An action movie star’s chartered flight landed aviation companies in a nearly decadelong dispute. The Fourth Court of Appeals almost fully agreed with a San Antonio company, BMH Air, affirming most of a $1 million award.
Fifth Circuit’s SCOTUS Report Card: 3-8 This Term
Texas Lawbook research shows that, for the second year in a row, the judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit were among the most reversed jurists in the United States.
Litigation Roundup: SpaceX Gets Win at SCOTX
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the Texas Supreme Court determined SpaceX will not have to face a new trial in an auto crash case and the U.S. Supreme Court upholds a Texas law requiring visitors to pornographic websites verify their age.
SCOTX Wipes Out $116M Judgment Against Werner in Fatal Crash Case
A case that began 11 years ago with a fatal crash on an icy stretch of highway near Odessa was ended Friday by the Texas Supreme Court when the justices issued an opinion wiping out a more than $100 million verdict against trucking company Werner Enterprises and its driver.
Lease Operator Owns ‘Produced Water,’ SCOTX Says
The Texas Supreme Court addressed ownership of “produced water,” an oilfield byproduct made increasingly valuable by new treatment methods. Absent a specific conveyance, the court said in a closely watched case, a surface estate does not retain ownership of the water separated from hydrocarbons during hydraulic fracturing operations.
SCOTX: Winter Storm Uri Lawsuits Seeking Billions of Dollars Narrowed But Still Alive
The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Winter Storm Uri lawsuits brought by thousands of individuals and small businesses against electric transmission and distribution utilities in Texas are legally flawed, but the justices allowed lawyers for the plaintiffs to amend their lawsuits to fix the legal issues and even provided a roadmap for their possible success. In a unanimous decision, the state’s highest court dismissed allegations of intentional nuisance and gross negligence against Oncor, CenterPoint and American Electric Power, but the decision to allow the plaintiffs to replead their gross negligence claims is viewed by attorneys for the plaintiffs as a significant victory because it keeps their lawsuits alive and moving forward. (File photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)