In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a Dallas lawyer secures a $29 million jury verdict in a talc case and the Texas attorney general gets a deadline to respond to a request from whistleblowers to reinstate their case pending before the Texas Supreme Court.
Prosecutors Secure Plea Deal, Won’t Retry Ex-Blue Bell CEO
Paul Kruse agreed Wednesday to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and pay a $100,000 fine rather than face another felony fraud trial. Kruse’s attorney, Chris Flood, said the settlement confirms what he’s been saying all along: No one at Blue Bell ever intended to defraud its customers.
Houston Jury Doesn’t Buy Episcopalian-based Prejudice Claim
The discrimination and retaliation case lodged against one of the most prestigious funeral homes in the country, Houston’s Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Directors, didn’t gain traction with a jury that rejected William Coleman’s claims and awarded him no damages. Carter Crow of Norton Rose Fulbright, who represented the defendant, said he believes these types of religious discrimination lawsuits have become more common post-covid.
Litigation Roundup: Keurig’s $10M Settlement Approved, Jerry Jones Assault Claim Revived
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Keurig gets approval to settle a class action lawsuit over claims it made about the recyclability of its coffee pods for $10 million and the Dallas Court of Appeals held that a Jane Doe should be allowed to proceed with her claims Jerry Jones forcibly kissed her at AT&T Stadium.
Lack of Evidence Dooms Farmers’ Spray-Drift Suit
Friday morning the Texas Supreme Court determined that Robert Cox and a group of nine other cotton farmers presented insufficient evidence to proceed with their lawsuit alleging Helena Chemical Company’s negligent aerial application of Sendero damaged their crops. A trial court had tossed the suit on summary judgment, but the Eastland Court of Appeals partially revived it, teeing up the high court battle.
Judges, Professors Discuss Ethics of Litigation Finance at Conference
The second annual LITFINCON in Houston this year featured two panels of particular interest: one featuring federal and state judges, and one featuring law professors where a discussion of the ethics of litigation finance took center stage.
Litigation Roundup: Irvin, Marriott Lawyer Up in $100M Suit, Dell Beats $450M Patent Case, 5th Circ. OKs Landry’s Data Breach Loss
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a $100 million defamation lawsuit against Marriott gets rolling, Dell Technologies gets a win in a $450 million patent infringement lawsuit and the Fifth Circuit agrees Landry’s is on the hook for data breach damages.
Texas Supreme Court to Hear Winstead Malpractice Case
On Friday the Texas Supreme Court granted a petition for review from USA Lending Group that aims to revive a legal malpractice lawsuit it filed against Winstead PC regarding the firm’s in a lawsuit against a former employee. USA Lending sued Winstead after its attorneys failed to request damages in a motion for default judgment, which the company alleges cost it about $1.2 million. The Texas Supreme Court will decide whether the Texas Citizens Participation Act applies to the case.
Oral Argument Re-Do: Texas Justices Focus on German Automakers’ Conduct in Emissions Scandal Suit
The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case for the second time Tuesday, this time with two justices from the intermediate appellate court stepping in for two high court justices who recused themselves. The major issue in the dispute is whether Texas courts have jurisdiction to hear the state’s case against Volkswagen Germany and Audi Germany.
Litigation Roundup: $1.7B Spending Bill Draws Suit from Paxton, Texas Supreme Court Decides $50M Royalty Dispute
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the Texas Supreme Court revives a lawyer’s fight with a litigation funder and settles a “fuzzy math” problem in a $50 million royalty dispute.