Friday’s opinion marks the near-end of a 19-year legal battle for Farmers Insurance and its lawyers at Norton Rose Fulbright — featuring two appeals on class certification issues, a mandamus proceeding, a jury trial and now an appeal before the Texas Supreme Court.
High-Dollar Trade Secrets Jury Trial Begins in Houston — Updated
TechnipFMC lawyers told jurors Thursday that a former chief engineer, Rick Murphy, went to work for competitor Dril-Quip and stole valuable trade secrets for cutting-edge, ocean floor oil extraction equipment. But defense lawyers challenged that narrative and argued that the trial is just a way for FMC to compete in the courtroom instead of the free market. Natalie Posgate has details from day one of the trial in state Judge R.K. Sandill’s court.
$3M Judgment Awarded in Hotly-Disputed Trade Secrets Case
A Houston federal judge last week awarded $3 million to oil industry employment website Rigzone.com and its parent company, DHI, several days after a jury found co-founder David Kent misappropriated trade secrets to help grow a competing website that he left to start. But the defense says it’s not that simple and considers the judgment a “complete victory.” Natalie Posgate explains.
Munck Wilson Scores Unusual Early Dismissal in EDTX Patent Case
Ten months in, the case was still in its infancy when U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan of the Eastern District of Texas dismissed it and invalidated the patent at issue under Section 101 grounds, which lawyers involved say is a rare occurrence for patent cases filed in the Eastern District of Texas.
Snowstorm Lawsuit Between Energy Transfer and SA Utility Company Heats Up
A legal battle between two Energy Transfer subsidiaries and the City of San Antonio’s utility company is just one example of the many lawsuits that are surfacing after winter storm Uri — and just one of more than a dozen lawsuits that the nation’s largest municipally-owned utility company is bringing against natural gas providers.
When Will In-Person Jury Trials Resume in TX? Three Major Counties Weigh In
Now that the Texas Supreme Court lifted its statewide ban on in-person court proceedings and jury trials, the question is when and how will district courts open their courtrooms. The answer: Not all at the same time or the same way. This article has in-depth interviews with the judges making the decisions.
East Texas Jury Hits Two Houston Companies with $152M Verdict — Updated
A federal jury in East Texas awarded Plano-based property management software company ResMan with a $152 million verdict after finding a former customer improperly accessed ResMan’s software to develop its own rival product with a third party. The verdict is the conclusion of only one of two trials in the case, the first of which resulted in a mistrial due to a Covid-19 outbreak. Natalie Posgate has the details.
‘You’re Fired! Thank You.’ New Firm Forever Connected to Iconic RoboCop Scene
Burke Bogdanowicz may be only a month in existence, but it turns out that the firm’s office space has a storied history as the filming location for the final boardroom scene in the 1987 film RoboCop. The lawyers learned this last week when a Netflix crew and the writer of RoboCop paid their office a surprise visit. Founding firm partners Aaron Burke and Rob Bogdanowicz detailed the experience for The Lawbook.
Plaintiff’s Lawyer on $63M Samsung Verdict: ‘The Courtroom is a Great Equalizer’
After three hours of deliberation, a Marshall, Texas federal jury of three men and four women found Samsung Display Company infringed on two smartphone screen display patents owned by an Irish company. The prevailing side spoke with Natalie Posgate about how they won the case.
Securities Fraud Case Concerning Six Flags China Parks Dismissed
A Fort Worth federal judge has dismissed a securities fraud class action against Arlington-based Six Flags Entertainment Corp. after finding the allegations of two anonymous employees unreliable — allegations that essentially anchored the plaintiffs’ entire case.