Houston Lawyer Advocates for Austin Business’s First Amendment Rights
Meredith Parenti is ringing in the New Year by arguing against the constitutionality of the Highway Beautification Act on behalf of an Austin area business owner.
TX Supreme Court to Answer: Are Life Settlements Securities?
The court will hear arguments in two cases involving Life Partners Inc., a Waco company that pioneered the secondary market for life insurance in 1991.
Fifth Circuit Denies Request to Rehear Whooping Crane Case
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has denied a request to reconsider its previous reversal of a South Texas judge who found that the State of Texas was liable for killing 23 endangered whooping cranes.
SCOTX Examines When Broad Discovery Becomes Too Broad
How much discovery is too much? The Texas Supreme Court recently offered important guidance on this practical question, holding that a request for “similar” insurance claim files was overly broad, even with limits as to place and time. This article has the full details and analysis.
Shell Defamation Case Has Profound Implications on Federal Corruption Investigations
At issue in the Texas Supreme Court is whether companies that cooperate with criminal investigations for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act should be immune from defamation suits filed by employees who are implicated in internal probes. National business groups say the decision could have major negative consequences.
Misconduct Charges Against Fifth Circuit Judge Edith Jones Rejected
A special three-judge panel has dismissed multiple allegations of misconduct against Judge Edith Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.
Texas Court Answers: 10:00 a.m. Means 10:00 a.m.
There are court decisions that change the law, but this is a case that should put the fear of God into those who run a litigation calendar. The bottom line: Defense counsel should be mindful of the 10:00 AM deadline in the rules, and factor it into their calendaring system.
TX Supreme Court: “Once We Grant…Chances Are We Are Going to Reverse”
Seven members of the Texas Supreme Court spent a couple hours at this past weekend’s Texas Tribune Festival answering questions important to many appellate law practitioners. The justices discussed recent 5-4 splits on important business cases, why the court spends so much time correcting errors, how they approach confusing contract language and the factors that determine whether they accept a case.
Five Fifth Circuit Judges Offer Pointers on Appellate Advocacy
Clarity. Brevity. Honesty. Three of the many tips five judges from the Fifth Circuit have for lawyers taking cases to the federal appeals court. Last week's Dallas Bar Association event was the largest gathering of Fifth Circuit judges in DFW since Judge Catharina Haynes' investiture in 2008.
TX Supreme Court Hears BP, Transocean $500 million Dispute
BP and Transocean take their bitter, protracted half-billion-dollar battle over who pays for pollution-related liabilities arising from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster to the Texas Supreme Court this week. The federal court in New Orleans overseeing the Deepwater Horizon case asked the Texas high court to decide a simple but critical issue: Is BP covered by Transocean’s insurance policy?
TX Supremes Side with Contractors over Local Gov’t
A deeply divided Texas Supreme Court ruled that Zachry Construction Corp. can seek damages from the Port of Houston Authority for project delays despite a “no-damages-for-delay” contract provision.
TX Supreme Court Issues ‘Groundbreaking’ Opinion on Prior Restraint
Texas' high court ruled that removing speech from the Internet that has been legally determined defamatory does not enjoin future speech, thus is not an unconstitutional prior restraint.