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Texas Southern University Sued by Former Law Dean - Joan Bullock, the first woman dean of the historically Black university's law school, says her abrupt dismissal in June was unexplained, undeserved and lacked due process. She is asking the court to enjoin the school from revoking her tenured teaching position until the facts surrounding the dismissal are heard by a faculty committee. September 23, 2022Allen Pusey
Jury Awards $95.5M in Case of Brain Damage Linked to Dentist Visit - The family of Nevaeh Hall sued the dentist, Bethaniel Jefferson, reaching a settlement with her insurer prior to trial, and also sued a pharmacist Charlotte M. Smith Brown, alleging she told Jefferson to administer an incorrect medication to Hall during the medical emergency. Brown drew Jefferson back into the lawsuit as a potentially liable party, and jurors found the dentist 100 percent liable for the injuries. September 22, 2022Michelle Casady
Does Adoption of AAA Rules Show Parties Wanted Arbitration? SCOTX Hears Arguments - Lawyers on opposing sides in a $41 million dispute over offshore drilling differ on the need for a new rule defining the meaning of standard arbitration rules in a contract on the gateway issue of arbitrability. Courts of appeals have split on the issue. September 22, 2022Janet Elliott
Talos Energy Acquires EnVen Energy for $1.1B - The cash-and-stock deal doubles the Talos presence in the Gulf of Mexico, adding 40% in production and substantial deepwater infrastructure in its current operational areas. Vinson & Elkins was involved, along with Gibson Dunn. The Lawbook has the names of the lawyers who advised. September 22, 2022Allen Pusey
Austin Jury Hits Meta with $174M Patent Infringement Verdict - A federal jury in Austin slapped Facebook and Instagram and its parent, Meta Platforms with a $174.5 million verdict Wednesday, finding that the social media giant infringed on patented technology developed by messaging app maker Voxer. The case is a win for law firms Quinn Emanual and Mann Tindel Thompson. September 21, 2022Mark Curriden

Centerpiece

With a Decision that May Lead to New Law, SCOTX Grapples with Two Cases in Which Ph.D. Revocations are Threatened - Texas Supreme Court justices give no hint whether the universities' implied-powers argument can justify their efforts to rescind doctoral degrees awarded to former graduates for "academic misconduct." In Texas, such revocation power has never been determined by reported appellate decisions and only a few revocations have been noted nationwide. The grads argue the universities have no express authority to do so. The AG says the power is implied from an express power to grant degrees. Behind that argument, due-process concerns linger in both cases. September 20, 2022Osler McCarthy

Expert Voices

The Etiquette of Jurisprudential Unicorns: Review of a Recent Fifth Circuit Concurrence - Scholars traditionally classify the statements in a judicial opinion as “holdings” (the reasons for a court’s decision) or “dicta” (additional discussion not necessary to the result, with varying precedential value depending on its thoroughness). But that distinction comes up short when applied to Fifth Circuit Judge James Ho’s recent concurrence in Defense Distributed v. Platkin. The concurrence—a courteous (though unenforceable) request to a district court in another circuit—is an unusual jurisprudential addition to the patchworks of holding and dicta that ordinarily fill the Federal Reporter. September 23, 2022David Coale

More Stories

Texas Supreme Court Considers Walmart’s Bid to Revive $4M Xerox Suit
Dallas Judge Reduces $7.3 Billion Award in Murder of 83-Year-Old Charter Spectrum Customer
CDT Roundup: 21 Deals, 12 Firms, 320 Lawyers, $8.3B
UT Law Prof Calls Out Texas’ ‘Deliberate Strategy of Judge Shopping’ to SCOTUS
Litigation Roundup: Insurer Sued Over Underpaid Ransomware Attack Claim, FC Dallas Hit With Ticket-Sales Patent Suit, Total and Kinder Morgan Head Back to Trial Court in Insurance Dispute
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Stories You Might’ve Missed

  • Law Experts: Firms Need to Take TX Freedom Caucus Threats on Abortion Assistance Seriously - Corporate law firms should not ignore nor routinely dismiss threats made last week by Texas Republican legislators that they will punish law partners who fund travel for Texas employees who go to other states to have abortions. Leading academic experts who studied the Texas Freedom Caucus letter to Sidley say law firms "should treat this like any other legal challenge” and “throw all the resources and knowledge they have ... to analyze any potential legal risk than a collection of legislators who don’t seem to understand what the law is or how the law works.” July 13, 2022Mark Curriden

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