Waco Judge Awards EFH/Luminant $6.4 Million, Calls Sierra Club ‘Frivolous’
The fees award follows two years of litigation in which Sierra Club claimed Luminant's Big Brown power plant violated the Clean Air Act.
SEC Brings Fraud Charges on Houston Investment Firm – Updated
The SEC claims Robare Group Ltd. failed to disclose a conflict of interest to its clients when it recommended they invest in particular mutual funds and in turn received compensation from the broker that was selling the funds.
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.
Hamm Divorce Largest in U.S. History, Raises Securities Law Issues
The divorce trial of Continental Resources CEO Harold Hamm and his wife, Sue Ann, may be the largest divorce case in U.S. history. At stake is nearly $17 billion. She's asking for up to $6 billion. “The question is, will Mrs. Hamm come out of this trial filthy rich or filthy, filthy, filthy rich?” says Dallas family lawyer Charlie Hodges. But the Hamm divorce raises the issue of when should a company such as Continental should publicly disclose when its top executive and majority shareholder is getting a divorce.
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.
Exxon Mobil Wins Employee Incentive Plan Dispute
The Texas Supreme Court says Exxon's stock incentive plan could serve as a de facto non-compete clause.
Two Former Xerox/ACS Executives and SEC Settle Charges for $675,000
The former executives were represented by two Dallas attorneys: Paul Coggins of Locke Lord and Danny Ashby of K&L Gates.
Patent Cases Pour into East Texas Despite Data Showing District Not So Plaintiff-Friendly
Businesses and individuals filed 26 percent more patent infringement lawsuits in East Texas during the first six months of 2014 than they did in 2013, which was also a record year. The federal courts in the Eastern District have seen a 1,400 percent increase in new patent filings over the past decade, even as such cases have remained steady in the rest of the state. But a separate study shows that the district is in danger of losing its reputation as pro-plaintiff due to an increase in defense verdicts. This is a comprehensive update on patent litigation in the Eastern District of Texas.