VI. Serial Continuances

Given the recent expansion of the continuance season, some lawmakers filed one continuance after another in the same case. Lawmakers filed more than one continuance in a total of 82 cases. Rep. Alonzo again claimed the title for such serial continuances, filing an extraordinary five continuances in The State of Texas v. Omar Hernandez. This case, before the Municipal Court of Grand Prairie, was the only “quintuplet-continuance” case found. Rep. Alonzo filed his first Omar-Hernandez continuance in December 2004. He filed the fifth one just six months later in May 2005.

Besides Rep. Alonzo, who had four quadruple continuances cases,¹¹ Rep. King was the only other lawmaker to report four continuances in a single case: York International Corp. v. Lightfoot Mechanical, Inc. in Weatherford’s 43rd State District Court. Finally, Rep. Uresti was the only lawmaker other than Reps. Alonzo and King to exceed two continuances in a single case. Rep. Uresti filed triple continuances in two separate cases.¹² 

Multiple Continuances Filed In A Single Case

Rep. Phil King claimed 11 continuances in five related cases filed in four different state courts. All of these cases grew out of a group of predatory-lending executives fighting over stock options. The fun began in 1998, when an Arlington, Texas-based pawn shop outfit, First Cash Financial Services, bought a California-based check-cashing business and named its chief, Blake Miraglia, as a division president. Relations soon soured. Miraglia quit, filing a lawsuit alleging that First Cash cheated him out of promised stock options.

Miraglia and his allies also posted unflattering information about First Cash on the Internet, prompting First Cash officers and directors to retaliate with defamation lawsuits. As Miraglia’s defense attorney, Rep. King filed 11 related continuances during a six-month period. Senator Chris Harris (R-Arlington) squared off against Rep. King in at least one of these cases. Yet Harris did not report any legislative continuances in these cases.

Rep. King Filed 11 Continuances
On Behalf of Pawn-Shop Executive Blake Miraglia

^{11. These were The State of Texas v., respectively, Amelia Juarez, Andres Torres, Jose de Jesus de la Rosa and Yahaira Ibarra.}

^{12. These were the Comal County Court cases styled The State of Texas v., respectively, John Zillman and Paul Sandoval.}