Melanie Okon

Member

Taber Estes Thorne & Carr PLLC
3500 Maple Avenue, Suite 1100
Dallas, Texas 75219
Direct Dial: 214.599.4005
mokon@taberestes.com
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Practice Areas

Complex Business Litigation
Energy Litigation
Construction Litigation
Appellate

Practice Emphasis

Melanie's practice includes a broad array of commercial litigation and appellate work in both state and federal courts. Melanie has represented Fortune 500 companies, medium and small businesses, regulated and unregulated electric companies, gas companies, mining companies, homebuilders, commercial construction companies, and property owners in a wide range of matters, including cases involving contract damages, property damages, and personal injury claims. Prior to joining Taber Estes Thorne & Carr PLLC, Melanie served as Senior Litigation Counsel in the legal department of a large publicly traded company. Melanie's experience as in-house counsel ingrained in her the importance of handling matters both effectively and efficiently. Melanie holds a firm belief that timely and thorough client communication is the foundation of superior customer service.

Melanie has handled cases in both federal and state courts throughout the State of Texas and has successfully served as lead trial counsel in jury trials in various Texas counties. Some highlights of Melanie's experience include:

• Melanie served as lead trial counsel in a nuisance and gross negligence lawsuit in which the Plaintiffs complained that alleged noise, odors, lights, dust, emissions, and traffic from a gas compressor station and gas processing plant interfered with their use and enjoyment of their properties. The jury returned an 11-1 no-liability defense verdict in favor of Melanie's clients after only two hours of deliberation.
• Melanie served as lead trial counsel in a breach of contract and fraud case in which the Plaintiffs alleged that they were defrauded out of their mineral rights in connection with a sale of their property. The jury returned an 11-1 no-liability defense verdict in favor of Melanie's client after only one hour of deliberation.
• Melanie served as lead counsel in a multi-million dollar federal lawsuit involving the effect of a tax adjustment clause contained in a complex contract for the purchase of coal.
• Melanie served as trial counsel for a utility company that sued a contractor for breach of contract, alleging that the drainage ditch built by the contractor constituted an "obstruction" in breach of an easement agreement. The jury returned a plaintiff's verdict in favor of Melanie's client for the cost of filling in the drainage ditch.
• Melanie served as lead appellate counsel in RT Realty, LP v. Tex. Util. Elec. Co., 181 S.W.3d 905 (Tex. App. - Dallas 2006, no pet.), in which the appellate court upheld summary judgment on behalf of Melanie's client in a case involving a massive fire in a high-rise building in downtown Dallas.
• Melanie served as trial counsel and lead appellate counsel in Spinnaker Pointe Homeowner's Association v. TXU Elec. Delivery Company, 2007 WL 2247372 (Tex. App. - Dallas, 2007, no pet.), in which the appellate court upheld a defense judgment in favor of Melanie's client, holding that the utility had no responsibility for the repair of an underground electric cable.
• Melanie successfully petitioned the Dallas Court of Appeals for a writ of mandamus ordering the trial court to submit a construction case to arbitration.

Education

J.D., Baylor University School of Law (1999), magna cum laude

• Highest Ranking Student in Graduating Class
• Assistant Managing Editor, Baylor Law Review
• Civil Litigation Concentration

B.A., University of Oklahoma (1995), cum laude

• Sociology

Clerkship

Briefing Attorney for the Honorable Greg Abbott, Texas Supreme Court, Austin (1999-2000)

Prior Work Experience

Partner, Gruber Hurst Johansen Hail, Dallas (2008-2009)

Senior Litigation Counsel, Energy Future Holdings Corp. (f/k/a TXU Corp.), Dallas (2004-2008)

Associate, Gardere Wynne Sewell (2002-2004)

Associate, Hunton & Williams (f/k/a Worsham Forsythe Wooldridge, LLP), Dallas (2000-2002)

Admissions

• State Bar of Texas
• Northern District of Texas
• Eastern District of Texas

Affiliations

• Member, State Bar of Texas
• Member, Dallas Bar Association
• Member, Texas Bar Foundation

Publications

Some of Ms. Okon's publications include:

• Co-author of "The Classification of General and Special Damages for Pleading Purposes in Texas," 51 Baylor L. Rev. 629 (1999)
• Discovery: A Client's Perspective, presented at attorney CLE program (2006)
• The Independent Contractor Relationship, presented to client's field operations group (2008)
• Mechanic's Liens: An Overview, presented to client's legal department (2009)
• When Businesses Hire Lawyers, Gender Matters, Texas Lawyer, Volume 26, No. 30 (2010)