Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
A Dallas jury who heard a wrongful death case last year for the same crane collapse awarded $860 million — the second-largest Texas jury verdict in 2023 — to the parents of a woman killed. This week, companies Greystar and Bigge Crane & Rigging Co. avoided a second trial in a lawsuit brought by a man who was pinned in his car when the crane toppled onto the apartment building and parking garage.
Billingsley joins as a partner in the firm’s business reorganization and financial restructuring practice group, where he says he’ll be able to expand his practice nationally. Billingsley talks to The Texas Lawbook about Chapter 11 bankruptcy venues and what’s ahead in 2024 in the world of complex Chapter 11 cases.
The veteran appellate lawyer shared with The Lawbook how he handles aggressive lawyer tactics and discussed the highly controversial legal battle he was proud to have a role in. The move to Langley & Banack positions Drummond to work with other appellate lawyers he says he’s long admired.
The firms announced new hires Monday to their Houston offices. Claudia Wilson Frost comes to Steptoe from Orrick, while Audrey F. Momanaee leaves Balch & Bingham for Blank Rome.
During oral arguments Wednesday, Justices questioned lawyers about the after-the-fact reviews for determining whether police officers act in good faith in rapidly evolving situations and when government immunity ought to apply.
Michelle Scheffler, formerly of Haynes Boone, joins Skadden as a litigation partner in its Houston office. Scheffler has led high-profile energy litigation across the country.
In a Q&A with The Lawbook, Bill Mateja shares what shakeups he’s got in store for the bar association and the advice he gave former DBA president Aaron Tobin. The DBA will host an inauguration ceremony Sunday for Mateja, a partner at Sheppard Mullin.
The firm adds Warner to its growing Dallas office amid “an environment of increased investigations and rising litigation.” Warner, a former assistant U.S. attorney and ex-assistant attorney general for the Texas Attorney General’s office, has represented Bass Pro Shops, Miller Brewing, and Primerica, as well as other Fortune 500 companies.
The owner of a restored vintage Mercedes that was declared salvage by USAA, a decision the company later walked back, argues the insurance giant participates in a wrongful practice of prematurely reporting to the state that it has paid claims. USAA argues the plaintiff should be required to pursue her novel claims as an individual and not on a classwide basis.
Joe Redden rang in the new year as a retiree, marking the end of a 48-year legal career. In 1992, Redden cofounded the boutique trial and appellate law firm in Houston.
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