Chron: Driver lawsuits against HPD officers on the rise
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Data acquired by our partners at the Houston Chronicle shows a substantial increase in the recent number of lawsuits filed by drivers who say they were hit by on-duty Houston Police officers.
The Chronicle found a 71% increase in these lawsuits from 2021 through 2025. They also found the city paid out nearly $2.2 million over the same time period.
The newspaper, which says it got its data for the story from the City of Houston Legal Department, reported most of that money was spent on property-damage claims.
Attorney Joseph Malouf, who spoke to ABC13 about the nature of these cases, said suing the city in these instances is a difficult proposition.
"The system's never going to work for you," he said. "Even if it's the clearest case that you've ever seen in your life, it's not going to be an easy road."
Malouf said the city uses all its tools to make these cases difficult - including immunity and stall tactics that result in cases being repeatedly appealed.
When ABC13 asked HPD for comment on this matter, they referred us to the city's legal department.
On Tuesday evening, Álvaro Ortiz, the director of Mayor John Whitmire's Office of Communications, sent the following statement:
"The City of Houston's Legal Department defends each litigation matter in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas, as enacted by the Legislature and interpreted by the Texas Supreme Court. In accordance with their fiduciary duty to serve the best interests of the City and the Texas Constitution's prohibition of gifts of government funds, lawyers engage in appropriate motion practice to dispose of litigation matters for which Houston's governmental immunity is not waived. These efforts ultimately conserve City resources from being consumed by litigation."
