Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Congress passed the Local Access to Courts Act this week, creating a new federal courthouse in College Station as part of the Houston Division in the Southern District of Texas. U.S. District Chief Judge Randy Crane will select temporary quarters and then look at a location likely around Texas A&M to construct a new courthouse, which can take two years.
Two years into its existence, the Texas Business Court has proven it can resolve complex business disputes quickly. But so far, the Texas Legislature has only funded five of the 11 divisions it created, leaving West, East and South Texas without access to the business court. With the 2027 legislative session on the horizon, talks with lawmakers are underway to expand the court’s divisions.
U.S. District Judge Alan Albright significantly reduced the damages award from $9.2 million to $1 million in favor of GlobalFoundries, ruling that the plaintiff’s damages model was legally unreliable.
A federal jury in Marshall returned a unanimous verdict Wednesday in favor of AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Ericsson and Nokia, finding they did not infringe on three patents, denying the plaintiffs' $436 million request. The three disputed patents directed quality of service flow, control resource set configuration and small cell enhancements.
In this edition of Asked & Answered, Tillotson Patton’s Mollie Mallory shares her first trial experience and what it is like working with her brother. She also talks about her favorite Dallas restaurants and her morning routine getting ready for trial.
A Texas Business Court jury in Dallas deliberated for just 90 minutes late Friday night before ordering FiberWave and one of its subcontractors to pay AT&T $8 million for breaching its contractual duty to indemnify the telecom giant. The litigation started when FiberWave, a former sales partner, sued AT&T for $50 million in unpaid commissions.
In a $50 million dispute between AT&T and a former top sales partner, jurors in the Texas Business Court heard opening statements Tuesday morning that told very different stories, framing the breach of contract case as either a display of "corporate greed" or an unraveling scheme of "bribes and cover-ups."
The two Dallas sports franchises filed a joint motion with the 15th Court of Appeals to vacate judgment and remand the case to the Texas Business Court for dismissal. The Mavericks sued the Stars to enforce the terms of partnership contracts the teams signed nearly 25 years ago.
Stocks in technology companies and reimbursements are among the financial interests detailed in the 5th Court of Appeals justices’ financial disclosure forms for the past year. The Texas Lawbook made an open records request for the forms of the 13 sitting justices.
In this edition of Asked & Answered, Bell Nunnally partner Heath Cheek discusses his first trial and trial prep. He also shares how he got involved with the State Fair of Texas and how it became a piece of home for him in Dallas.
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