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McCathern Attorneys Selected to 2022 Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch Lists

McCathern is proud to announce that five attorneys from the firm’s Dallas and Frisco offices were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2022 editions of The Best Lawyers in America© and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch: Levi McCathern, founding partner of the firm, was named to the Best Lawyers list for Litigation […]

Administrative Judge Grants Rodney Drinnon’s Request to Recuse Judge Brittanye Morris

The Harris County Administrative Judge made the unique decision on Thursday recusing a Harris County District Court Judge from sitting on a case involving McCathern Houston Co-Managing Partner Rodney Drinnon because of her likelihood of personal bias against him. Administrative Judge Susan Brown granted Mr. Drinnon’s request to move a case out of the 333rd […]

Renowned Family Law Attorney Megan Rachel Joins McCathern

McCathern is extremely excited to announce that esteemed attorney Megan Rachel has joined the firm’s rapidly expanding Family Law Practice at our office in Frisco, Texas. Megan brings over 30 years of experience practicing family law in the North Texas region and is widely known for her track record of providing clients with excellent representation […]

McCathern Updates Brand to Recognize Founding Partners

In 2012 partners Levi McCathern, Carl Evans, Paul Grinke, and Arnold Shokouhi started a new partnership and named it McCathern. The group wanted to continue the legacy of legal excellence that Levi started in 1998 when he founded the original McCathern law firm and build upon that, with one new mantra: “Improving People’s Lives”. Since […]

Latest Developments in Cannabis Law from the 2020 Election

On November 3rd and 4th, 2020 four states passed new initiatives legalizing recreational cannabis and another state, Mississippi, passed an initiative that legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes. The four states that legalized cannabis for recreational purposes were Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota. This round of states marks the latest surge in the trend […]

Task Force Update on Dallas Small Business Continuity Fund

The City of Dallas recently announced it will make grants or loans available to small businesses (50 or fewer employees) to help aid the economic relief available in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications for the fund are being accepted as of today, May 4, through 11:59p.m. on May 11, 2020. All eligible applications will […]

Open Texas Update (Phase 1) and Summary of the Governor’s Report to Open Texas

On April 27, 2020 Governor Abbott issued his Executive Order GA-18 relating to the expanded reopening of services as part of the safe, strategic plan to Open Texas in response to the COVID- 19 disaster. Under GA-18 and the accompanying expansive guidelines in The Governor’s Report to Open Texas, the Texas Stay at Home Order […]

Coronavirus Task Force: COVID-19 Economic Relief Update

*Edited April 24, 2020 to reflect updated legislation* All of us at McCathern, PLLC realize the substantial impact COVID-19 (the “Coronavirus”) is having on many of you and your businesses. As our purpose and credo is “Improving People’s Lives” we hope this update provides a brief overview of some of the different types of economic […]

Coronavirus Task Force: Letter from Estate Planning Attorney Matthew Gilpin

McCathern partner Matthew Gilpin recently sent a letter to clients and friends of the firm about several ways that estate planning is of particular importance during the Coronavirus outbreak and some of the ways that he can assist families during this challenging and at times confusing period of time. We are sharing the full letter […]

McCathern Partner Obtains $14.53 Million Verdict in Lengthy International Legal Battle

On March 28, 2019, McCathern Partner Isaac Villarreal of the Houston office championed a victory in a lengthy international dispute between his clients, two Mexican legal entities Urelift S.A. de C.V. and Ureteknologia de Mexico S.A. de C.V. (UdeM), against Houston area-based Uretek USA, Inc. in a complex business dispute. The end result was a […]

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.”

Author: McCathern Law