Joe Rollins

Who was Joe Rollins?

Joseph Guy Rollins, Jr., known as Joe Rollins, was a prominent Texas attorney and civic leader, perhaps best known for his successful fight against a lawsuit in regard to cost overruns and construction delays in the establishment of what became Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

The plaintiff, R.F. Ball Construction Company of San Antonio, protested that Houston municipal officials, the defendants represented by then assistant city attorney Rollins, made four hundred design changes for the airport terminals and caused the firm and its subcontractors serious losses. The airport opened in June 1969, more than two years behind schedule. Ball Construction maintained that the city-mandated changes increased construction costs from approximately $17 million to $28 million. The trial court ruled in favor of Ball Construction, but the judge reduced the requested $8 million in damages to $5.1 million. The 14th Court of Appeals unanimously reversed that ruling, and the Texas Supreme Court concurred with the appeals court.