Mason William Herring is a former Houston civil attorney who became the subject of national news coverage after pleading guilty in 2024 to drugging his then-pregnant wife’s drinks in an attempt to induce an abortion. What began as a criminal case that shocked Houston’s legal community has since developed further, with Herring’s probation revoked and a new prison sentence handed down in late 2025.
Quick Fact
| Full Name | Mason William Herring |
| Age | 39 at sentencing (2024) |
| Former Profession | Civil litigation attorney |
| Former Firm | Herring Law Firm, Houston |
| Texas Bar Card No. | 24071746 |
| Original Sentence | 180 days in jail, 10 years’ probation (Feb. 2024) |
| Bar Status | Disbarred, effective Nov. 2024 |
| Recent Development | Sentenced to 8 years in prison for probation violations (Oct. 2025) |
| Ex-Wife | Catherine Herring |
Education and Legal Career
Before his arrest, Herring built a career as a civil litigation attorney in Houston. According to his former professional profile, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in 2007 before graduating from South Texas College of Law in 2010. He was licensed to practice law in Texas in May 2011.
Herring’s early legal career reportedly included a clerkship in the chambers of a federal judge, followed by several years as a partner at a Houston law firm. In 2014, he founded his own practice, Herring Law Firm, focusing on commercial litigation, personal injury cases, and oil and gas matters. He was also listed as admitted to practice before several federal courts, including the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The 2022 Case
According to the Associated Press and other outlets that covered the case, Herring’s wife, Catherine Herring, went to police in 2022 after becoming seriously ill from water her husband had given her, which she said had appeared unusually cloudy. Catherine told investigators she grew suspicious and began refusing further drinks he offered her. She later said she found packaging in the trash for a medication containing misoprostol, a drug used to induce abortion, and installed hidden cameras that captured video of her husband mixing a substance into one of her drinks.
At the time, Catherine was pregnant with the couple’s third child. Prosecutors said the tampering caused her to become severely ill and ultimately led to complications; the couple’s daughter was born approximately 10 weeks premature. Herring was arrested in November 2022, becoming, according to court reporting, the first person in Harris County charged with felony assault to induce abortion.
Guilty Plea and Sentencing
In February 2024, Herring accepted a plea agreement. As part of the deal, prosecutors dismissed the original felony assault-to-induce-abortion charge, and Herring pleaded guilty instead to injury to a child and assault of a pregnant person. Harris County District Court Judge Andrea Beall sentenced him to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation, with conditions that included no contact with his ex-wife or daughter, participation in a domestic-violence prevention course, and abstaining from drugs and alcohol.
Catherine Herring, who had by then filed for divorce, addressed the court directly, saying she did not believe the sentence reflected the severity of what had happened. She told the judge her daughter had been born with developmental delays that required frequent therapy, and that the incident had left lasting effects on her family. Herring’s attorney, Dan Cogdell, described the plea deal and sentence as reasonable at the time.
Disbarment
Herring’s legal career came to a formal end following the criminal case. According to disciplinary records from the State Bar of Texas, a compulsory discipline hearing was held before the Board of Disciplinary Appeals in October 2024, resulting in a judgment of disbarment recorded on November 13, 2024. As of 2026, the State Bar’s official directory continues to list Herring as disbarred and not eligible to practice law in Texas.
Probation Violation and 2025 Prison Sentence
More than a year after his original sentencing, Herring’s case took another turn. According to reporting from ABC13 Houston, Herring was arrested again in 2025 for violating the civil protective order his ex-wife had obtained, which required him to stay at least 500 feet away from her and avoid communicating with her directly. Court records reviewed by the outlet showed he violated the order on two separate occasions within a 12-month span, including incidents that occurred during supervised visitation with his children.
As a result of these violations, a judge revoked Herring’s probation in October 2025 and sentenced him to eight years in prison, according to ABC13 Houston. The sentence effectively replaced his original probation term with active prison time, more than seven years longer than the sentence he initially received.
Where He Stands Now
As of the most recent public reporting, Mason Herring is serving an eight-year prison sentence stemming from violations of the protective order tied to his 2022 case. He remains formally disbarred from practicing law in Texas, with the State Bar’s disciplinary record showing no change to that status. Detailed information about his day-to-day life in custody, any pending appeals, or his long-term plans following the case has not been independently confirmed through public sources, and readers should treat any additional claims about his current situation with appropriate caution unless backed by verified court records or reputable reporting.
FAQ
What did Mason Herring do?
Herring, a Houston attorney, pleaded guilty in 2024 to secretly putting an abortion-inducing drug into his pregnant wife’s drinks in 2022, in an attempt to end her pregnancy.
What was Mason Herring’s original sentence?
He was sentenced in February 2024 to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation after pleading guilty to injury to a child and assault of a pregnant person.
Is Mason Herring still a licensed attorney?
No. The State Bar of Texas disbarred Herring in November 2024, and he is not currently eligible to practice law in the state.
Did Mason Herring go back to prison?
Yes. In October 2025, a judge sentenced Herring to eight years in prison after he was found to have violated the protective order connected to his original case on two separate occasions.
Is Mason Herring still married to Catherine Herring?
No. The couple, who had been married for around 11 years, divorced in 2022, the same year the underlying incidents occurred.
What happened to the baby involved in the case?
According to court reporting, the baby was born about 10 weeks premature as a result of complications tied to the case and was reported by her mother to have developmental delays requiring ongoing therapy.
Discover also: More Crime News
M Adnan Akram is the founder and lead writer at Back Casting Room, where he covers celebrity biographies, family histories, and the lesser-known figures behind well-known names. His work focuses on separating verified public information from speculation, drawing on publicly available records, interviews, and credible reporting to build accurate, well-researched profiles.
With a particular interest in entertainment and pop culture, Adnan writes about everything from celebrity net worth breakdowns to the private individuals connected to famous names, the spouses, family members, and background figures whose stories rarely get told in full.
At Back Casting Room, the goal is straightforward: give readers accurate, well-sourced information without the clickbait or unverified claims that often surround celebrity-adjacent stories.
