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Secret Courthouse Romance, Ethics Investigations, Tens of Millions in Legal Fees: The SDTX Bankruptcy Scandal One Year Later - Houston Bankruptcy Judge David Jones’ voice was filled with emotion one year ago today in an interview with The Texas Lawbook. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know what is going to happen next. I just don’t know. I guess I have to resign.”
The Fifth Circuit had just published notice that it was investigating possible misconduct by Judge Jones over allegations that he had been involved in a multiyear secret romance with a former bankruptcy partner at Jackson Walker. The firm had been paid more than $20 million — fees often approved by Judge Jones — for its role in dozens of high-profile bankruptcies in which Jones served as judge or mediator. Jones officially resigned Oct. 15, 2023. The 365 days since have been pure chaos in the Houston bankruptcy courts, which is one of the three busiest courts in the nation for business bankruptcies.
“The whole thing is a mess, a complete fiasco,” said former UNT Dallas law dean Royal Furgeson. In a first-ever detailed timeline of the events of the past year and several years prior, The Lawbook documents a scandal about romance, secrecy, tens of millions of dollars in legal fees and ethical lapses that have engulfed the bankruptcy courts in Houston. October 14, 2024Mark Curriden
The Fifth Circuit had just published notice that it was investigating possible misconduct by Judge Jones over allegations that he had been involved in a multiyear secret romance with a former bankruptcy partner at Jackson Walker. The firm had been paid more than $20 million — fees often approved by Judge Jones — for its role in dozens of high-profile bankruptcies in which Jones served as judge or mediator. Jones officially resigned Oct. 15, 2023. The 365 days since have been pure chaos in the Houston bankruptcy courts, which is one of the three busiest courts in the nation for business bankruptcies.
“The whole thing is a mess, a complete fiasco,” said former UNT Dallas law dean Royal Furgeson. In a first-ever detailed timeline of the events of the past year and several years prior, The Lawbook documents a scandal about romance, secrecy, tens of millions of dollars in legal fees and ethical lapses that have engulfed the bankruptcy courts in Houston. October 14, 2024Mark Curriden
Top Stories
Top Stories
CDT Roundup: 17 Deals, 12 Firms, 150 Lawyers, $8.4B - Chevron's announcement last week of a $6.5 billion divestiture of a couple of Canadian upstream interests reminded us that the California company is on the verge of relocating its C-Suite to Houston. But included, along with the household furniture and company file cabinets, is an ongoing beef with their new Texas neighbors, Exxon Mobil, over Chevron's proposed $53 billion merger with Hess Corp. The CDT Roundup catches up with recent developments regarding the disputed merger, along with the usual list of firms and lawyers behind last week's Texas-related transactions.
October 13, 2024Allen Pusey
Jury Deliberating in AA’s Trademark Suit Against Skiplagged - The airline is seeking at least $19.9 million in actual damages from the online company that promotes bargain-priced ‘hidden city’ ticketing. Skiplagged Inc. argues that American failed to prove there was infringement of its trademarks and deserves nothing. October 13, 2024Bruce Tomaso
Fifth Circuit Reverses Sanctions Against Texas in Foster Care Case, Removes Trial Judge - A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in a decision issued late Friday blasted the federal trial judge overseeing the litigation over the allegedly disgraceful conditions of the Texas foster care system for telling lawyers for the state of Texas that “doesn’t hurt” for state officials to “go over and above the minimum standards for protecting Texas children. The federal appeals court panel said that U.S. District Judge Janis Jack has made courtroom remarks that “implied bias” that “raise serious questions concerning … the appearance of justice.” October 12, 2024Mark Curriden
AA Suit Against Skiplagged Headed to Jury - Closing arguments are planned for Friday in American Airlines’s federal suit against the multimillion-dollar online site that promotes bargain-priced ‘hidden city’ ticketing. October 11, 2024Bruce Tomaso
P.S. — ADL Honors Reasoners, Dallas Hispanic Bar Gala, Inns of Court Recognizes Gray Reed Partner - Two years ago, The Texas Lawbook created the full-time pro bono, public service and diversity writer position with a carrot-and-stick approach: Highlight the successes of Texas lawyers in these three critical areas to hopefully encourage others to do the same and to provide data and analysis about where lawyers and firms are falling short. To be sure, the sticks are being sharpened to address failures. But today, we have three successes to highlight. October 11, 2024Mark Curriden
J&J Bankruptcy to Stay in Texas - U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said Thursday that he is keeping a Johnson & Johnson-related bankruptcy in Texas and not transferring the case back to New Jersey where J&J is headquartered. October 10, 2024Mark Curriden
AA Suit Against Bargain-Fare Site Skiplagged Could Go to Jury Tuesday - The airline wrapped up presentation of its trademark-violation case in federal court in Fort Worth on Wednesday, the third day of testimony. October 9, 2024Bruce Tomaso
Centerpiece
Litigation Roundup: A $2.2B Zantac Settlement and More - In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Big Oil is denied its request to bring an early end to a climate suit in California, Marriott reaches a data breach settlement with all 50 states, and we bring you details of the $2.2 billion settlement GlaxoSmithKline reached to bring an end to thousands of Zantac lawsuits. October 15, 2024Michelle Casady
Prosecutors Must Narrow Charges in Criminal Suit Over West Texas Hydrogen Sulfide Death After Successful ‘Multiplicity’ Challenge - Aghorn Operating had argued the government was charging it three times for the same death, while prosecutors argued that each count related to an alleged violation of a different environmental law and that forcing it to narrow the charges would cut against the legislative intent and “undermine the deterrent value of the OSH Act.”
U.S. District Judge David Counts became the first federal judge in history to interpret the contours of a multiplicity challenge — that is, an argument that the Department of Justice is impermissibly spreading a single offense over several counts — related to alleged violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act resulting in an employee’s death. October 13, 2024Michelle Casady
U.S. District Judge David Counts became the first federal judge in history to interpret the contours of a multiplicity challenge — that is, an argument that the Department of Justice is impermissibly spreading a single offense over several counts — related to alleged violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act resulting in an employee’s death. October 13, 2024Michelle Casady
Expert Voices
Texas Supreme Court Term Preview — Key Business Cases - The Supreme Court of Texas has completed its first week of oral arguments of the 2024-25 term. Here is a preview of key business cases currently on the Court’s argument docket. October 3, 2024Ben Mesches & Ryan Paulsen
How to Get a Case Into and Out of Texas’ New Courts - Texas’ new business court and Fifteenth Court of Appeals are now open for business. But how do you get your case into — or out of — those courts? And how do you move your case between divisions within the business court? October 1, 2024Natasha Breaux
Stories You Might’ve Missed
- The Dallas Morning News, The Texas Lawbook Form News Partnership - The Texas Lawbook, the largest and most influential legal publication in Texas with more than 16,000 paid subscribers, is expanding its reach into the Texas business community with a new content partnership with The Dallas Morning News. October 3, 2024Mark Curriden