In the first edition of Litigation Roundup in 2023, the City of Dallas has to pay up in a real estate dispute, Exxon Mobil sets its sights on undoing a “windfall tax” the European Union has imposed on energy companies and the Fifth Circuit revives an excessive force case against a cop who punched a man at Hobby Airport.
Fight Over Noneconomic Damages Cap Teed Up for Texas Supreme Court
If a trucking company gets its way at the Texas Supreme Court, the grief of rich plaintiffs will be worth more in wrongful death damages than the grief of poorer plaintiffs, numerous law professors and a trial attorney interest group argue.
Senior U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield Dies
Senior U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield, who served in the Eastern District of Texas, died Tuesday. He was 82.
Fort Worth Bank, Former VP Allegedly Aided Home Flipper’s Ponzi Scheme
Bankruptcy trustee James E. Cross alleges Dallas-area home flipper Skyler Aaron Cook, who has filed for bankruptcy in Arizona, defrauded investors out of at least $3 million in a scheme aided by Valliance Bank. The bank and its former executive vice president have denied the allegations.
Top Commercial Litigation in 2022
As restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic were rolled back in 2022, courts across the state went to work adjudicating long-delayed cases. Here, in no particular order, The Texas Lawbook looks back on some of the most significant litigation Texas lawyers handled in 2022.
Judge Miskel Appointed to Dallas Appellate Bench
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday announced that Collin County District Judge Emily Miskel, who lost a bid to get elected to the Fifth Court of Appeals last month, will be assuming an open seat on that court. Miskel has been a judge in Collin County since 2015.
Dallas Jury Awards $15M in Asset-Moving Default Judgment Case
The jury deliberated for about three hours before siding with Maiden Biosciences on Tuesday morning. Over five days of testimony 15 witnesses were called, including five experts.
Litigation Roundup: SCOTX Grants Highlighted, Poultry Prep Patent Invalidated and Panel Decides Astronaut Artifacts Spat
In this week’s edition of litigation roundup, appellate rulings take center stage. The Texas Supreme Court granted review in a tax dispute between Kinder Morgan and a school district and allowed a sex trafficking lawsuit against Salesforce to proceed. In the Fifth Circuit, a former general counsel and staff attorney at a Louisiana college appeal to revive their pay discrimination and retaliation suit.
Government Touts $38.5M Recovery in Case it Argued ‘Never Should Have Proceeded This Far’
Five years after first arguing that the False Claims Act Lawsuit against Academy Mortgage Corporation should be dismissed, the Department of Justice publicized the $38.5 million settlement on Wednesday. This lawsuit marked the first time a judge denied the government’s motion to dismiss an FCA suit, presenting an issue of first impression to the Ninth Circuit panel that heard the case. Earlier this month, a case that asks what authority and discretion the government should have to dismiss whistleblower actions was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Dallas Jury Hits Hospital with $10.1M Verdict in Paralysis Case
The panel deliberated for about eight hours before returning the verdict finding Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound 69 percent liable for the permanent injuries suffered by Judy “Jessie” Adams.