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CDT Roundup: Thirteen Deals, One Theme? Energy Still Rules - For the week ended March 14, the CDT Roundup saw 13 deals reported — same as the week prior and the same as this time last year. The reported values were different, ranging from $5.9 billion last week, down from $48.1 billion during the prior week and $13.7 billion last year. The bump in value in our last report derived from BlackRock's $33 billion take-private deal of AES. There was nothing of that magnitude this week.
There was, however, plenty of energy represented. March 15, 2026
There was, however, plenty of energy represented. March 15, 2026
San Patricio County Jury Awards $198M in Sexual Assault Case - A San Patricio County jury awarded a woman $198 million in damages stemming from the sexual assault and attempted murder she experienced over a decade ago. The jury deliberated for two hours after the three-day trial Wednesday and found David Strickland liable for assaulting and shooting of Mary Kristene Chapa. They awarded $100 million in exemplary damages. March 13, 2026
ES3 Minerals Wins $50M+ Jury Verdict in Texas Business Court - A jury in the Third Division of the new Texas Business Court in Austin late Tuesday returned a verdict of at least $50 million in favor of ES3 Minerals, and in support of its claim that several former employees conspired to steal proprietary information and software to start their own competing businesses. March 12, 2026
Walmart Names Erin Nealy Cox as New CLO - Walmart Inc., the largest corporate employer in the U.S., has named former Dallas prosecutor Erin Nealy Cox as its new chief legal officer. Cox, who has been a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Dallas since 2021, will assume the job as the retail giant’s top lawyer April 13. March 12, 2026Harris County Jury Clears Driver of Negligence in Fatal Crash - Jurors in Harris County found a man was not liable for the death of a woman who had run into the road to pick up tools that had fallen off a tow truck. The jury deliberated for three hours following an eight-day trial that was spread over two weeks before it returned its verdict last week. March 12, 2026
Asked & Answered with Quinn Emanuel’s Chris Porter: Football, a Steakhouse & Storytelling - In this edition of Asked & Answered, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan partner Chris Porter discusses what he loves about being a trial lawyer, his early dreams of being a restaurateur and how the door closing on his football career opened other opportunities. March 11, 2026Houston Jury Awards $47.6M in Drilling Tool Patent Case - The jury returned its verdict March 5, finding Downhole Well Solutions' tools infringed three patents held by Impulse and that the infringement was willful. The jury rejected arguments that the patents were invalid. Impulse’s lead lawyer, John Keville of Sheppard, told The Lawbook the jury awarded the damages he requested “to the penny.”
March 10, 2026
WDTX Jury Finds Lyft Infringed Patent - An Austin jury found last week that the rideshare platform Lyft infringed one of Quartz Auto Technologies’ patents and awarded the company $1.05 million. Lyft, accused of infringing five patents, is calling the verdict a win. March 10, 2026
Centerpiece
Robert Morris in Jail, Gateway Church in Court: A Look the Multifront Battle Across Texas - While Robert Morris, the convicted child sex offender and former pastor of Gateway Church, is sitting in a jail cell in Osage County, Oklahoma, the wake of his crime continues to ripple as the high-stakes litigation involving the megachurch and its elders is spreading and unfolding in courts across North Texas.
Morris, the church, its elders and congregants and Gateway’s insurance company are mired in lawsuits playing out in state and federal courts. Claims range from defamation to dishonesty about the allocation of tithe money to a dispute over retirement payments to Morris.
The Texas Lawbook's Michelle Casady takes you inside the morass of civil litigation. March 16, 2026
Al Hill III’s Daughter Back in Dallas County Probate Court After Judge Lindsay, Fifth Circuit Sided with Her - Caroline M. Hill, a 21-year-old student at Vanderbilt University, is seeking access to the books and records for the Lyda Hunt-Margaret Trust. Her lawsuit alleges she is a contingent beneficiary of the trust, which should contain at least $15 million but has instead been “looted” and “dissolved.” Disputes involving members of the Hill family and the trusts that hold the family’s fortune are not new. March 12, 2026
Expert Voices
The Lateral Portal — Clients are the Winners - Much has been written about the “hot” lateral market for law firm partners in recent years. This publication, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and others have all noted the fierce competition for talent. In years past, that competition centered around transactional or corporate lawyers. Today, it also centers around trial lawyers. Why? With fewer cases going to trial than ever before, even as deals are being done at historically record levels, why would trial lawyers be as in demand as deal lawyers? The answer: There aren’t that many of us around. March 11, 2026
Learning from One of the First Business Court Trials - When the Texas Business Court opened its doors in September 2024, following years of discussing its potential promise, there was a flood of excitement from the business and legal community. Cases streamed into the new court in greater-than-expected numbers, especially in Houston and Dallas. But filing a case and trying it are two very different things. March 10, 2026
Stories You Might’ve Missed
Texas Courts Cold as Ice to Winter Storm Uri Victims - Winter Storm Uri brought single-digit temperatures and freezing precipitation to Texas in February 2021. Power lines snapped. Natural gas and power generators went silent. Pipelines froze. At least 246 people died. Thousands and thousands more suffered serious medical injuries. In all, 31,600 Texans and businesses sued energy companies for gross negligence. But five years later, not a single case has made it to trial. February 13, 2026
