Brees mother passes away in Colorado

[painekiller]

Not sure if any of you saw the recent article about Mina Brees, Drew's mother, seemed she tried an attempt at what was compared to "cybersquatting". She had sent letters to Houston area restaurants telling them they needed to pay a company she represented $20 - 25 Grand to buy back the use of their names.

Chicksports, a Texas corp Mina was president of, had filed DBA with the many Texas restaurants. Then threaten to shut them down if they did buy Chicksports DBA rights.

Funny thing is, this practice is has no legal ground in Texas. Our state uses a first use standard, and her letters appeared to be violation of the Deceptive Trade practices. The attorney general office had open an investigation into her actions.

From the Statesman online

Travis County records show Chicksports reserved the name of 34 restaurants in January, including Threadgill's, Fonda San Miguel, Stubb's barbecue, Chez Nous, Hyde Park Bar & Grill, Eastside Cafe, Shady Grove and Matt's El Rancho.

But records show that Chicksports abandoned its claim on all 34 restaurant names July 28 — the same day the Houston Chronicle reported that scores of similar letters had been sent to Harris County restaurants, generating a spate of negative publicity.

Two days later, Brees dissolved Chicksports' incorporation in a filing to the Texas secretary of state.

The chron.com added these Houston restaurants

Among those targeted were Ouisie's Table near River Oaks and Carmelo's Italian Restaurant in west Houston

An interesting side note to this for my Longhorn buddies, a fact about Drew Brees I did not know. His uncle is Marty Akins former UT QB from the Darrel Royal days.

[HPF Bob]

59-year-old woman tries to shake down a bunch of restaurants in Austin and Houston last month, gets caught and gives up her claim, then dies less than a month later with no details as to what happened to her. My antenna says "possible suicide". Was the skakedown a cry for help or just a cry for money?

A few other tidbits. Mrs. Brees had a falling out with her famous son when she decided to run for office a few years ago - as a Republican - by using Drew Brees' name in campaign literature as a tacit endorsement. Drew Brees made her stop. Her brother, Marty Akins, besides being a former UT quarterback, once ran for statewide office (forget which office) as a Democrat but lost in the primaries.

Ah, lawyers. Can't live with 'em. Can't live without 'em.

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

59-year-old woman tries to shake down a bunch of restaurants in Austin and Houston last month, gets caught and gives up her claim, then dies less than a month later with no details as to what happened to her. My antenna says "possible suicide". Was the skakedown a cry for help or just a cry for money?

A few other tidbits. Mrs. Brees had a falling out with her famous son when she decided to run for office a few years ago - as a Republican - by using Drew Brees' name in campaign literature as a tacit endorsement. Drew Brees made her stop. Her brother, Marty Akins, besides being a former UT quarterback, once ran for statewide office (forget which office) as a Democrat but lost in the primaries.

Ah, lawyers. Can't live with 'em. Can't live without 'em.

I agree it sounds like a possible suicide.

I find it funny she awarded the Austin Bar Association's 2005 professionalism award for legal ethics and professionalism.

statesman's

Brees received the Austin Bar Association's 2005 professionalism award for legal ethics and professionalism. In 2006, she came within 22,168 votes of being elected to the state 3rd Court of Appeals in 2006, losing to Republican incumbent David Puryear by 4.5 percentage points. Brees ran as a Democrat