Matt N. Zimmerman is a 2016 graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law where he graduated among the top of his class and distinguished himself by graduating magna cum laude. While in law school, Matt clerked for the Bustos Law Firm, actively participated in his community, and participated in the Regional Externship Program with the Texas Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Dallas, Texas. As an intern for the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals, Dallas, Texas, he worked side-by-side with the Justices of that court, where he polished his legal analysis and increased his knowledge of law beyond that of a recent graduate.

In 2017, Matt participated in and graduated from the 2017 Lubbock Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Lubbock Program.

Since joining Bustos Law Firm, P.C., Matt has successfully helped resolve federal and state law class action lawsuits for wage violations against small business employers in Texas and New Mexico. Matt also successfully defeated a quarter-million dollar attorneys’ fee request against a Texas limited liability company. Matt also has briefed a variety of legal issues before Texas’ Seventh Court of Appeals, the Federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Texas’ Eleventh Court of Appeals.

Sample litigation experience

• (2021) Week-long jury trial for a partnership dispute.
• (2021) Successfully recovered lost wages for a large group of employees.
• (2019) Obtained a judgment on the pleadings for the City of Lubbock in federal court against a suit for violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act.
• (2019) Obtained a dismissal in federal court under the Texas Anti-SLAPP Act against counterclaims for defamation, business disparagement, tortious interference with existing contracts, and tortious interference with prospective relations.
• (2018) Successfully collected on a $350,000 judgment in federal court.
• (2017) Successful settlement of multiple overtime class action lawsuits in federal court in New Mexico, saving oil and gas business clients millions of dollars in claimed overtime.

Published cases

• Nat’l Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Ass’n v. Black, 53 F.4th 869, No. 22-10387, 2022 WL 17075011 (5th Cir. Nov. 18, 2022) (successfully challenged the constitutionality of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act’s delegation of congressional authority to a private entity in violation of the non-delegation doctrine).
• Pickle v. Universal Cable Holdings, Inc., 534 F.Supp.3d 663 (N.D. Tex. 2021)
• Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas Surgical Health Services v. City of Lubbock, Texas, 542 F.Supp.3d 465 (N.D. Tex. 2021)
• Raider Ranch, LP v. Lugano, Ltd., 579 S.W.3d 131 (Tex. App. – Amarillo 2019, no pet.) (successfully preserved three limited partners’ right to inspect the books and records of a limited partnership by defeating a Rule 91a motion to dismiss and prevailing on the merits of their declaratory judgment action)
• Wagner v. FedEx Freight, Inc., 315 F. Supp. 3d 916 (N.D. Tex. 2018) (successfully removed claim to federal court where gross negligence claim did not arise under Texas Workers’ Compensation Act for purposes of statute prohibiting removal of action if claim arose under state workers’ compensation law)
• Siwell, Inc. v. Leverage Fin., LLC, No. 5:12-CV-185-D, 2017 U. S. Dist. Lexis 59149 (N.D. Tex. 2017) (defeated defendant’s motion for attorney fees award against a Texas limited liability company).
• Wetherbe v. Texas Tech University System, 699 Fed. Appx 297 (Tex. App – Fifth Circuit 2017)