resulting in the plaintiffs’ firing or alleged constructive discharge. Our defense team was able to secure summary judgment as to nine of the plaintiffs’ claims and was able to pare down the claims of the remaining two plaintiffs whose claims proceeded to trial.
After a week-long trial, the jury returned a defense verdict in favor of the employer after just over one hour of deliberation.