Texas Lawyer Challenges $5 Million Verdict Over Courthouse Assault

A Texas lawyer who was caught on camera groping an opposing attorney inside a courthouse is now fighting hard to avoid paying her $5 million damages verdict. Michelle Acosta, 43, sued Allan Manka, 76, in 2021 after he grabbed her buttocks while she represented her brother during divorce proceedings two years earlier. The accusation sparked years of legal battles. Even though a jury ruled for Acosta in 2024, Manka tried to overturn the judgment by filing an appeal with the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio. That court upheld the decision earlier this year, yet Manka filed a second appeal with the Texas Supreme Court in June claiming the damages demanded did not add up. He received $3 million for past mental anguish and $2 million for future mental anguish according to the award details.

Manka's attorneys argued that the $3 million figure lacked proper evidence because Acosta testified she paid only $300 for therapy sessions after the assault. The petition suggested that if she had truly attended five hours of therapy daily for 1,933 days at that rate, the cost would be far higher than her claims suggest. They also alleged counsel urged the jury to put big numbers on the verdict so it would be heard around the state. Manka's lawyers accused Acosta of providing inconsistent testimony about whether she pushed him away when he touched her. Her attorneys have not yet filed a response to this petition.

Lara Brock, who has represented Acosta since 2021, told the San Antonio Express News she is disappointed by Mr. Manka's continued refusal to accept accountability for his choices and actions both during the initial encounter and throughout the litigation. The incident first unfolded at the Wilson County Courthouse on June 13, 2019 while representing opposing parties at a family law hearing. Acosta was helping her brother Keith while Manka represented his ex-wife Cindy Perez. Their clients decided to negotiate face-to-face while the lawyers waited in the courthouse foyer. Surveillance footage captured the moment when Manka slid his hand down Acosta's lower back.

Acosta described how Manka squeezed a huge handful of her backside during that June 2019 encounter at Wilson County Courthouse. She told the court he put his hand around her left buttocks and squeezed it tightly, saying it got a lot of her rear end in it and squeezed hard. Acosta filed a criminal complaint immediately after the event occurred. Manka pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge and was ordered to pay a fine by a Texas county court. This sequence of events highlights how vulnerable legal professionals can be when misconduct happens within the very walls meant for justice. The risk to communities remains high if such behavior goes unchecked despite financial penalties.

A judge ordered him to pay a $400 fine. The money does not cover the pain caused.

In May, she told the San Antonio Express-News that the justice system let her down. That failure pushed her to file a civil suit. 'Time after time again, it was like, well, this is not a big deal. But it is a big deal,' she said. Her words hang heavy in the courtroom air now.

'To be completely transparent, I would have initially settled for an apology.' This man said she would never get one. He claimed she owed him money instead. Acosta had warned other female attorneys about his conduct inside a private Facebook group long before this moment arrived.

After their first meeting, she wrote about the assault on Girl Attorney - TX. 'Rather than shake my hand, he reached around and GRABBED MY BUTT, then quickly left the courthouse!!!!' she posted. The caps lock screamed her rage. Acosta admitted in an interview that a simple apology would have sufficed at first. Yet Manka kept pushing legal battles forward.

At first, court documents show she omitted his name entirely. Later, she called him a 'Serial Predator' on Facebook. His team countersued for defamation. They argued the labels were too harsh. Acosta's lawyers successfully proved he already pleaded no contest to the initial allegations. The case shifted direction immediately after that admission surfaced in public record.

During the 2024 trial, testimony revealed Manka touched her three times while she stood there. He slid his hand down her lower back first. Then he touched her hair and wrapped his arm around her body. When pressed during cross-examination on why she did not push him away, she replied with a broken voice: 'I didn't know it's my responsibility to stop a man from grabbing my a**.' The question exposed a terrifying gap in public understanding of safety boundaries.

Acosta's attorneys invoked the Me Too movement during closing arguments. They urged jurors to punish Manka hard enough to send a message. Javier Espinoza, who represented Acosta, argued that silence kills victims everywhere else too. Manka's lawyers called it a 'money grab.' They questioned why he would touch her in a public courthouse while her family watched. The jury sided with her anyway. An appeals court upheld the decision in May.

Acosta said the incident tested 'every part' of her in a statement after the ruling came down. She wrote on social media recently about the day nearly seven years ago when her life changed in a lobby. What happened shook her in ways she is still learning to put into words. The years that followed tested every single aspect of who she is as a woman, mother, wife, and attorney.

'I am posting this not to celebrate a number, and not to relive what happened,' she added. 'But because I want the people who carried me to this moment to know what their work meant.' Her message reached far beyond local news feeds. It touched hearts across the nation too.

After the trial ended in 2024, reports surfaced that Manka's wife filed for divorce using only initials instead of full names. Ownership of their property transferred to her alone. The financial fallout matched the emotional devastation perfectly. Acosta recently spoke out again about the case. Her voice carried weight and clarity.

The Daily Mail has reached out to both Acosta and Manka's representation for comment. Silence remains from both sides right now. Communities face risks when predators walk free after minor fines. Victims deserve better than apology letters that never arrive. The system must change or it fails everyone standing in its shadow today.