the civil penalty for improper client solicitation, way up.
The bill raises the civil penalty for barratry, the improper solicitation of clients, from $10,000 to $50,000. It affects people who were solicited through barratry and win a lawsuit under this section, and the people who did the soliciting. Starting with lawsuits filed on or after September 1, 2025, a winning plaintiff collects a $50,000 penalty from each person who engaged in barratry, plus actual damages and attorney's fees.
Labels
Labels: NO AUTOGRAPH. Became law without the governor's signature on Jun 22, 2025.
relating to civil liability for prohibited barratry.
WHAT IT DOES
the civil penalty for improper client solicitation, way up.
The bill raises the civil penalty for barratry, the improper solicitation of clients, from $10,000 to $50,000. It affects people who were solicited through barratry and win a lawsuit under this section, and the people who did the soliciting. Starting with lawsuits filed on or after September 1, 2025, a winning plaintiff collects a $50,000 penalty from each person who engaged in barratry, plus actual damages and attorney's fees.
CHARGES
[ ] NONE FOUND
TOTAL
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.
Sources
Senator J. Hinojosa moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that HB 4325 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.
Yea: 31 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed
Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.
Sources
Senator J. Hinojosa moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that HB 4325 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.
Yea: 31 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed
Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
House committee · Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence · Committee vote 11 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee
Senate committee · Jurisprudence · Committee vote 5 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee
Subjects
Civil Remedies & Liabilities
Lawyers
Text
The text as introduced · 159 words
By: Moody
H.B. No. 4325
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the civil penalties for the offense of barratry.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 82.0651(d), Government Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(d) A person who prevails in an action under Subsection (c)
shall recover from each person who engaged in barratry:
(1) a penalty in the amount of $ 50,000 [ 10,000 ];
(2) actual damages caused by the prohibited conduct;
and
(3) reasonable and necessary attorney's fees.
SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to a
cause of action filed on or after the effective date. An action
filed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law
in effect on the date the action was filed, and the former law is
continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
Monitoring 
