Matthew Kellogg, Author at

McCATHERN L.A. ATTORNEYS EARN CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT FROM WELLS FARGO

A client of McCathern Los Angeles attorneys Evan Selik and Christine Zaouk recently received Court approval on a class action settlement from Wells Fargo, the fourth-largest bank in the United States. The lawsuit is Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Agak, Case No. 56-2017-00500587-CL-CL-VTA. McCathern client and class representative George Agak had entered into a consumer […]

EIGHT McCATHERN ATTORNEYS ON 2024 TEXAS SUPER LAWYERS RISING STARS LIST

McCathern, Shokouhi, Evans is thrilled to announce that eight attorneys from our Dallas, Frisco, and Houston offices were named by Super Lawyers to their 2024 Texas Rising Stars list: Justin Bryan – Business Litigation Erin Clegg – Family Law Jesse Cromwell – Construction Litigation Shane Eghbal – Business Litigation Kylie Peebles – Family Law Michael […]

Three Attorneys Named to 2024 D Magazine Best Lawyers Under 40 List

McCathern is proud to announce that Dallas Partners Stephanie M. Almeter and Jesse Cromwell were again named to the D Magazine Best Lawyers Under 40 list and that they were joined by Frisco Family Law Associate Attorney Kylie Peebles this year. The 2024 list was published in the January issue of D Magazine, and it recognizes many of […]

Eight McCathern Attorneys Make 2023 Texas Super Lawyers Lists

McCathern is thrilled to announce that eight attorneys from the firm’s Dallas, Frisco and Houston offices were named by Super Lawyers to the 2023 edition of its Texas Super Lawyers list: Scott Becker – Frisco Rodney Drinnon – Houston Levi McCathern – Dallas Megan Rachel – Frisco Laura Roach – Frisco Ty Sheaks – Frisco Arnold […]

McCathern Makes Inaugural Texas Lawyer Magazine Watch List

McCathern is proud to be featured in the first annual edition of Texas Lawyer magazine’s Watch List, which highlights Texas law firms with 250 or fewer attorneys “that should be on everybody’s radar”. The selected firms have all excelled in one of the following areas: community outreach, diversity/inclusion, firm growth/new hires, innovation, new practice area […]

19 McCathern Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers® on 2024 Lists

McCathern, Shokouhi, Evans, Grinke is thrilled that 19 of its attorneys across 15 practice areas were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2024 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® . The 19 2024 honorees, who work from the firm’s Dallas, Frisco and Houston offices, represent a monumental leap […]

Jen Falk and Scott Becker Help Lead TexasBarCLE Advanced Criminal Law Course

McCathern Partners Jen Falk and Scott Becker were deeply involved in the TexasBarCLE’s 49th annual Advanced Criminal Law Course – Volume I, which took place from July 24th through today in Houston. The rigorous course provides continuing legal education for Texas attorneys on a range of criminal law situations and challenges, and it is conducted […]

Jen Falk Honored by State Bar for Continuing Legal Education Teaching

McCathern Dallas Partner Jen Falk was recently honored by the staff of the TexasBarCLE, the State Bar of Texas’s division for providing continuing legal education, for her contributions in 2022 to the Bar’s continuing legal education efforts. Texas lawyers must earn 15 hours of continuing legal education each year in order to maintain a license […]

Five McCathern Attorneys on 2023 Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars List

McCathern, Shokouhi, Evans is proud to announce that five of our attorneys from our Dallas, Frisco, and Houston offices were named by Super Lawyers to their 2023 Texas Rising Stars list: Justin Bryan – Business Litigation Erin Clegg – Family Law Jesse Cromwell – Construction Litigation Jesse Showalter – Civil Litigation: Plaintiff Eric Utermohlen – […]

Ty Sheaks to Discuss Legal Challenges Facing Meetings Professionals on Webinar

McCathern Frisco Partner Ty Sheaks will appear on a Smart Meetings Smart Chat Live! webinar on Wednesday, March 22nd with the title “Top Legal Challenges for Meetings Professionals in 2023”. To register for the webinar, please visit the Smart Meetings website for this event. The event description is below: What are the legal risks you […]

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: Matthew Kellogg