DBJ: DOJ wants Bench Discussions between AT&T and Judge Unsealed

The U.S. Justice Dept. wants a federal appeals court in the AT&T case to make public conversations conducted at the bench between the trial judge and lawyers for both sides in the recent antitrust trial. The DOJ asks that all “all non-confidential portions of the trial transcript, including the district court’s bench conferences throughout trial, be unsealed and released to the public,” the filing said. The Dallas Business Journal has the full story.

July 27, 2018 Mark Curriden

Toyota Legal Dept. Faces First Hometown Litigation Test

Toyota’s honeymoon in North Texas may be in jeopardy as a trial is underway that questions the carmaker’s integrity, corporate culture and the safety of its products.

July 25, 2018 Natalie Posgate

A ‘Force of Nature’ Meets Next Big Challenge: Toyota

Frank Branson may be 73, but he still has the drive and energy to take on the big cases. This week he goes up against Toyota in a highly-anticipated matchup with Dallas litigator Victor Vital. He has no plans to slow down or quit, he said; his wife will tell him when he's ready to do so. The Texas Lawbook looks at the latest from a genuine "Lion of the Texas Bar."

July 23, 2018 Natalie Posgate

TX Businesses File Legal Brief Supporting DACA, Opposing Texas AGs Assault on Immigration Program

A federal lawsuit by Texas state officials seeking to order the end of the federal immigration program called the Deferred Act for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, will have “immediate, irreparable injury” to Texas businesses and cost the state’s economy billions of dollars, according to a coalition of pro-business organizations.

July 22, 2018 Mark Curriden

Porter Hedges Wins $46M Defense and puts $28M in Westcon’s Pocket

Porter Hedges lawyers won a $28 million payment for construction client Bilfinger Westcon from Austria-based Voestalpine for wrongful termination during construction of a $750 million hot briquette iron plant. The arbitration ruling is just the first in a series of legal actions pending against the Austrian technology giant. The Texas Lawbook has details.

July 20, 2018 Natalie Posgate

TX Securities Board Leads Prosecution of Round Rock Real Estate Fraudster

A Nueces County jury took 15 minutes last week to find a Round Rock man guilty of real estate fraud. Yesterday, the judge in the case took even less time to sentence Everett Craig Williams to 20 years in state prison and pay $189,000 in restitution to investors in a fraudulent real estate program with victims in Nueces, Collin, and Harris counties.

July 19, 2018 Mark Curriden

Chron: Justice Dept. Needs More Lawyers to Fight Legal Battles Regarding the Border Wall Lawsuits

The Justice Department is seeking to fill more than 50 staff slots at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Southeast Texas, including seven lawyers to represent the United States, in an anticipated onslaught of civil challenges to President Donald Trump’s plan to build a “wall” along the country’s 1,989-mile southern border.

July 18, 2018 Mark Curriden

How a Partner-Associate Duo in Houston Helped Change Alabama Tenant Law

Winston & Strawn partner Paula Hinton has a multitude of achievements under her belt to be proud of. She’s cleared a Waste Management subsidiary from 99 percent of a $3.8

July 16, 2018 Natalie Posgate

Houston Chief Federal Judge Issues First TRO in Parent Deportation

U.S. Chief Judge Lee Rosenthal of Houston issued a temporary restraining order Thursday prohibiting federal immigration officials from deporting a Honduran woman who came to the U.S. last month with her daughter after being tortured and persecuted in her homeland. While the case is technically about only one mother, who is being held in a detention center in South Texas, and her 12-year-old daughter, who is housed in a facility in Florida, lawyers involved in the litigation believe that the impact could be far-reaching.

July 12, 2018 Mark Curriden

McKool Scores PTAB Win #2 for Sinus Surgery Device

A group of lawyers from the Dallas office of McKool Smith have scored a Patent Trial and Appeal Board win for a patent that a Dallas ear, nose & throat surgeon owns related to the technology of sinus surgery.

July 12, 2018 Natalie Posgate

Federal Court Dismisses Pier 1 Shareholder Suit… Again

A Dallas federal judge this week dismissed a shareholder class action that alleged Fort Worth-based Pier 1 Imports and two former executives committed securities fraud when they misrepresented the company’s financial health to investors. The significance of the ruling is twofold: it not only marks a big win for a team of Bracewell lawyers, but it also went through a somewhat unusual procedure. Spoiler alert: the parties had to fully brief the motion to dismiss issue twice. The Texas Lawbook has the details.

June 30, 2018 Natalie Posgate

Judge Kinkeade Cuts Half-Billion-Dollar Jury Verdict against Oculus/Facebook by 50%

U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade Wednesday refused to set aside last year's verdict against Facebook and its virtual reality subsidiary Oculus, but he slashed in half the Dallas jury’s $500 million award to video game company ZeniMax Media. Both sides are expected to appeal. The Texas Lawbook has the story.

June 29, 2018 Mark Curriden