“Could the Parties have Anticipated the Unthinkable?” Force Majeure in the Texas Energy Industry after COVID-19

Refineries, pipelines, oil and gas rigs and energy and petrochemical production facilities are suddenly subject to suspension or shutdown as a result of a major shock in oil prices combined with the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Baker McKenzie partners C. Thomas Kruse and J. Denmon Sigler analyze how these events impact current contracts and customer relationships and how disputes over these shutdowns will be treated.

April 2, 2020 J. Denmon Sigler & Scott Shelton

SCOTX Modifies COVID-19 Civil Case Filing Deadlines

The Texas Supreme Court issued a new emergency order Wednesday that officially stays or tolls “any statute-of-limitations deadlines for the filing or service of any civil case” between March 13 and June 1. The new order takes discretion away from trial judges.

April 1, 2020 Mark Curriden

DBJ: Trial Pitting Southwest Against Delta Over Love Field Gate Space Delayed Again

The trial, which was previously scheduled to start in May, has been pushed to the fall, according to an order from U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade.

March 27, 2020 Evan Hoopfer of the Dallas Business Journal

Chron: Federal Judge Sides with Kinder Morgan in Hill Country Pipeline Fight

But Kinder Morgan is not of the woods yet. Sergio Chapa of the Houston Chronicle has the story.

March 27, 2020 Sergio Chapa of the Houston Chronicle

COVID-19 Update for Employers

Employers simultaneously face a public-health crisis and the requirements of a sweeping new law. This guest article from labor and employment experts at Bell Nunnally answers key questions Texas employers need to be mindful of to protect both the welfare of their employees and the livelihood of their businesses.

March 27, 2020 Alana Ackels & Mark Shoffner

Why a Trade Organization is Joining the Defensive Line Against a Dallas Cowboy

In an unusual move, an established trade organization is waging a battle against former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith and his company. Smith alleges patent infringement, while the trade organization alleges Smith is attacking small businesses. Natalie Posgate explains.

March 25, 2020 Natalie Posgate

Riding the Tsunami: Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst Prepares for the Virus Wars

Every business leader, from a Fortune 500 CEO to a sole proprietor of a neighborhood business, is looking out on a business landscape utterly transformed by events beyond their—or anyone’s—control. As a result, the next three or four years will not bring “normal” litigation. What is coming will be tough and brutal, as it was at the height of the 1980s banking crisis. Mike Lynn explains.

March 24, 2020 Mike Lynn

Coping with COVID-19: Business & Insurance Considerations for the Virus that Made America Virtual

As we endure the COVID-19 epidemic and become an increasingly virtual society, we must realize that cancellations, workplace disruptions, business interruptions and civil authority will be more prevalent. Here are some basic legal issues all business leaders need to know.

March 18, 2020 Paul Stafford