Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
There were few more colorful characters in the corporate world than T. Boone Pickens. Chrysta Castañeda and Loren Steffy got to know him well – Castañeda as his lawyer representing him in a major trial in West Texas and Steffy as a long-time journalist who interviewed the oilman several times over three decades. The Texas Lawbook conducted a virtual interview with the duo.
Shelley Luther was not punished for "giving a haircut." She wasn't punished for violating Gov. Greg Abbott's orders. She was punished for violating a judge's legitimate and legal order from a court. To suggest otherwise or to make her some kind of a martyr for a cause is a disservice to martyrs and causes. Tom Melsheimer gives the actual facts of the case and the dangers of playing politics with it.
When Chevron discovered an unaffiliated company was securing business deals on counterfeit Chevron letterhead, they filed a lawsuit that resulted in a $1.1 million jury verdict. But by the time U.S. District Judge David Hittner issued his judgment, the price tag was $15.6 million. Natalie Posgate explains why.
“He’s unconscious, but there are some promising signs,” says Susman Godfrey managing partner Neal Manne. “He’s got movement on both sides of his body, to the extent there’s some movement of arms and legs on both sides. That’s a good thing when you have a brain injury, obviously.”
A Dallas-based restaurant group that bears a Seinfeld-inspired company name is the latest to sue its insurer over refusal to cover business interruption and property damage claims tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Natalie Posgate provides the details.
Her lawsuit says a Collin County real estate firm fired Dallas lawyer Amy Reggio for complying with the county-wide shelter-in-place order.
The lawsuit is representative of the insurance disputes that are arising across the U.S. as the national debate heats up about which claims insurers should and should not be responsible for covering for businesses amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries Inc. agreed to a $60 million settlement of one of the stockholder lawsuits filed in Delaware that emanated from an outbreak of listeriosis traced to its ice cream. Investors have claimed they were blind-sided by the financial fallout that resulted from allegations that the company failed to maintain food production safety standards.
U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison ruled federal courts do have habeas corpus authority to release migrant detainees when the conditions of their detention put their immediate health and life at risk. The decision is a huge pro bono win for Weil Gotshal lawyers in Texas, including Paul Genender (pictured above) who say there are other similar cases they might be pursuing.
Dallas-based Varsity Brands has sealed last year's $3.1 million Alabama jury verdict with a final win at the Supreme Court of Alabama. The court let stand a judgment against Jostens for luring 47 school clients by hiring two salesmen bearing key trade secrets from a Varsity Brands subsidiary.
SDTX District Judge David Hittner Thursday slapped Houston-based Sariel Petroleum and several individuals with a $15.6 million judgment for counterfeiting and infringing on trademarks owned by energy giant Chevron USA. Chevron had filed suit against the company in 2018, alleging the Sariel defendants were duping prospective clients into believing the company was affiliated with Chevron. Natalie Posgate reports.
Kevin Burgess, who also was on the McKool Smith management committee, is the first lateral principal hire at his new firm.
© 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.
