Federal wage-and-hour suits have been steadily declining since the first half of 2020, when suits rose 19% from pre-pandemic days. And federal employment-discrimination lawsuits filed in Texas under Title VII were also down. Many factors may be at work, including the pandemic, recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and the backlog of government agencies that oversee the litigation.
Tellurian’s Charif Souki Responds to Investor Lawsuit
Tellurian co-founder Charif Souki went on the record with The Texas Lawbook in response to a lawsuit filed against him a couple weeks ago by a Tellurian investor that claims he lost tens-of-millions after Souki reneged on a promise to pay back the shareholder’s losses. Souki has retained Yetter Coleman in Houston to defend him in the litigation.
Omicron Continues to Disrupt Civil Jury Trials in Texas
As the first month of 2022 comes to a close, in-person civil jury trials in Texas remain few and far between due to Covid. Natalie Posgate has updates on the status of civil jury trials in Dallas, Austin and San Antonio state courts.
Barry Sorrels, Stephanie Luce Ola Create New Criminal-Defense Firm
Longtime colleagues Barry Sorrels and Stephanie Luce Ola have branched off from their old firm to create a new criminal defense firm, Sorrels Ola. It handles everything from state misdemeanor and felony charges to federal healthcare fraud charges.
Barnes & Thornburg Adds Tim Hudson in Dallas
The products liability and trade secrets lawyer joins from Holland & Knight.
Tellurian Founder Sued by Major Investor — Updated
An investor in Houston-based Tellurian Investments has sued Charif Souki on claims that the company co-founder and chairman of the board reneged on a promise to pay back the investor for tens of millions in losses after Tellurian’s stock value plummeted.
SDTX & NDTX Chief Judges Talk Retirement, Pandemic’s Impact on Trials
During a 90-minute webinar over Tuesday’s lunch hour, Northern District Chief Judge Barbara Lynn and Southern District Chief Judge Lee Rosenthal talked retirement plans (or lack thereof) and courtroom trends from the pandemic and when jury trials (currently paused by Omicron) in their jurisdictions are likely to resume
Fifth Circuit Reverses Houston Lawyer’s Tax Evasion Conviction
Although the case “facts were difficult,” the Fifth Circuit vacated a tax evasion conviction of Houston lawyer Jack Stephen Pursley on a simple premise: a statute of limitations defense that the three-judge panel said was erroneously shot down by the trial court without analysis.
Judge Declines to Seal Docs in TeamHealth-UnitedHealthcare Case
A Las Vegas judge on Wednesday preserved a majority of the public record in a case between TeamHealth and UnitedHealthcare that recently rendered a $63 million jury verdict for three groups of ER physicians over reimbursement rates. The ruling reflects the vast public interest the case has garnered from doctors in Texas and beyond as they consider their own legal rights against insurers.
Kirkland Adds IP Litigator in Austin
Kat Li now is the seventh Texas-based lawyer in Kirkland’s growing intellectual property practice group. She joins from McKool Smith.