ABOUT DUSTIN

Dustin focuses his practice on litigation matters related to churches, schools, and non-profit organizations. His practice experience also reflects a robust history of defending religious nonprofit organizations during government investigations brought by state attorneys general and other government oversight bodies. 

Dustin also brings years of ministry experience to the firm. He has served for many years in church ministry and Christian school administration. As both an attorney and pastor—Dustin relates with pastors and will guide you to a resolution of your legal challenge from a pastor/attorney’s perspective

He has a diverse practice that focuses on general civil litigation matters and constitutional/religious liberties matters. Dustin is an experienced litigation attorney who handles cases from intake to evaluation and discovery, including expert and fact witness depositions, motion and briefing practice, and eventually all the way through resolution, whether it be through trial, arbitration, settlement, and dismissal, including appeals.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

Labor and Employment Law

  • Representation of clients in all aspects of employment disputes before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the federal trial courts with jurisdiction over employment claims.
  • Successful defense of federal lawsuits alleging employment discrimination and retaliation.
  • Successful defense of nonprofit corporation in a federal employment lawsuit alleging racial discrimination.
  • Successful defense of a private Christian school in a federal employment lawsuit alleging discrimination based upon sex and retaliation.
  • Successful defense of a private school in a federal lawsuit alleging discrimination based upon disability discrimination under the ADA and Rehabilitation Act.
  • Successful representation and defense of church in state administrative proceedings alleging violation of the Texas Payday laws.
  • Successful representation and defense of church clients in state unemployment law disputes.
  • Successful representation and defense of church in state administrative proceedings alleging violation of Texas wage and overtime laws.

Attorney General and Government Investigations

  • Representation of clients in all aspects of state attorneys general (or similar government bodies) investigations and proceedings involving churches and religious nonprofits. Dustin has extensive experience in this area fighting for his clients’ rights during these difficult investigations. He routinely represents the nonprofit entities as well as individual board members in these matters.

Church/Nonprofit/School Defense

  • Obtained early dismissal of church sued over board and property control issues.
  • Extensive involvement and successful entity defense of churches and schools sued for the alleged acts of the entities’ employees and volunteers.
  • Successful early dismissal of nonprofit entity sued in a board dispute. This case was dismissed on standing grounds.
  • Successful dismissal of school sued over state-law employment claims. This case was dismissed on religious liberty grounds pursuant to Texas’s Ecclesiastical Abstention Doctrine.

Church Dispute Resolution

  • Successful representation of churches navigating church member disputes. Representative engagements include the resolution of matters in state court proceedings and negotiating resolutions and avoiding litigation.
  • Extensive experience pertaining to courts’ jurisdiction and lack of jurisdiction of ecclesiastical matters pertaining to board disputes, clergy termination, church disciplinary matters, and all other ecclesiastical matters.
  • Obtained multiple dismissals of church lawsuits filed against churches over governance and board control issues.
  • Successful defense of church cases involving First Amendment religious liberties defenses.

Civil Litigation

  • Obtained summary judgment for Dallas County entity sued for general negligence.
  • Obtained dismissal of a construction company that was sued for an injury that occurred on the premises of Job site.
  • Obtained a dismissal of a store that was sued for an injury that occurred on the store premises.
  • Successful bench trial and summary judgment in a property ownership dispute. Successfully obtained full title to property, back-owed rental amounts, and attorneys’ fees.

Insurance Defense

  • Obtained a favorable settlement for church in claims it had against its insurance carrier for nonpayment of claims.

Tax Exemption Litigation

  • Successful defense of church that was sued by the State of Texas for back-taxes. Successfully obtained retroactive tax exemption for church and obtained dismissal of the lawsuit.

Construction Law

  • Successful defense of nonprofit entity in a mechanics’ lien lawsuit. Obtained favorable settlement for entity and sued general contractor for recovery of entity’s damages in the lien lawsuit.
  • Obtained a dismissal for large builder in Harris County, Texas that was sued for defective construction.
  • Obtained a favorable verdict—for less than what was offered in settlement negotiations—or a general contractor/builder that was sued for defective construction of residential property.
  • Obtained a favorable settlement in a multi-million-dollar construct defect case in defense of the general contractor that constructed an entire community of apartments.
  • Obtained a dismissal for a subcontractor sued in a multi-party construction case involving a public-school building.
  • Obtained a default judgment against general contractor that failed to complete a building project within the required timeframe.

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS

  • Zurich Insurance Company
  • Church Mutual Insurance
  • Philadelphia Insurance Company
  • Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company
  • Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship
  • Tony Evans Ministries
  • The Village Church
  • Gateway Church
  • RightNow Media
  • Coram Deo Academy

RECOGNIZED DISTINCTIONS, MEMBERSHIPS, AND AFFILIATIONS

  • Editor-in-Chief, Liberty University Law Review
  • Dallas Bar Association Trial Lawyers
  • Dallas Bar Association Construction Law
  • State Bar of Texas School Law
  • State Bar of Texas Litigation
  • State Bar of Texas Appellate

COURT ADMISSIONS

  • All Texas State courts
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
  • Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals