Dallas Mural Artist Sues FIFA for $25M
The artist who freehand painted a massive mural of whales in downtown Dallas has filed a federal lawsuit against FIFA over its decision to paint over and “permanently destroy” the work of art.
Litigation Roundup: SCOTX to Hear Lawyers’ Sanction Appeal
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, investigators with the SEC’s Fort Worth regional office accuse a Houston-area man of running a Ponzi-like scheme that defrauded about 150 investors out of $12.3 million, and the fight between Texas and Discord heats up.
Dallas Judge Suspends Trials, Goes to Virtual Court Hearings Over Face Mask Dispute
The Dallas judge embroiled in a controversy over her rules requiring those in her courtroom to wear face masks announced Monday that “all proceedings will be conducted virtually and jury trials will be temporarily suspended until an appropriate alternative solution can be implemented.”
Retired Texas Judges, Susman Godfrey Challenge Trump v. IRS Dismissal
Three retired federal judges from Texas joined 32 of their former colleagues on the federal bench last week urging a Florida judge to examine whether there is anything fraudulent behind the decision by President Donald Trump and his family to dismiss a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the creation of a $1.8 billion settlement fund for those they maintain were mistreated by the Biden administration.
Business Court: May 2026 Decisions
May was the Texas Business Court’s busiest month yet. Even with a record-setting number of decisions across the court’s divisions, the Court maintained its principled and stalwart deference to the text of the contract. The month also continued a familiar stream of jurisdictional disputes testing the Business Court’s $5 million amount-in-controversy threshold, among other jurisdictional questions.
Texas Supreme Court Orders Dallas Judge to Lift Mask Mandate
The Texas Supreme Court issued an order Friday instructing Dallas County at Law Judge D’Metria Benson to immediately rescind her standing court order requiring lawyers, witnesses, jurors and others in her courtroom to wear masks.
“The Court disapproves of any such policy in any Texas courtroom,” a three-page order signed by all nine justices released Friday states.
As Austin Business Skyrockets, So Too Does Reliance on Modern Dispute Resolution
As the city has grown rapidly, this thriving business hub has seen increased complexity in legal disputes tied to technology, construction, energy, healthcare, and employment matters, just to name a few. With this increase, the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services has also steadily risen. Fortunately, Austin has long enjoyed a sophisticated ADR marketplace, serving this expanding business community for approximately three decades.
ConocoPhillips’ Scott Kelly: 2025 was ‘Most Challenging and Rewarding Year Ever’
Scott Kelly accomplished more in his first year at ConocoPhillips than many in-house counsel accomplish in decades of service. Kelly joined the ConocoPhillips legal department in December 2024 but has already won three major trials, defeating $250 million in claims against ConocoPhillips and recovering $12 million in damages. And he settled a fourth case that involved multiple fatalities.
Citing these huge courtroom victories, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are awarding the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year Award for a Large Legal Department to Kelly.
KBR’s Kriste Sullivan Instrumental in ‘Mighty Big’ Win
When a federal jury in Houston hit KBR with a $71 million verdict in a trade secrets case involving processes used to manufacture polycarbonate, the engineering and construction firm’s senior counsel Kriste Sullivan didn’t flinch.
She knew the plaintiffs had taken a big gamble. And she knew she had an ace in the hole. But it wasn’t just the luck of the draw that resulted in KBR eventually completely pouring out Trinseo’s $360 million trade secrets case.
Citing that win, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have honored Sullivan, KBR and the lawyers at Susman Godfrey and Bracewell the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Business Litigation of the Year.
Bench Trial Commences Between the Trustee of a Senior Living Community and Its Landlord
The bench trial between the trustee of a Dallas luxury senior living community and its landlord began Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court Judge Ada Brown’s courtroom. The Edgemere went into bankruptcy in 2022 and was bought at auction in 2023. The company claims its landlord attempted to take control of the business.
Laura Tyson’s Responsibilities at EMG ‘Extend Far Beyond a Traditional GC’
The evening before Thanksgiving last year, Energy and Minerals Group General Counsel Laura Tyson was working to close a $1.5 billion transaction when she learned that an investor had filed a lawsuit in Delaware to pause the deal. The litigation didn’t just threaten a transaction, it threatened the future of the company. Despite facing enormous challenges and extraordinarily tight deadlines, Tyson identified and hired a new legal team and put together their legal response to force the litigation into confidential arbitration only five days later.
EMG and Tyson won the litigation and closed the major continuation vehicle transaction. She is also the winner of the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department.
Litigation Roundup: Elite Fort Worth Private School Hit with Negligence Suit
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Texas follows up on its state court lawsuit against proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services with a lawsuit against Glass, Lewis & Co. in Collin County, and Gray Reed secures a complete defense win for a homebuilder client in a Tarrant County jury trial.