Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
In this week’s Litigation Roundup, we have a multimillion-dollar civil jury verdict, a criminal jury verdict and four new lawsuits brought by a chef, a law firm and more than a dozen major media outlets.
A lender that recently emerged from bankruptcy sues its insurance company. An out-of-state bank defeats a Dallas-based homebuilder in a dispute over an airplane. Patent infringement litigation begins against two giants in the smartphone and beverage industries. This week's Litigation Roundup details it all.
Charleen McCrory Hill, the late bassist’s wife of nearly 20 years, says in court documents that she never authorized the June memorabilia sale in Houston and didn’t even know about it until she saw press coverage of the event.
This article explores whether ESG is a trade secret or at least confidential information that could lead to a lawsuit when an ESG executive leaves a company for a similar position at a competitor.
Since Judge Alan Albright took the federal bench in 2018, businesses and individuals have filed 2,622 lawsuits in Waco accusing others of patent infringement. New statistics show he handles 24 percent of patent disputes in the U.S. – more than any other judge. His cases proceed quickly from filing to finish. Empirical data shows plaintiffs and defendants each win about half of their trials. Judge Albright rules for defendants 90 percent of the time on summary judgment.
This week, the federal judiciary shut down Judge Albright’s patent docket and has started sending his patent cases to other judges. In an in-depth report, The Texas Lawbook looks at the allegations by some tech companies against Judge Albright, reveals new data about his caseload and provides feedback from 19 patent lawyers in Texas. FYI: They are pissed.Alston & Bird attorneys representing Boral Windows got a ruling that ensured the jury never got to consider counterclaims seeking $100 million in damages against its client. And Don Godwin batted back Boral’s bid for about $41 million in damages against his client, who sold his company to Boral.
A Dallas County jury deliberated less than two hours before finding that the cable giant was liable for the exemplary damages on top of an earlier verdict of $375 million in actual damages.
The Waco patent rocket docket days may be over. WDTX Chief Judge Orlando Garcia issued an order Monday that requires that all new patent infringement lawsuits filed in the Waco Division be immediately assigned randomly to the district’s 12 federal judges. The order seems designed to end Judge Alan Albright’s three-year run as the federal judge handling the most patent cases in the U.S. The patent litigation bar is speaking out and they are not happy about the new order. The Texas Lawbook has the details.
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