Charles C. Brennig III

With over 70 civil jury verdicts in 18 counties throughout Texas, Chip has a well-earned reputation as an experienced and aggressive trial lawyer. He has achieved Advocate status in the elite American Board of Trial Advocates and received the highest peer rating of AV Preeminent from Martindale-Hubbell for legal ability and ethical standards. Chip has 30 years of civil litigation experience in defending and trying numerous cases involving medical malpractice, business and commercial litigation, subrogation and business interruptions, catastrophic accidents, commercial transportation, products liability, premises liability, construction defects and first party insurance claims. Clients across the nation rely on Chip’s remarkable breadth of civil trial experience.

Representative Experience

Medical Malpractice

• • • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for an emergency medicine physician in wrongful death case alleging failure to diagnose thoracic aortic dissection and seeking in excess of $7 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for a vascular surgeon in wrongful death case alleging laceration of inferior vena cava during laparoscopic surgery and seeking in excess of $3 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a defense jury verdict for an emergency medicine physician in wrongful death case alleging failure to diagnose pneumonia and severe sepsis in a 42 year old wage earner with family and seeking in excess of $2.5 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for a cardiothoracic surgeon in catastrophic injury case alleging failure to properly perform a carotid endarterectomy and seeking in excess of $1.5 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for an emergency medicine physician in wrongful death case alleging failure to diagnose subdural hematoma and seeking $1.5 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for an emergency medicine physician in wrongful death case alleging failure to diagnose severe dehydration in a 19 month old child and seeking in excess of $1 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for an emergency medicine physician in catastrophic injury case alleging failure to use a slit-lamp while removing a foreign body with forceps resulting in the traumatic removal of the patient’s entire cornea requiring two corneal transplants and seeking in excess of $1 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for an emergency medicine physician in wrongful death case alleging failure to diagnose septic shock; verdict was reported in the National Law Journal

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for a general surgeon in wrongful death case alleging failure to properly perform a colon resection

    • As lead counsel, obtained a dismissal of all claims right before jury selection for an emergency medicine physician in a serious brain injury case involving a seven year old child who developed septic shock and malignant hyperthermia after being discharged from the emergency room and seeking future medical expenses in excess of $1.7 million, loss of earning capacity in excess of $2.1 million and punitive damages.

    • As lead counsel, obtained a dismissal of all claims against a neonatologist in newborn wrongful death case alleging failure to diagnosis sepsis. The three remaining neonatologists defendants settled for an amount in excess of $1 million.

    • As lead counsel, obtained numerous additional take-nothing jury verdicts for physicians specializing in areas, among others, emergency medicine, family practice, internal medicine, surgery, general medicine and other healthcare professionals in medical malpractice cases alleging wrongful death and serious injury.

Texas Medical Board and Texas Board of Nursing

• • • As lead counsel, represented numerous physicians and nurses in various matters pending before the Boards

Commercial Litigation

• • • As lead counsel, obtained a significant six-figure jury verdict and judgment for a Fortune 500 Company in a complex breach of contract case involving apparent authority, ratification and liquidated damages; defendant voluntarily paid our client more than 95% of the Judgment

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for a commercial property owner in a breach of contract case alleging numerous breaches of commercial property lease

    • As lead counsel, obtained a dismissal of all claims against an international industrial service company in a breach of contract case alleging violations of non-solicitation agreement and tortuous interference with business relationships and seeking in excess of $2 million.

    • As lead counsel, obtained a dismissal of all claims against a Fortune 500 Company in a breach of contract case alleging failure to properly construct more than 10 restaurants and seeking in excess of $1 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a dismissal of all claims against a Fortune 500 Company in a breach of contract and fraud case alleging extensive damage to commercial property and seeking in excess of $1 million

    • As co-counsel, obtained a directed verdict after seven week jury trial on all claims against a Fortune 500 Company in ground water contamination case alleging personal injuries and diminution of property values and seeking in excess of $50 million

    • As co-counsel, defended and pursued a counter-claim for a Fortune 500 Company in an AAA arbitration involving claims in excess of $70 million for property damage and business interruption arising out of a contract for the delivery of chemicals to a chemical plant; immediately prior to the final arbitration hearing and after two years of discovery all claims were dismissed

Commercial Transportation

• • • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for a commercial trucking company in wrongful death case alleging negligence and gross negligence and seeking in excess of $3 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for a commercial trucking company in wrongful death case alleging unqualified driver and failure to maintain commercial truck and seeking in excess of $1 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing judgment for a commercial trucking company in bench trial of wrongful death case alleging negligence and gross negligence

