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Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

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Michelle Casady

Michelle Casady is based in Houston and covers litigation and appeals — including trials, breaking news and industry trends — for The Texas Lawbook.

Michelle Casady

Michelle Casady has been a reporter in Texas since January 2009. She's covered crime at The Bryan-College Station Eagle, courts at the San Antonio Express-News and civil litigation for Law360. In July 2022, she joined The Texas Lawbook.

Her reporting has included covering arrests, trials, plea deals and settlements, executions, natural and manmade disasters, colorful characters and various oddities.

She lives in Houston with her husband Matt, a sweet dog Hurricane Harvey brought into their lives, and a confident cat who keeps everyone in line. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Texas Tech University and was a 2018 fellow of the Loyola Marymount University Journalist Law School.

You can reach Michelle at michelle.casady@texaslawbook.net or (713) 614-7929.

Dallas Judge Finds Khoury, Shamoun’s ‘Improper and Incurable Jury Argument’ Mandates New Trial

Earlier this week, Dallas County District Judge Gena Slaughter issued a four-page order finding that the arguments made by defense lawyers Stephen A. Khoury and C. Gregory Shamoun in front of a Dallas County jury deciding a fraudulent transfer case were “improper and incurable.” But Khoury and Shamoun told The Texas Lawbook this week they are “shocked” by the finding and argue Judge Slaughter’s order is “inaccurate and incorrect.”

Michelle Casady

Landry’s Trademark Trial Kicks Off in Houston 

Opening statements were made Wednesday afternoon in the case that pits billionaire Tilman Fertitta’s Landry’s against Landry Distilling, a company that launched in Austin in 2021 and sells bourbon and rye whiskey featuring quarter horses on the bottle.

Michelle Casady

Litigation Roundup: Landry’s Trademark Trial to Begin this Week

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, we preview a trademark infringement lawsuit brought by Landry’s that’s slated for trial this week, another trial in the 26-year dispute between David Clapper and American Realty Investors is averted, and the Fifth Circuit sends a malpractice lawsuit against Beck Redden to state court.

Michelle Casady

Jimmy Blacklock Named Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court

Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock has been on the court since 2018 and has been elevated to fill the chief justice position left vacant by Nathan Hecht’s retirement. Hecht had helmed the court since 2013. Also on Monday, the governor named James P. Sullivan as the newest member of the Texas Supreme Court. Both men formerly served as general counsel to the governor.

Michelle Casady

Biggest Texas Verdicts of 2024

Juries in the Eastern District of Texas handed out the largest and second-largest awards of the year and five of the Top 10. But no jury in the state cracked the $1 billion damages award threshold in a single case in 2024.

Michelle Casady

Whiplash: Fifth Circuit Unblocks, Blocks Corporate Transparency Act in 2 Orders Issued 3 Days Apart

While the court’s original order lifting the injunction, issued Monday, was signed by the three judges who issued it — Judges Carl E. Stewart, Catharina Haynes and Stephen A. Higginson — the subsequent order putting the nationwide injunction back in place, issued Thursday, was not signed, but entered instead by the clerk of the court at the direction of the court. 

Michelle Casady

Litigation Roundup: Appellate Losses for Salesforce, Justin Timberlake 

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the Fifth Circuit explains the limitations of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in allowing a lawsuit against Salesforce to proceed, the Houston city council greenlights a settlement in a revenge porn case involving members of the fire department and a multimillion-dollar jury award in a case involving a contract to construct a natural gas plant is slashed.

Michelle Casady

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