Frank Fritz (Law) was quoted in a Las Vegas Review-Journal investigation, "A Fatal Forecast: As Deaths Skyrocket, Extreme Heat Enters Southern Nevada Courtrooms," by Alan Halaly and Katelyn Newberg, published Aug. 27, 2026. The article examines an emerging legal trend in which families sue companies, including landlords, tour operators, and oil companies, for wrongful death after relatives die from extreme heat.

Fritz explained that personal injury lawyers who typically handle car accidents and slip-and-fall cases are now finding that heat is a source of their cases. He added that "the duty of care in a negligence case is changing because the environment's changing."

Fritz also discussed Misti Leon's lawsuit against oil companies. The suit alleges that greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting global warming contributed to the death of her mother during the Pacific Northwest's worst recorded heat wave in 2021. He noted that the trial court's denial of the companies' motion to dismiss is the first ruling he knows of in which a judge treated such a claim as legally viable, and that other lawyers are likely to take notice.