Fighting for the rights of their clients is truly the hallmark of the Dallas trial firm Lyons & Simmons. With a focus on large personal injury, wrongful death and business dispute cases, firm founders Michael Lyons and Christopher Simmons are devoted to representing those who have the deck stacked against them.
“It is a serious responsibility when you represent the victims of catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death,” says Lyons. “These individuals often face life’s biggest adversity; their lives have been torn apart. They rely on us to help make things right. We will never take that trust for granted.”
While financial restitution is vital to help clients regain some measure of normalcy, in many of Lyons & Simmons’s cases, it is just the beginning of the fight.
“All too often, we will learn early on that unacceptable corporate practices are not just being allowed, but in certain situations also encouraged,” says Simmons. “When you see that, you feel compelled not only to make things right for the client but also to put an end to those practices before additional tragedies occur.”
Jessie Adams, on March 21, 2019, went to her doctor for an epidural steroid injection to alleviate the chronic back pain she was experiencing prior to a trip out of state for a funeral. Almost immediately, she could feel a difference, but not in the way that was expected. The pain intensified, with accompanying loss of feeling in her legs. Her symptoms pointed to the likelihood that the injection had nicked a blood vessel, causing Jessie to hemorrhage, says Simmons.
The staff at the clinic monitored her condition before ultimately determining she needed to be transported to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Flower Mound for care. Once arriving in the emergency room, an MRI was immediately ordered. However, the vital procedure not only did not occur “STAT” as ordered but it also was delayed by more than 90 minutes.
“In a medical emergency such as this, time is of the essence to prevent significant permanent injury, including paralysis,” says Lyons. “But the staff ignored the hospital policies. The person responsible for the MRI even clocked out after being told that it was needed to be done immediately.”
By the time Jessie finally went into surgery later in the evening, the damage had already been done, permanently rendering her paraplegic.
When the case went to trial under Texas law, Lyons & Simmons faced the need to meet a stringent standard of proving “willful and wanton negligence” (which mirrors gross negligence) on the part of the hospital. This higher standard makes emergency room cases very difficult for plaintiffs to recover.
“There was a conscious disregard for patient safety that was impossible to dismiss,” says Simmons. “The failures were not just those of one person, but of multiple staff members throughout the chain of care who failed Jessie. We were determined that the hospital be held accountable and force them to confront the systemic changes needed.”
The trial was streamed live gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network, providing an immersive opportunity typically reserved only for in-person courthouse spectators. The compelling case laid out by the Lyons & Simmons trial team was recognized among CVN’s Top 10 “Most Impressive Plaintiffs Verdicts” of 2022.
The win was indicative of the approach Lyons & Simmons takes to trial.
“It is no secret that hard work will always make a difference in anything that you do, and it is something we actively embrace. When the result means everything, there is never an excuse for being outworked,” says Lyons. “We feel like no one is going to outwork us on our cases. Thinking about the endgame from the outset and preparing from start to finish takes time, energy and resources, but when you are fighting for the rights of your client, it’s the best way to ensure a win.”
The ownership over clients’ legal outcomes displayed by the highly skilled trial lawyers of Lyons & Simmons, paired with their fearless approach to courtroom battle, has earned the firm a national reputation for securing remarkable results, even when the odds are seemingly stacked against them.
That focus has helped make Lyons and Simmons among Texas’ most-trusted attorneys. Their respect among their peers helped propel them into leadership roles on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee appointed by the MDL Court in the Astroworld concert mass casualty incident.
“When you are entrusted with the representation of a victim of a catastrophic personal injury or wrongful death, you feel the weight of that responsibility. These often involve individuals who are facing the biggest adversity they will be forced to endure. Their lives have been torn apart, and all too often, they also find the legal deck is stacked against them,” says Lyons.
“We’ve said it many times, but our clients’ problems are our problems, and we’re not going to stop until we find a way to right what wrong they have experienced,” adds Simmons. “That approach resonates with our clients, and we will never take their trust for granted.”
