A Sherman jury dealt federal prosecutors a rare acquittal Tuesday in the trial of a Dallas-area doctor accused in an alleged fraudulent scheme to bill insurance companies for medical services provided to injured university student athletes. Jurors deliberated about four hours before finding Dr. Kyle Carter not guilty of a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Q&A With Gibson Dunn’s Liz Ryan
Earlier this month, Elizabeth “Liz” Ryan left Weil, Gotshal & Manges to join Gibson Dunn as a partner in its litigation and trials practice group. She recently answered some questions from The Texas Lawbook about why she made the move and what she’s looking forward to in this new chapter of her career.
Dallas Law Firm Obtains $63.4M Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson in Latest Baby Powder Trial
Dean Omar Branham Shirley has obtained three jury verdicts this year against Johnson & Johnson over allegations its baby powder contained cancer-causing asbestos. Another trial ended early when the parties settled. Johnson & Johnson has decried the verdicts and maintained its cosmetic talc products did not cause cancer.
Greystar, Bigge Settle Crane Collapse Suit Mid-Trial
Five plaintiffs who were displaced from their Dallas homes after a construction crane toppled onto an apartment complex in 2019 reached a settlement with the real estate developer and the crane rental company mid-trial Thursday. The confidential settlement resolves all remaining lawsuits related to the crane collapse, lawyers told a Dallas judge.
Dallas-Area Doctor on Trial in Alleged Multimillion-Dollar University Athletic Billing Scheme
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas has accused Dr. Kyle Carter of conspiring with a third-party billing company to collect thousands of dollars for work treating student-athletes he never saw and who were actually treated by university athletic trainers. Carter’s lawyers from Vedder Price told jurors the doctor was merely a supervising physician and didn’t have insight into the company’s billing.
Vartabedian Hester & Haynes Hires Away Another Partner from Alston & Bird
Daniella P. Main was a partner in Alston & Bird’s Dallas office. Vartabedian’s name partner, Rob Vartabedian, said Tuesday that Main will support the firm’s oil and gas litigation clients while leading its commercial litigation in other industries from its Dallas office.
Victor Vital Returns to Haynes Boone as Global Trials Chair
Victor Vital described his return to Haynes Boone as a “homecoming” to the firm where he first made partner. As global chair of the trials practice group, Vital will lead about 60 lawyers lawyers in three countries.
Two Texas Lawyers May Face Discipline for Roles in Claiming Lewis Brisbois Name
Attorney Susan C. Norman registered a domestic limited liability partnership under the California-based law firm’s name after discovering the firm’s foreign limited liability partnership registration had lapsed on the Texas secretary of state website, and Bradley B. Beers filed an assumed name certificate. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found the lawyers’ conduct “unbecoming of the profession,” and a U.S. district judge said he wasn’t sure whether he was obligated to refer the lawyers to the Texas State Bar for investigation.
Duane Morris Bolsters Trial Practice Group with Exxon Mobil Assistant General Counsel
Joseph T. Walsh will work in Duane Morris’ Houston and New York offices and will focus on environmental litigation, products liability, commercial disputes, emergency response and counseling clients on risk management. In between stints at Exxon, Walsh represented Fortune 500 companies at a New Jersey-based law firm where he was a name partner.
Austin Lawyer Launches Legal AI Company to Draft Pleadings
At the request of his father, Austin attorney Dov Preminger took on a case a few years ago for a contractor who didn’t get paid about $50,000 for work he performed.
Preminger’s work on the case came to about $13,000 in fees and expenses. While he and his client won a default judgment for the full requested amount, they were only able to garnish a bank account for about $3,000, which was split between the client, the bank’s lawyer and Preminger.
Preminger tells that story to illustrate the potential usefulness artificial intelligence can provide to lawyers and clients as he gradually launches LitLaw, a “legal AI company” that instantly generates first drafts of lawsuits, answers, demand letters, discovery requests and more. LitLaw will eventually be able to draft more complex motions, Preminger said.