In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Southwest Airlines attorneys are denied a stay of a sanctions order that they undergo religious liberty training, the Texas Supreme Court rejects Jerry Jones’ request to end an assault suit brought by a woman he allegedly forcibly kissed at AT&T Stadium and the Fifth Circuit revives a suit against the Food and Drug Administration over tweets about ivermectin.
Litigation Roundup: Ex-CEO, CFO Sued Over Business’ $12M ‘Downfall,’ Texas Gets Private Company’s Nuclear Storage Permit Vacated
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Texas wins an appeal to vacate the license of a company wanting to store spent nuclear fuel in the Permian Basin, a team of Haynes Boone attorneys in Dallas defended a $6.6 million award for Pizza Hut in a fight with a former franchisee, and a former general counsel and staff attorney for Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans get a second chance to bring a pay discrimination suit.
Fifth Circuit Judge Ho Sounds Off on ‘Officials Abusing our Criminal Justice System to Punish Political Adversaries’
In a dissent from a denial of rehearing en banc, Judge James C. Ho pointed to two other recently decided cases to illustrate his argument that First Amendment protections are being eroded for those who live in the Fifth Circuit’s jurisdiction. He decried circuit precedent that has kept free speech cases from making it to trial.
Update: Simon Greenstone Panatier Bilked Out of $1.48M by Former Controller
After initially entering a not guilty plea last year, Christiane Kathleen Irwin on Tuesday pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. The government accused her of inflating her $140,000 salary at Simon Greenstone Panatier when she submitted biweekly payroll, taking home an extra $1.48 million over three years.
Litigation Roundup: Southwest Attorneys Get Pause on ‘Religious Liberty’ Training, SCOTX Sets Oral Arguments in Harris County Election Administration Fight
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Southwest Airlines’ attorneys get a temporary stay of an order that they undergo religious liberty training, the Texas Supreme Court declines to grant Harris County emergency relief in its lawsuit over a new law that abolishes the county’s office of election administration, and the full Fifth Circuit revived a lawsuit brought by female Dallas County jailers alleging sex discrimination.
Austin Family Living in Home Filled with Toxic Mold Awarded $3.1M
A jury of 12 sat through six days of trial and deliberated for about eight hours before determining the Baehr family was entitled to $3.1 million in damages. The toxic mold that infested their Austin home also sickened the family of six and prompted Kristina Baehr to launch her own firm to help others in the same situation.
Dallas Judge Who Appointed Campaign Treasurer as Receiver Won’t Be Recused
The defendants in a breach of contract dispute had argued that Dallas County District Court Judge Ashley Wysocki’s appointment of her campaign treasurer, James Stanton, as receiver in the case mandated her recusal. Judge Wysocki and Regional Presiding Judge Ray Wheless disagreed.
Litigation Roundup: A $1.2B ‘Revenge Porn’ Verdict, Texas’ Vision Care Law Draws Suit
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a Houston jury awards a woman $1.2B in a revenge porn case she brought against her ex-boyfriend, the state of Texas is facing another lawsuit over a new law set to go into effect Sept. 1, and McCathern teams up with civil rights lawyer Ben Crump in a suit against Harris County over its treatment of jailed individuals.
Arbitrator’s ‘Undisclosed’ Christianity Prompts Motion to Vacate $603K Award
A Dallas-area pain management clinic, American Pain and Wellness, argues that the arbitrator of a dispute with a former employee over payment and reimbursement “intentionally” failed to disclose details about his education and religious preferences that amount to evident partiality and dooms the award. Fort Worth lawyer John Chalk of Whitaker Chalk served as the arbitrator.
BakerHostetler, D.C. Solo Tapped in ‘The Ticket’ Noncompete Suit
The Ticket’s parent company is accusing Jacob Kemp and Daniel McDowell, the former hosts of popular sports talk radio show The Hang Zone, of violating a noncompete agreement by launching a new podcast after leaving the station in July.