    • As lead counsel, obtained a dismissal of all claims two days before jury trial for a commercial trucking company in wrongful death, catastrophic second and third degree burns/brain injury and bystander case alleging negligence and gross negligence and seeking in excess of $5 million; codefendant commercial trucking company settled for in excess of $2 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained defense verdict for Mexican commercial trucking company in totaled vehicle accident alleging US Army sergeant sustained severe traumatic brain injury and seeking in excess of $6 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained defense verdict for commercial trucking company in serious personal injury case alleging negligence and gross negligence and seeking, in part, economic damages in excess of $1.5 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for a commercial trucking company in serious personal injury case alleging negligence and seeking in excess of $.5 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a defense jury verdict for a commercial trucking company in serious personal injury case alleging failure to inspect and maintain commercial truck

First Party Insurance Claims

• • • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for an insurance company in first party insurance case alleging injuries and damages sustained by insured exceeded underinsured motorist insurance coverage

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing judgment for an insurance company in bench trial of first party insurance case alleging numerous violations of the Texas Insurance Code and seeking significant six-figure damages

    • As lead counsel, defended numerous first party insurance claims alleging violations of the Texas Insurance Code and related Texas statutes

Products Liability

• • • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for a product manufacturer in product design defect case alleging defective product caused serious personal injuries

    • As co-counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for a Fortune 500 Company in product design and warning case involving plant explosion that caused four plaintiffs to suffer catastrophic second and third degree burns and seeking in excess of $19 million

    • As co-counsel, obtained a defense jury verdict for a golf club manufacturer in product design and warning case alleging defective product caused blindness

Premises Liability

• • • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for Hooters of America, Inc. in case alleging inadequate security resulted in near fatal assault and seeking $4 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for nationwide property owner in case alleging inadequate security resulted in parking lot assault

    • As co-counsel, obtained a take-nothing jury verdict for property management company in case alleging rape occurred as a result of inadequate security and seeking $3 million

    • As lead counsel, obtained numerous additional take-nothing jury verdicts for property owners in premises liability cases alleging unsafe conditions caused serious injuries

Appellate Practice

• • • Lead trial and appellate counsel in Norris v. Triumph Hosp. of E. Houston, L.P., No. 14-13-00431-CV, 2014 LEXIS 6347 (Tex. App. – Houston [14th Dist.] June 12, 2014) (mem. op.) (plaintiff lacked standing to bring wrongful death suit and all claims dismissed)

    • Lead trial and appellate counsel in Woodard v. Sherwood, M.D., No. 07-11-00386-CV, 2013 LEXIS 11923 (Tex. App. – Amarillo September 23, 2013, no pet. h.) (mem. op.) (trial court’s decision to exclude similar medical care provided to deceased minor patient’s twin who survived the same illness was not an abuse of discretion); take-nothing judgment affirmed

    • Lead trial and appellate counsel in In re Memorial Hermann Hospital System, 209 S.W.3d 835 (Tex. App. — Houston [14th Dist.] 2006 pet. denied). (trial court’s order permitting Rule 202 depositions of physicians constituted an abuse of discretion)

    • Lead trial and appellate counsel in Miles v. Caraway M.D., No. 14-06-00010-CV, June 29, 2006 (Tex. App. — Houston [14th Dist.] pet. denied) (expert testimony on standard of care sufficient to support jury’s verdict); take-nothing judgment affirmed

    • Lead trial and appellate counsel in Daugherty v. American Motorists Insurance Company, 974 S.W.2d 796 (Tex. App.–Houston [14th Dist] 1998 pet. denied). (insurer did not violate Texas Insurance Code while handling insured’s claim); take-nothing judgment affirmed

    • Lead trial and appellate counsel in several legal issues that were raised by mandamus to the Texas Courts of Appeal and Texas Supreme Court

Chip has written articles and spoken to hundreds of lawyers about trial tactics at CLE seminars presented by South Texas College of Law and the University of Houston Law Foundation. Most recently, he wrote an article entitled “Evidentiary Standards for Expert Evidence” and spoke on this topic during CLE seminars for trial lawyers in Dallas and Houston.

Chip is a 1992 graduate of South Texas College Of Law where he was a National Moot Court Champion, National Mock Trial Champion, President of the Board of Advocates, a member of the National Order of Barristers for High Honor in the Art of Courtroom Advocacy, and a recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Appellate Advocacy.