August Business Court Docket Anchored by Mavs Ownership Fight, 70-Page Trust Ruling

The Texas Business Court stayed hot throughout August, issuing six opinions as the Court’s docket continued to mature with procedural and doctrinal opinions. Evident in several opinions is the familiar theme that has characterized the Court’s growing resolution of complex commercial disputes: Documents mean what they say, and parties are held to the bargains they struck.

The Court continued to consider the meaning of “action” under its enabling statute while clarifying its jurisdictional reach in a marquee dispute between entities associated with the Dallas Mavericks ownership group. In CAM Industrial Solutions — a trade-secret spinoff from a district court trial — the Court applied the “first final judgment” rule to bar claims against one defendant while letting claims against another proceed.