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Litigation Roundup: Fifth Circuit Revives Megatel’s Water Fight with Mansfield - In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a recent ruling from a federal judge in Texas gives more clarity to oil and gas operators regarding the application of old contracts to modern drilling practices, and former Fifth Circuit Judge Gregg Costa gets a win in a gun rights case where he was appointed as amicus counsel to defend the Texas Penal Code. March 30, 2026
Business Court Bench Trial Begins in Houston at Embassy Suites - In an oil and gas delivery contract dispute where Energy Transfer is seeking $432.7 million in damages, the parties gathered at the Embassy Suites in downtown Houston Monday for a bench trial that will take place before Business Court Judge Grant Dorfman over the next few weeks. March 30, 2026
Sysco Acquires Jetro Restaurant Depot for $29.1B - Houston food distribution giant Sysco said Monday that it agreed to acquire Jetro Restaurant Depot for $21.6 billion cash and 91.5 million common shares, representing a total enterprise value of about $29.1 billion.
Jennifer Kaplan Schott is Sysco's Chief Legal Officer and Eve McFadden is General Counsel.
Paul Weiss, Jones Day, Wachtell and Latham & Watkins advised on the deal. March 30, 2026
Jennifer Kaplan Schott is Sysco's Chief Legal Officer and Eve McFadden is General Counsel.
Paul Weiss, Jones Day, Wachtell and Latham & Watkins advised on the deal. March 30, 2026
CDT Roundup: Stable, Not Sluggish as Dealmakers Find Their March Rhythm - The week ended March 28 saw 13 deals with a total reported value of $10.7 billion. The week prior boasted 11 deals valued at $7.5 billion. This time a year ago, there were 21 deals valued at nearly $8.2 billion. We'll choose to reckon stability in those numbers.
Last week's deals had Texas companies in transactions for increased investment in healthcare-related AI platforms, more data centers, and geothermal power development. While Texas lawyers advised on deals for a gas-fired power plant in the West Texas town of Pecos, a mining outfit in Greenland, and a Canadian provider of liquid cooling technologies for AI development. March 29, 2026
Last week's deals had Texas companies in transactions for increased investment in healthcare-related AI platforms, more data centers, and geothermal power development. While Texas lawyers advised on deals for a gas-fired power plant in the West Texas town of Pecos, a mining outfit in Greenland, and a Canadian provider of liquid cooling technologies for AI development. March 29, 2026
Susman Godfrey: Trump EO ‘Constitutes Grave Abuse of Presidential Power’ - President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Susman Godfrey “violates the First Amendment many times over,” is “odious viewpoint discrimination” and should be declared unconstitutional and illegally unenforceable.
With that opening argument, lawyers for Susman Godfrey filed a new brief Friday asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to uphold a lower court ruling permanently restraining President Trump’s executive order issued last spring targeting the Houston litigation powerhouse from being enforced. Two other corporate law firms that were the targets of President Trump’s EOs — WilmerHale and Jenner & Block — also filed briefs in their respective cases, which have been consolidated before the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. March 27, 2026
Dallas Jury Awards $1.1B in Child Assault Case - The three-day trial ended Wednesday, with the jurors deliberating for a day before awarding parents and their young son $1.1 billion in damages. The boy was assaulted by his stepfather, a great-grandson of one of the original investors of Humble Oil, and suffered life-altering injuries. March 26, 2026
DOBS’ Washington Mesothelioma Case Against J&J Settles - A daughter’s lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, alleging its product contained asbestos that caused her mother’s life-ending mesothelioma cancer, has concluded in a settlement. The settlement reached during the first week of trial was “unexpected.” March 26, 2026
Texas Lawbook Leadership Symposium Announces Speakers - The Texas legal community has a history of great leaders.
To identify, celebrate and teach leadership skills, challenges and successes, The Texas Lawbook, with the support of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter, has created the Texas Lawbook Leadership Symposium.
The launch event on April 13 will feature two panels of extraordinary leaders. March 25, 2026
To identify, celebrate and teach leadership skills, challenges and successes, The Texas Lawbook, with the support of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter, has created the Texas Lawbook Leadership Symposium.
The launch event on April 13 will feature two panels of extraordinary leaders. March 25, 2026
Centerpiece
Leading With Purpose: Lessons from the Frontlines - In the legal profession, we’re trained to argue, advise and analyze. But leading is often left to chance.
This series explores what it really means to lead with clarity, courage and purpose — especially in high-stakes environments.
Drawing from her experiences as a law firm associate, in-house legal executive, board leader and mentor, Jacobs General Counsel Chasity Henry shares lessons that go beyond titles and job descriptions. Whether you're a junior attorney, law firm partner or general counsel, Henry invites you to reflect on how your values, choices and actions shape the culture you create and the legacy you build. March 30, 2026
SCOTX Ends Winter Storm Uri Litigation Against Power Generators - Without writing a single sentence to explain why, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday officially ended any efforts by tens of thousands of Texas citizens and small businesses to sue power generators for personal injuries, wrongful deaths and property damages suffered during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021.
The decision is a huge victory for large power generators such as Luminant, NRG, Calpine, Exelon and Sempra Energy, who argued that the lawsuits, which sought billions of dollars in damages, should be dismissed because the unprecedented weather, not the companies’ actions, was responsible for the injuries and damages. March 27, 2026
Expert Voices
The Texas Reincorporation Trap — What the ExxonMobil Vote Reveals About Board Power - ExxonMobil’s shareholders are being asked to cast a vote this May that they may not fully understand. The company’s board has unanimously recommended moving its state of incorporation from New Jersey to Texas, framing the change as a step toward “maximizing shareholder value.”
That framing is misleading. What the reincorporation actually does is place ExxonMobil under a body of Texas corporate law that gives the board sweeping authority to restrict shareholder rights at any time, through a simple bylaw amendment, without asking shareholders for permission. Shareholders are being invited to approve a transaction that hands the board the keys to a governance regime that those same shareholders may one day wish they had never unlocked. March 31, 2026
How Gusinsky Helps Pave the Way to Y’all Street - On March 17, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas dismissed Gusinsky v. Reynolds, applying and upholding the reforms to the Texas Business Organizations Code introduced in 2025 by Senate Bill 29. The opinion confirms that the Texas legal reforms associated with Y’all Street are working and should help corporations and their boards feel confident that these new statutory tools will withstand judicial scrutiny. March 20, 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
