A little more than a week after Google and Texas told the state’s supreme court they were in settlement negotiations that could end litigation in a consumer protection lawsuit, Texas on Friday afternoon announced a $1.375 billion settlement with the tech giant. Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement calling the settlement of the state Deceptive Trade Practices Act claims “a major win for Texans’ privacy” and said it “tells companies that they will pay for abusing our trust.”
Jackson Walker Hires Former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht
Retired Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht has joined the Dallas-based law firm Jackson Walker as a partner in its Austin office, the firm announced Friday.
Litigation Roundup: Google, Texas in Talks to Settle Consumer Protection Lawsuit
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit revives a software company’s breach of contract lawsuit against the Tarrant County College District, a sex discrimination lawsuit against UT Southwestern Medical Center is set for a bench trial, and Houston lawyers secure a $31 million jury verdict in Miami.
Jury Sides With Marathon Oil, Rejects $123.7M Claim in Uri Natural Gas Delivery Trial
Federal jurors in Houston on Monday afternoon sided with Marathon Oil in a lawsuit stemming from the delivery of natural gas during February 2021’s Winter Storm Uri, rejecting a $123.7 million breach of contract claim lodged by Koch Energy Services.
SEC Says 3 DFW Residents Ran $91M Ponzi Scheme
Kenneth W. Alexander II, Robert D. Welsh and Caedrynn E. Conner are accused of defrauding more than 200 investors out of millions via a trust Alexander controlled called Vanguard Holdings Group Irrevocable Trust. The SEC filed the 37-page lawsuit against the trio in the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division, on Tuesday.
Litigation Roundup: SCOTX Vacates Guardianship Divorce Decree
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a woman whose Lyft driver was convicted of raping her settles a civil lawsuit against the company about a week before trial was to begin in Dallas County, members of a Houston megachurch allege an improper takeover by leadership, and a jury in Austin awards a seven-figure verdict in a revenge porn case.
After Virginia Judge Found Google Operates Advertising Tech Monopoly, What Does it Mean for Texas Case?
Google, which was recently found by a federal judge in Virginia to be operating a monopoly over advertising technology, is trying to convince a federal judge in Texas that it should not have to face a similar trial — albeit one that includes state law claims — in that state. In an interview this week with The Texas Lawbook, lead counsel for the plaintiffs, Mark Lanier of Lanier Law Firm, said the states are “absolutely entitled to a jury trial.”
Lawyer Says Lack of ‘Independent Verification’ to Blame for Nonexistent Case Cites
A lawyer who filed an appellate brief that included four cases the Fifth Court of Appeals could not locate has explained that the culprit is “relying on third-party research without independent verification.”
“This has been a humbling and embarrassing lesson in the importance of verifying every citation at its source,” Heidi Rochon Hafer wrote in a response filed April 20.
Litigation Roundup: AT&T Beats Back $57M FCC Fine
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a bench trial to determine whether the U.S. Trustee can clawback millions in fees awarded to Jackson Walker for work done on certain bankruptcy cases is officially canceled, personal injury lawyer Thomas J. Henry hires David J. Beck to defend his trademark and a longtime Dallas judge makes a big announcement.
Lynn Pinker Accuses AAA Arbitrator of More ‘Egregious Conduct’ in Dickey’s Case
Lynn Pinker partner Mary Goodrich Nix told the AAA its arbitrator refused to grant her any accommodation or continuance when she was in the hospital with her fatally ill father. She also told the administrator of the arbitration between her client, Dickey’s, and a franchisee that arbitrator Gary Leydig referred to her in an email as “Ms. Dix” and said he “has never apologized or acknowledged this, despite having been confronted with how offensive it was.”