Attorneys Archive - Page 4 of 6 -

Matthew Gilpin

Matthew Gilpin is a Partner at McCathern’s Dallas office whose practice primarily focuses on probate matters, estate administrations, and inheritance issues. Matthew’s probate experience involves managing all aspects of cases – legal and administrative – from start to finish. This includes helping his clients find the most efficient and cost-effective solutions to settling estate matters. […]

Everett Hinchcliffe

Attorney Everett Hinchcliffe is a partner at McCathern’s Los Angeles office. He was previously a senior partner with Braden, Hinchcliffe & Hawley and joined McCathern through their merger. Everett served as Braden, Hinchcliffe & Hawley’s Litigation Director, overseeing all litigation and handled all major trials. Everett has practiced as an attorney since 1974, litigating more […]

Jesse Hoffman

Partner Jesse Hoffman came to McCathern in 2011 from the Texas Attorney General’s Office and now has a thriving business litigation and appellate practice with the firm. Jesse represents some of the most promising and successful businesses in the nation, and is routinely recognized for his accomplishments by both clients and respected legal publications. He […]

Samuel J. King

Samuel J. King is a partner at McCathern, Shokouhi, Evans. Sam is an experienced civil litigator and trial lawyer. Based in the firm’s Frisco office, Sam represents businesses, insurers, and individuals in complex civil litigation across Texas. His practice focuses on high-exposure personal injury, wrongful death, premises liability, and property loss disputes. He represents clients […]

Levi G. McCathern, II

Founding Partner Levi G. McCathern, II is a trusted advocate for those confronting some of the most complex and high-stakes legal battles. Known for his ability to correct injustice, Levi has built a reputation as the attorney celebrities, athletes, musicians, and top business leaders turn to when faced with critical challenges. Whether defending high-profile clients […]

Adam R. Mehr

Attorney Adam R. Mehr is a Partner in McCathern’s Los Angeles office and chair of the firm’s Media & Entertainment law practice. Adam is a veteran dealmaker in the entertainment industry with a long track record of guiding his clients and their projects to success in the dynamic world of modern media. Adam’s clients range from independent […]

Megan Rachel

Megan Rachel joined McCathern’s Family Law practice as a partner in 2021 after proudly offering family law representation to her Frisco, Texas neighbors and community members since 1990. For more than three decades, she has focused her career on the practice of family law and has helped countless clients resolve even the most complex family […]

Laura Roach

Laura Roach joined McCathern as a partner in 2019, working in the firm’s family law practice from its office in Frisco, Texas. Laura’s practice primarily focuses on mediation but she also handles a select number of litigation cases as well. Laura’s philosophy on handling family law cases is to resolve the case as efficiently and […]

Joseph E. Sampson

Joseph “Joey” Sampson enjoys helping businesses and individuals make tough decisions, resolve difficult problems, and succeed. He prioritizes building trust with others and relishes the lawyer-counselor role, seeking to provide advice to his clients to efficiently resolve issues, achieve their goals, and avoid litigation. But sometimes litigation is necessary, and since joining McCathern in 2007 […]

Evan Selik

Evan Selik is the Managing Partner of McCathern’s office in Los Angeles, California. Evan has extensive experience representing employees in wrongful termination litigation and employment discrimination cases, and he also handles wage and hour class actions, consumer class actions, and civil rights matters. Evan earned his Juris Doctorate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in […]

PROSPER ISD PARENTS QUESTION DISTRICT RESPONSE TO BUS DRIVER ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING STUDENTS

December 15, 2025

Author: Rebecca Lopez with WFAA Watch the interview here. PROSPER, Texas — Parents of two young girls who say they were repeatedly sexually assaulted by a Prosper ISD school bus driver are speaking out about what they describe as serious failures by the district — including delayed notification to families and promised safety changes they say were never fully implemented. The parents asked that they not be identified to protect their children, who were just elementary school age at the time of the abuse. In a lawsuit filed in 2023, the girls — identified only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 — allege former bus driver Frank Paniagua assaulted them repeatedly during the 2021–2022 school year. According to the lawsuit, Paniagua would wait until other students exited the bus, then assault the girls, sometimes holding one child back so he could take her to the rear of the bus. Attorneys say the abuse occurred over several months and was captured on bus surveillance video. How the abuse was discovered The girls’ mother said the abuse came to light after their grandmother noticed troubling comments about gift cards offered by the bus driver. When the mother later questioned the girls again, they disclosed what had been happening. Prosper ISD police reviewed surveillance video from the bus in May 2022. Paniagua was arrested two days later and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and indecency with a child. Paniagua later died after jumping from the second floor of the Collin County Jail while awaiting trial. Concerns about delayed notifications Attorneys for the family say more than 100 days passed after Paniagua’s arrest before Prosper ISD publicly acknowledged the allegations — a delay parents say may have prevented other potential victims from being identified. At a packed school board meeting, Prosper ISD parent Morgan Grahovec, a child psychologist whose daughter attended the same school as the victims, told trustees that delays in notifying parents can have serious consequences. “Children who are victims of abuse need to be identified and interviewed as soon as possible because memory fades over time,” Grahovec said. “The longer you wait, it’s harder to get a child to report abuse accurately.” Parents at those meetings called for Superintendent Holly Ferguson’s resignation, arguing district leaders should have acted sooner and communicated more transparently. Ferguson did not step down, instead promising changes to safety protocols. District response and former statement In an earlier written statement to WFAA, Prosper ISD said it took appropriate action once allegations surfaced: “We are horrified that an employee violated the trust of our families and students, as Prosper ISD’s foremost priority is to protect our students’ safety and well-being at all times. We strongly condemn the actions of any adult who would cause mental or physical harm to a child, and we do not tolerate such behavior.” The district has declined additional comment, citing pending litigation. Disputed claims about safety changes Prosper ISD previously told parents it would implement additional safeguards, including increased supervision during bus drop-offs, a volunteer “bus buddy” program, and improved monitoring of bus surveillance video. But the parents and their attorneys say those changes were not consistently put in place. Attorney Levi McCathern says the district does not regularly review bus surveillance footage — even though video captured the alleged abuse in this case. “You would think the first thing you would do after this happens is change your monitoring program,” McCathern said. “They don’t monitor them at all.” McCathern and co-counsel Kristin Hecker say the lawsuit is aimed at forcing policy changes rather than seeking financial gain. Questions about oversight and leadership The case has also raised broader concerns about district leadership and oversight. Prosper ISD’s school board president later resigned in an unrelated child abuse case, further shaking confidence among some parents. Families have also questioned the independence of the district’s internal review, noting that the law firm hired to investigate the district’s response is also defending Prosper ISD in the lawsuit. “All we want is an independent investigation,” McCathern said. Parents push for accountability and change The parents say their children remain enrolled in Prosper ISD, but they continue to press for reforms they believe could prevent similar abuse. “We want justice for our kids,” the girls’ mother said. “But we also want changes to happen at the district so that this doesn’t happen to other children.”

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