Soña Garcia’s practice focuses on the effective and efficient defense of civil litigation involving public and private corporations in multiple industries, including real estate, construction, agriculture, transportation and mobility, and medical device manufacturing. Soña handles cases and disputes all over Texas, including all major metropolitan areas, West Texas, East Texas, and the Rio Grande Valley. Her experience in construction matters includes defense of large multi-party claims for design defect and professional negligence, defense of catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death matters related to construction projects, and defense of smaller matters including trespass, premises liability, and nuisance claims. Her professional malpractice defense experience includes actions filed against attorneys, insurance agents and brokers, real estate brokers, and architects/engineers.
Representative Experience
Examples of Soña's extensive experience includes the following:
- Secured complete defense verdict for property owner in premises liability case involving significant personal injuries. Plaintiff sued the property owner for negligence and gross negligence, contending that it had a duty to provide safe premises and warn of any dangerous conditions. The pretrial demand was $17 million.
- Successfully defended national glazing contractor in week-long arbitration involving construction defect claims related to a strip center construction project. At trial, the plaintiff developer an award of more than $2.3 million in damages, of which nearly $300,000 was related to the storefront glass system. Because the arbitration panel was persuaded by the defense arguments, the developer was awarded a total of $25,000, with Gordon & Rees' client owing only $8000.
- Secured multiple dismissals for international beverage producer in claims related to premises liability, vicarious liability, and other negligence causes of action throughout Texas.
- Represented one of the world’s largest consumer products retailers in multiple lawsuits alleging race discrimination and wrongful termination in El Paso, Texas.
- Secured dismissal of breach of fiduciary duty claims against real estate broker in a case where plaintiffs alleged that the broker failed to secure valuable and considerable mineral rights when they purchased their home in North Texas.
- Secured a complete dismissal of all claims on behalf of a national faucet manufacturer in a products liability case where plaintiff alleged that the client's product caused flooding in her home.
- Successful resolution of claims involving multi-million dollar home construction and alleged construction defects for single-family home in Austin, Texas.
- Represented oil and gas development companies against breach of contract claims related to payment of royalties, breach of joint operating agreement claims, and claims for surface damages.
- Representation of construction subcontractors in various construction disputes alleging breach of contract, professional negligence, and breach of warranty claims including roofing, stucco, window, and grading contractors all over Texas.
- Secured vexatious litigant determination against pro se litigant in multi-year dispute involving several state and federal courts in Texas.
- New Texas Net Worth Rule Provides Defendants with More Protection – GRSM Construction Law Update (December 2016)
- Significant Change to Texas Responsible Third Party Procedure Benefits Defendants – GRSM Construction Law Update (March 2018)
Admissions
- Texas
- U.S. District Court, Eastern, Western Southern and Northern Districts of Texas
- U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
Memberships
- Texas Bar Association
- Dallas Bar Association
Professional Leadership
- Former Member of the State Bar of Texas Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, Northern Region
Education
- J.D., cum laude, Tulane Law School, 2004
- B.S., Agricultural Development, Texas A&M University, 1998
Honors
- Super Lawyers® Rising Stars distinction in Civil Litigation: Defense, Construction Litigation: Business, and Professional Liability: Defense (2012 – 2016)