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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.

Litigation Roundup: CenterPoint Wants a Beryl MDL

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the Texas Attorney General’s Office — fresh off securing a $1.4B settlement with Meta in a similar lawsuit — has filed a data privacy suit against General Motors, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor recuses from one X Corp. lawsuit but hangs on to another, and we offer an update on the lawsuits CenterPoint is facing from customers in the wake of Hurricane Beryl and which firms have been tapped to defend the utility company.

Michelle Casady

Ex-Judge Jones Ordered to Ethics Training After Show Cause Hearing

Nine days after Southern District of Texas Chief Bankruptcy Judge Eduardo Rodriguez conducted a show cause hearing in a sealed courtroom, he has determined that his former colleague, David Jones, acted in bad faith when he consented to an interview with lawyers from Jackson Walker and Rusty Hardin’s firm. The ruling comes in a case where Judge Rodriguez must determine whether Jackson Walker should be forced to return about $13 million in legal fees earned in bankruptcy cases before former Judge David Jones.

Michelle Casady

Plaintiff, Amici Urge En Banc Reconsideration in ‘Literally Unprecedented’ Axing of $222M Wrongful Death Verdict

Earlier this month, Kansas resident Kelli Most filed a motion for en banc reconsideration with the court. She argued that dismissal of her lawsuit against Team Industrial Services — which came after the Sugar Land-based company had unsuccessfully attempted pretrial to get the appellate court to move the suit out of Texas courts — on grounds that Texas was an inconvenient forum is “literally unprecedented.”

Michelle Casady

Gibson Dunn Hires Away Weil Trial Pro in Dallas

Elizabeth "Liz" Ryan, who had been a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges for three-and-a-half years, cited Gibson’s “explosive” and “impressive” growth in Texas as part of the reason she was excited to join the firm. “Even with this growth, Gibson Dunn has maintained a collaborative atmosphere, collegiality, renowned client service, and unparalleled litigation results,” she said in a news release. “Having repeatedly co-counseled with outstanding Gibson Dunn attorneys throughout my practice, I’m now honored to join their ranks.”

Michelle Casady

Mayer Brown Energy M&A Partner Jumps to Baker Botts

Baker Botts announced Tuesday that Rebecca Seidl had joined from Mayer Brown, where she was a partner in the corporate and securities practice group for six years. Seidl, in a news release, cited the firm’s reputation in the energy industry and its global platform as reasons why she made the move.

Michelle Casady

Amici Weigh in on Constitutional Challenge to New Fifteenth COA

Three amicus briefs — from Disability Rights Texas, the Texas Business Law Foundation and Texans for Lawsuit Reform — have been filed in the case. While the groups seek different outcomes, Disability Rights Texas and Texans for Lawsuit Reform agree on one issue: the Texas Supreme Court should take the case and issue a decision on the constitutionality issue.

Michelle Casady

SDTX Chief Bankruptcy Judge Seals Show Cause Hearing in Judge Jones, Jackson Walker Case   

At the daylong hearing, Chief Judge Eduardo Rodriguez also denied a request to subpoena four years of phone and text logs from former bankruptcy Judge David Jones’ government-issued cell phone that the requesting party said was intended to investigate whether any ex parte communications had taken place between Jones and the attorneys who appeared before him. Chief Judge Rodriguez said he plans to quickly decide whether to partially or fully unseal a transcript and audio of the sealed portion of Wednesday’s hearing.

Michelle Casady

Experts on X Corp.’s Antitrust Suit: ‘A Head Scratcher’ with a Side of ‘Forum Shopping’

A law professor and a prominent litigator spoke to The Lawbook about the merits of X's new lawsuit against a group of advertisers and discussed why the case may have been filed in federal court in Wichita Falls. “Forum shopping is definitely going on here,” C. Paul Rogers III, current professor and former dean at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, told The Lawbook in an interview Tuesday.

Michelle Casady

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