Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Second-generation lawyer and Bracewell partner Steve Benesh went to the University of Texas, following in the footsteps of his brother.
“For my 18-year-old mind, I needed no other reasons, other than having a brother there and Longhorn sports,” Benesh said.
Benesh recently sat down with The Texas Lawbook to discuss his time as state bar president and the issues he’s seeing in the legal practice.
A Starr County jury unanimously awarded $1.6 billion to the families of two men who died in an explosion at a Pecos hazardous-chemicals plant in 2023. The 12-member jury answered the 16-question verdict form late Friday after the two-week trial in Judge Jose Luis Garza’s courtroom.
DENVER — The eight-member jury unanimously found Tellurian founder Charif Souki breached a contract with an investor and awarded $39 million in damages after deliberating just over three hours on a snowy Friday afternoon. While the jurors found Parker prevailed on his breach of contract claim based on a 2019 text message exchange, they rejected his five other claims, including breach of a separate agreement, fraudulent inducement, unjust enrichment and promissory estoppel.
DENVER — Parties rested their cases Thursday afternoon in the breach of contract case between investor Chris Parker and Tellurian founder Charif Souki over an alleged agreement not to sell Tellurian stock. The eight-member jury will decide whether a text message exchange is a binding contract Friday.
DENVER — What’s expected to be a five-day trial commenced Monday in U.S. District Judge William Martinez’s courtroom in the case between Chris Parker and Charif Souki over an alleged agreement not to sell Tellurian stock. The eight-member jury will decide whether a text message exchange is a binding contract.
The Dallas Mavericks franchise filed notice that it was immediately dropping its tortious interference claim in its battle against the Dallas Stars. The move comes a week after the Texas Business Court denied the Stars’ five motions for summary judgment and granted the Mavericks' motion for declaratory judgment.
The Texas Business Court dismissed a fraud lawsuit against an Indiana-based trailer manufacturer, determining the dispute did not belong in Texas courts. Texas-based Daimler Truck Financial Services was seeking $28 million in damages.
In this edition of Asked & Answered, Norton Rose Fulbright partner Julie Searle talks about being inspired by her parents to go to law school and her decade of experience at the Department of Justice. From government to in-house to private practice, Searle draws on these experiences in her role as a litigator in Norton Rose Fulbright’s Austin office.
Stonewall Gas Gathering, a West Virginia pipeline owner, has been ordered to pay $1 in a breach of contract case before the Texas Business Court. Antero Resources claimed it had suffered $200 million in damages from the alleged breach.
The Texas Business Court in Dallas trimmed the claims for trial by granting summary judgment for the Mavericks, finding the Stars didn’t comply with the “location commitment” in the parties’ contract when the team moved its headquarters to Frisco in 2003. There will be a hearing Tuesday morning to determine where the jury trial will take place next month.
© Copyright 2026 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.
