Dallas trial lawyer Bill Brewer should not have been sanctioned by a Lubbock judge for conducting a survey or poll months before a trial because there “is no evidence” that the controversial attorney acted in bad faith or tried to improperly tamper with the jury process, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday.
SCOTX Makes Moot Case Moot-er
The Supreme Court of Texas took the unusual step of vacating a lower court decision in an already moot case involving the Texas Education Agency. In a per curiam decision, the court said it wanted to avoid future “gamesmanship” on issues of public importance. Janet Elliott has the details.
Austin False Claims Act Practitioner is Aiding Planned Parenthood in Case Before U.S. Supreme Court
Patrick O’Connell is an Austin-based solo whose practice is almost exclusively qui tam cases. He chases fraud on behalf of clients in cases in which the State of Texas is on his side. But in a case now officially before the U.S. Supreme Court, O’Connell finds himself facing off against the Lone Star State in a challenge to its COVID-19 abortion restrictions. The Lawbook’s Tony Mauro explains.
Economic Loss in a Time of Coronavirus: Fifth Circuit Case May Drive Future COVID-19 Business Tort Litigation
The Fifth Circuit recently confronted a classic “economic loss rule” problem under Texas law. While the case involved a dispute about the operation of a power turbine, the legal framework described by Golden Spread could easily set the ground rules for future business tort litigation arising from the COVID-19 crisis.
SCOTX Resumes Oral Arguments — by VTC
When the Texas Supreme Court convened for oral argument Wednesday, it wasn’t in the familiar halls of the court, but in virtual space. Honoring COVID-19 stay-at-home directives, the court conducted oral arguments in three cases via teleconferencing, becoming only the second state supreme court in the nation to do so (Ohio apparently beat them by a day). Bottom line: The technology performed smoothly for the most part, appellants got their virtual day in court and some of the justices got to wear their robes at home. Janet Elliott describes the court’s first argument in W&T Offshore v. Fredieu
SCOTX Modifies COVID-19 Civil Case Filing Deadlines
The Texas Supreme Court issued a new emergency order Wednesday that officially stays or tolls “any statute-of-limitations deadlines for the filing or service of any civil case” between March 13 and June 1. The new order takes discretion away from trial judges.
Fed Circuit Gives Schlumberger, Latham Huge Win in Patent Dispute
A widely monitored and hotly contested patent dispute in the oil patch likely ended Tuesday when a federal appeals court ruled that energy giant Schlumberger did not infringe on the intellectual property of legendary Houston energy inventor and lawyer, Dr. Claude Cooke.
Fifth Circuit Gives AT&T, Arbitrators Big Win
Arbitrators in commercial civil disputes may change their minds and reverse their own final decisions without the worry of any review by federal judges, even in cases in which judges believe the arbitrator committed “grave error.” The Fifth Circuit ruled in favor of AT&T, which has been in a five-year-long labor dispute with one of its labor unions, the Communications Workers of America.