The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

Krista Torralva

Krista Torralva is a regular contributor to The Texas Lawbook. Previously, she covered courts for The Dallas Morning News. Krista has spent the bulk of her decade-plus-long career covering criminal courts in Texas and Florida. Her reporting includes the high profile federal terrorism trial against the Pulse nightclub shooter’s widow in Orlando, which ended in a rare acquittal. Her civil courts coverage has included the long-winding Texas voter ID lawsuit, legal battles over local Covid-19 mandates and school board disputes. Krista's work has been recognized by the State Bar of Texas' Gavel Awards, the Texas Association Press Managing Editors, the National Headliner Awards program and various local chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists.

The daughter of a Naval officer, Krista grew up traveling every few years but calls Corpus Christi home and talks about the Texas Gulf Coast every chance she gets. She lives in Dallas’ North Oak Cliff with her husband, Fares Sabawi.

Krista graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Jury Begins Deliberations in Patent Infringement Case Against Samsung

A federal jury in Marshall began deliberating Thursday whether South Korean technology company Samsung Electronics infringed on cell phone wireless-charging patents obtained by California-based startup Mojo Mobility. McKool Smith lawyers asked for $303.5 million for its client. A legal team led by Paul Hastings denied Samsung infringed and asserted the patents at issue were invalid.

Q&A With Latham & Watkins’ Raghav Bajaj

Austin patent litigator Raghav Bajaj leaped from Haynes Boone to Latham & Watkins earlier this month. In a Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, Bajaj shared why he made the move and recent trends in the world of patent law and litigation.

Jury Acquits DFW Doctor Accused in Alleged University Athletic Billing Scheme

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.

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. 

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