SAN ANGELO, TX — A Dallas County man has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $1 million in damages after he suffered a broken hip when an awning allegedly fell on him while he was installing storm guards at a home under construction in San Angelo.
Enrique Chavira Ruiz filed the suit March 13 in the 340th Judicial District Court in Tom Green County against Zill Properties & Investments, LLC, Concho Valley Construction, LLC, and Zane N. Willard. The petition alleges the awning at 5200 Kimrey Lane was not installed in accordance with safety standards, industry standards or building codes, creating a dangerous condition.
According to the filing, Ruiz was working on the property on Feb. 4, 2024, when the awning fell, causing him to fall face down. He was airlifted to a hospital and has undergone multiple reparative surgeries on his left hip. The suit accuses the defendants of premises liability, negligence and gross negligence.
Ruiz seeks monetary relief exceeding $1 million, including past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental anguish, lost wages, lost earning capacity and punitive damages. He has demanded a jury trial.
The property was owned by Zill Properties & Investments, LLC, and built by Concho Valley Construction, LLC. Both companies are controlled by Willard, who is also named individually in the suit. Ruiz was hired by Willard and Concho Valley Construction to perform work on the awnings.
Both defendants filed answers on May 2. Zill Properties generally denied all allegations and asserted affirmative defenses, including comparative responsibility and assumption of the risk by Ruiz. The company also argued that acts or omissions by Ruiz, other defendants or third parties were the sole or contributing cause of any injuries.
Willard filed a verified denial, a general denial and the same affirmative defenses. In addition, he filed special exceptions arguing that the original petition fails to meet Texas’ “fair notice” pleading standard because it does not allege any specific acts or omissions by him individually. He asked the court to order Ruiz to re-plead with more particularity regarding claims against him personally. An amended petition was later filed by Ruiz.
According to court records, the case has had a complicated history. It was dismissed for want of prosecution in December 2025 after neither Ruiz nor his attorney appeared at a dismissal hearing, but it was later reinstated. In early 2026, Ruiz added a new defendant, Donnie Jones, and in April filed a motion for default judgment against him. Ruiz also filed a motion to compel complete disclosures from the defendants. A hearing on both the motion for default judgment and the motion to compel is scheduled for July 8 at 2 p.m. before Judge Jay Weatherby. A July 15 dismissal docket was canceled after the case was removed from it.
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