Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Key negotiators for The Williams Companies in its failed 2016 merger with Energy Transfer Equity testified Monday in the Delaware Court of Chancery about an equity offering executed by ETE that they say breached the parties’ $38 billion merger agreement because of how unfair it was to Williams shareholders. But they didn't go unchallenged on cross-examination.
A multi-day trial between a Japanese internet media giant and a Chinese technology conglomerate over the patent rights to popular online games ended Friday with a federal jury in Marshall awarding $92 million.
The final chapter of Energy Transfer and Williams’ legal battle over their failed mega-merger from 2016 will unfold in a six-day trial that begins Monday in Delaware. If you forgot what they’re still fighting about, not to worry. Natalie Posgate has the who, what, when, where and why to refresh your memory.
For the second time this spring, a Fort Worth federal judge has dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit that stemmed from a business deal that fell apart between Arlington-based Six Flags Entertainment Corp. and Riverside Investment Group related to the development of Six Flags parks in China.
Mediation has always been an important part of patent litigation – especially in the Eastern District of Texas. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual mediations have become an important and successful way to resolve patent disputes. We have conducted or participated in more than 50 virtual patent mediations since the pandemic began, and these recommended best practices are based on our experiences over the past year.
A Houston jury ruled Thursday afternoon that Houston-based TechnipFMC did not own trade secrets related to subsea drilling designs that the company had accused hometown rival Dril-Quip and ex-FMC engineer Rick Murphy of misappropriating, handing FMC a take-nothing verdict.
Lawyers for Dril-Quip and Murphy said they were thrilled with the result. An attorney for FMC said the company respects the verdict, but promised an appeal.
For a day and a half, a Houston jury has been weighing whether Houston-based Dril-Quip and one of its engineers stole trade secrets from TechnipFMC, a rival competitor in the subsea drilling industry, and if so, how much those trade secrets are worth. They return Thursday morning to continue the debate.
A federal jury in East Texas has cleared patent infringement liability for APCON Inc., an Oregon-based network security company with significant operations in Plano. The jury also invalidated five patents owned by the plaintiff, Gigamon.
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