Grant P. Harpold

Harpold

Civil Trial Law

Shareholder

E-Mail: gharpold@vilolaw.com

Telephone: (713) 751-0800

Experience

Grant Harpold has substantial experience representing largecorporations, small businesses and individuals who have been sued, need to file suit or need strategic direction in relation to a transaction, contract or service.  Trial, mediation, arbitration and resolution of disputes have been his focus since graduating from law school in 1988.  Grant has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1997. He is also AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell (its highest level of peer review).

The following is a sample of some of the diversity of Grant's law practice.  For real estate brokers, Grant was successful in one of the more significant cases in recent years concerning broker liability.  Alternatively, for those concerned about corporate officer liability and conspiracy issues, Grant was lead counsel in a Texas Supreme Court case that disallowed individual officer liability.  Additionally, Grant has helped his clients obtain favorable results on oilfield services claims, employee/employer issues, insurance coverage disputes, subrogation, and on the recovery of money owed to clients.

Causes of Action

  • Breach of Contract
    • oilfield service agreements
    • sale of goods
    • leases
    • asset sale
    • stock sale
    • construction contract
    • insurance coverage
    • sale of business
    • sale of real property
    • employment
  • Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA)
  • Fraud
  • Tortious Interference
  • Negligence
  • Negligent Misrepresentation
  • Breach of Fiduciary Duty
  • Breach of Warranty
  • Products Liability
  • Wrongful Death
  • Conspiracy
  • Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
  • Conversion

Licensed to Practice

All State Courts of Texas
United States District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas

Professional Memberships

Houston Bar Association
State Bar of Texas
Fellow - Houston Bar Foundation
Life Fellow - Texas Bar Foundation
AV-Peer Rating, Martindale-Hubbell (its highest rating)
Board Certified, Civil Trial Lawyer, Texas Board of Legal Specialization (Since 1997)

Personal

Board Member, Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce
Board Member, West University Softball Association
Board Member, Braeswood Place Homeowners Association
Committee Member, IACUC, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute
Life Member – Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (Calf – Scramble Committee)

Education

South Texas College of Law, Juris Doctor, 1988
Texas A&M University, Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, 1985

Significant Reported Cases

Disclosures in a Residential Transaction
Sherman v. Elkowitz, 130 S.W.3d 316 (Tex. App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2004, no pet.).
Significance:

  • Question on Seller's Disclosure Notice did not apply to a dismissed lawsuit     
  • Broker not liable for non-disclosure of unknown defect
  • Broker has no duty to inspect a listed property

Corporate Officer Liability
Tri v. J.T.T., 162 S.W. 3d 552 (Tex. 2005).
Significance:

  • An officer of a corporation is not individually liable for a negligent act unless there was a duty of reasonable care to the injured party apart from the corporation's duty
  • Conspiracy cannot be based on a finding of negligence

Discrimination/Retaliation/Summary Judgment Evidence
Cole v. Frank's Casing, 2005 WL 2647966
Significance:

  • Discrepancy between summary judgment affidavit and previous deposition testimony can cause affidavit evidence to be stricken if discrepancy is not reasonably explained
  • Firing was for legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason
  • No link between termination and alleged protected activity