Awards & Honors Archives

Stephanie Almeter Named to Texas A&M 12 Under 12 Young Alumni Spotlight

McCathern Partner Stephanie Almeter was recently named to Texas A&M University’s 12 Under 12 Young Alumni Spotlight for 2020 by The Association of Former Students. The elite list annually recognizes 12 Aggie alumni who have “graduated in the past 12 years for their outstanding accomplishments in business, civic service, and philanthropy, and for representing Texas […]

Brett Chisum Again Named to Texas Up-And-Coming 100 List

McCathern is proud to announce that Partner Brett M. Chisum was recently named to the Up-And-Coming 100: 2020 Texas Rising Stars List. This is the second straight year that Brett has made the exclusive list, which includes many of the best young attorneys in the state. “I am incredibly grateful for the amazing team we […]

Ty Sheaks Named to 2020 Best Lawyers in Dallas List

McCathern Partner Ty M. Sheaks was named to the D Magazine 2020 Best Lawyers in Dallas list, his third consecutive year to be receive the honor. Ty is again included as one of the top Business and Commercial Litigation attorneys in the Dallas region. D Magazine creates the list by first collecting nominations from lawyers […]

Five McCathern Attorneys Make 2020 Super Lawyers Texas Rising Stars List

McCathern is proud to announce that five attorneys from the firm’s Dallas office have been named by Super Lawyers as Texas Rising Stars for 2020: Arnold Shokouhi – Managing Partner Brett M. Chisum – Partner Jesse Hoffman – Partner Justin N. Bryan – Partner Stephanie M. Almeter – Partner Rising Star honorees must be 40 […]

Erin Clegg Passes Texas Board of Legal Specialization for Family Law

McCathern is proud to announce that attorney Erin R. Clegg recently passed the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for Family Law. Ms. Clegg joins McCathern Partner Scott Becker as the second attorney at the firm with this designation for the family law practice, and the accomplishment is a sign of her rapid rise as an […]

Stephanie Almeter Named to D Magazine’s 2020 ‘Best Lawyers Under 40’

McCathern, PLLC Partner Stephanie M. Almeter has once again been named to D Magazine’s list of ‘Best Lawyers Under 40’, an annual directory of the excellent young lawyers in North Texas. 2020 marks the third consecutive year Almeter has been included on the list. D Magazine determines this elite group of lawyers each year through […]

Arnold Shokouhi Named a Texas Trailblazer by Texas Lawyer Magazine

McCathern Managing Partner Arnold Shokouhi was recently named to the inaugural list of Texas Trailblazers by Texas Lawyer magazine. The 2019 Texas Trailblazers was a special supplement that highlighted “agents of change” in the Texas legal industry who have had significant effects on the practice, policy and technological advancement of their practice. The profile can […]

Attorneys Isaac Villarreal and Eric Utermohlen Celebrated on Top Verdict’s 2018 Top 50 List for Texas

The website TopVerdict.com recently announced its list of the Top 50 plaintiff’s jury verdicts for the state of Texas in 2018, and McCathern attorneys Isaac Villarreal and Eric Utermohlen were honored to have a verdict that they obtained out of the 80th Judicial District Court of Harris County included on that list. Mr. Villarreal and […]

McCathern Partners Ty Sheaks and Stephanie Almeter Honored in D Magazine’s 2019 ‘Best Lawyers in Dallas’ Lists

McCathern is proud to announce and congratulate Ty Sheaks and Stephanie Almeter on being named to D Magazine’s distinguished lists of Best Lawyers in Dallas for 2019. Ty is listed as one of the “Best Lawyers in Dallas” in D Magazine’s May 2019 issue, an accomplishment he also achieved in 2018. Stephanie was listed in […]

McCathern Attorney Recipient of Million Dollar Trial Lawyers™ Award

McCathern is thrilled to announce that partner Carl Evans, Jr. recently became a registered recipient of the Million Dollar Trial Lawyers Association™ Award. Mr. Evans was honored with this award for achieving a settlement of more than $1 million. The settlement came after the plaintiff, Mr. Evans’ client, purchased a piece of artwork that was alleged to […]

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.”

Category: Awards & Honors