Eighty percent of Texas businesses faced civil lawsuits this past year and, although they were sued less often, more and more companies are suing each other, according to exclusive data provided to The Texas Lawbook by the Norton Rose Fulbright law firm. Specifically, Texas GCs witnessed a rise in litigation involving oil and gas operations, labor and employment disputes and contract disagreements.
Ex-Executive Sues Omni for Being a ‘Boys Club’
A former female executive for Omni Hotels on Wednesday filed suit against her ex-employer and its holding company for sexual harassment, unequal pay, and retaliation after she spent more than a decade trying to resolve her issues with the Dallas-based hotel chain.
Second Wave of Patent Enforcers Try New Tactics
For frequent patent asserters, things used to be simple: buy patents, allege infringement against anyone you could and then make settlement offers. But a series of issues is forcing changes to the business model of companies that make money from patents they do not use to produce goods or services.
Updated – Dallas Jury Nails JP Morgan with $4B Verdict in Estate Fraud Case
A Dallas County jury early this morning delivered a stunning $4 billion punitive damage verdict in favor of the heirs of long-time IT expert, Max D. Hopper, against J.P. Morgan Chase. The jury award is believed to be the largest awards ever handed down in a probate case in Texas. Max Hopper was a pioneer and icon in the use of information technology and worked at American Airlines for nearly 24 years. The Texas Lawbook has complete details.
South TX Jury Awards $100M to Matrix Petroleum in Eagle Ford Dispute
A jury in La Salle County has awarded $100 million to Houston-based Matrix Petroleum after finding that Repsol-owned Talisman Energy committed accounting fraud and breached an agreement the two companies had to drill wells in the Eagle Ford Shale.
Winston Scores Touchdown & Field Goal in Ezekiel Elliott & IP Cases in Same Courtroom – Updated
Tom Melsheimer was in his second week of trial defending Tech Pharmacy in a $350 million patent dispute against Plano-based AlixaRx when he suddenly switched from defense to offense in U.S. Judge Amos Mazzant’s courtroom to represent Ezekiel Elliott in his case against the NFL. The Winston legal team won complete victory against the NFL and a split decision in the IP trial.
East Texas is Patent Capital No More
East Texas has lost its status as America’s top place to sue for patent infringement. Delaware is the new king of patent litigation. During the past four months, plaintiffs filed nearly twice as many patent cases in Delaware than they did in the Tyler-based Eastern District of Texas, according to Lex Machina. The Texas Lawbook has the exclusive data and the details.
Sanctuary City Litigation Issues Hit Home for Lead Sidley Partners
There were many reasons Yolanda Garcia decided to get involved in the controversial “sanctuary city” litigation, but a conversation she had with her 14-year-old son was certainly one catalyst for her desire to take on the case.
Munck Wilson Wins $10.1M Jury Award for iLife
A federal jury ruled Thursday that gaming company Nintendo infringed on patented motion detection technology developed by Dallas-based iLife Technologies. The jury, which heard more than a week of evidence and arguments, awarded $10.1 million to iLife, a technology firm that develops vital sign monitors and other technology.
Business Beware: Harvey Cyber Scams Targeting the Generosity of Employees
Even as the South Texas disaster brings out the best in so many, it brings out the worst in others. Cyber thieves, online attackers and cyber scammers are using email and social media to try and capitalize on and profit from the generosity of would-be charitable donors. Former Datatech GC John Ansbach has the details.