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Rosaura Arreola, Individually and on Behalf of the Estate of Jason Orosco Molinar v. Union Pacific Railroad, Herbert Diaz and Bert Fredrick Harkness

Tex. App.—8th Dist.October 19, 2022No. 08-20-00133-CV
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Case Details

Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
Published
Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
appeal

Related Laws

No specific laws identified for this ruling.

Claim Types

Wrongful Termination

Outcome

The jury found the 16-year-old plaintiff 90% negligent and Union Pacific 10% negligent for the fatal train accident. The trial court entered a take-nothing judgment in Union Pacific's favor, and the appellate court affirmed on all issues raised by the plaintiff.

What This Ruling Means

**Railroad Worker Death Lawsuit Against Union Pacific** This case involved a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Rosaura Arreola against Union Pacific Railroad and two individual defendants, Herbert Diaz and Bert Fredrick Harkness. Arreola sued both on her own behalf and representing the estate of Jason Orosco Molinar, who apparently died in a work-related incident while employed by Union Pacific Railroad. The lawsuit claimed that Union Pacific Railroad and the named individuals were responsible for Molinar's death, though the specific circumstances of what happened are not detailed in the available information. The case was filed in a Texas appeals court in October 2022. Unfortunately, the court's final decision and reasoning are not available in the provided information, so it's unclear how the case was resolved or what damages, if any, were awarded. **What This Means for Workers:** Even without knowing the outcome, this case highlights that railroad workers (and their families) can pursue legal action against both their employer and individual supervisors or coworkers when workplace deaths occur. Railroad work involves significant safety risks, and companies have legal obligations to protect their employees. When someone dies on the job, families have the right to seek accountability through the court system.

This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.

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This ruling information is sourced from public court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes, claim types, and summaries are extracted using AI analysis and may be incomplete or inaccurate. It is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

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