If not for the work of San Antonio solo Chris Deeves, his injured client would have been denied her day in court. And to save her state court personal-injury suit, Deeves had to defeat a federal declaratory judgment ruling from a judge known for rarely being reversed.
According to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ July 17 decision, the background in GuideOne Specialty Mutual Insurance Co. v. Gilmore is as follows: Sonya Gilmore was injured in a 2006 car accident allegedly caused by a van owned by Missionary Church of the Disciples of Jesus Christ. Gilmore sued the church and others in Bexar County state district court.
