Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Taut testimony was heard from Dr. Phil McGraw Tuesday in the bankruptcy case of his Merit Street Media. He will continue testifying Thursday. The hearing that began Sept. 16 and has spanned several days is expected to end on Monday.
Facing a $949 million federal court judgment for improperly billing charges to Medicaid, Medicare and Tricare, Rhode Island-headquartered pharmacy services company Omnicare Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday in the Northern District of Texas. The company stated the Chapter 11 filing will give it time to work on resolving the federal legal dispute, which is the huge majority of Omnicare’s liabilities.
The trustee of a bankrupt financial services startup aimed at conservative customers that Winston & Strawn represented is suing the law firm and one of its partners for alleged malpractice. The trustee for GloriFi, seeking more than $1.7 billion in damages, claims Winston & Strawn schemed with the company’s founder, putting his interests over those of the business.
Winston & Strawn said it “will vigorously defend against these meritless claims, including the fanciful, billion-dollar lost value claim for a company that never opened its doors for business.”
The former jurist who resigned his position in the Southern District of Texas in the wake of reporting about his previously secret romantic relationship with a bankruptcy lawyer told the court he is entitled to complete immunity from the lawsuit brought by aggrieved GWG bondholders. “There can be no genuine dispute that Jones is entitled to absolute immunity from civil lawsuits arising from his role as a judicial mediator in the GWG bankruptcy cases under applicable law,” the motion to dismiss reads. (File photo by Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Northern District Bankruptcy Judge Scott Everett heard from counsel representing Dr. Phil’s Merit Street Media and Trinity Broadcasting Network Tuesday, who argued about whether the celebrity television psychologist acted in bad faith by filing for bankruptcy. The hearing on the motion to dismiss and partial summary judgment is expected to last through Thursday, and Dr. Phil is on the list of potential witnesses who will testify. (File photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)
Jackson Walker, which represented JCPenney during its 2020 bankruptcy proceedings, has agreed to pay the estate of the department store $1.4 million as a result of a romantic relationship between a former partner and a former Houston bankruptcy judge. This latest settlement proposal requires the court’s approval, but the U.S. Trustee’s Office remains opposed to individual settlements.
Dallas-based bankruptcy and litigation boutique Ross & Smith announced Thursday that it has inked a business partnership with Offit Kurman, a 280-attorney full-service firm founded in Maryland that now has 20 offices across the U.S.
Vartabedian, Hester & Haynes announced Tuesday that the 30-lawyer DFW-based firm is expanding its business bankruptcy and restructuring practice with the addition of two lawyers from Butler Snow — Martin Sosland and Candice Carson.
© Copyright 2026 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.
