Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
For the first time in 32 years, Texas appears ever so close late Tuesday night to electing Democrats to the state’s Supreme Court. The blue wave that swept the state seems to have a similar but lesser impact on the major judicial elections, including the four Democrats running against incumbents on the state Supreme Court and three Democrats seeking to oust sitting justices on the Texas Fifteenth Court of Appeals.
The National Rifle Association has filed a petition in Dallas to claw back more than $200 million in legal fees from William Brewer and his law firm. The gun rights group alleges the Dallas attorney committed egregious malpractice, shielded former CEO Wayne LaPierre, and orchestrated a disastrous bad-faith bankruptcy. The Brewer Law Firm, in a statement Tuesday to The Texas Lawbook, said it is proud of the legal work it did for the NRA and will “vigorously defend that record of excellence against these baseless claims.”
Dutko, who has tried more than 50 jury trials, visited with The Texas Lawbook about his practice, his best day as a lawyer, and emerging trends in plaintiffs' litigation.
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Motorola sees a discovery win in a European patent infringement dispute reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and a Houston appellate court ends a man’s quest to investigate potential Texas Heartbeat Act claims against a former romantic partner.
I had always admired people who put their principles ahead of their own financial interests. Think Muhammad Ali, who walked away from the biggest title in sports, or Pete Seeger, whose successful musical career was put on hold by McCarthy-ism. That was Ron Chapman. Texas lost one of its great jurists this summer.
From UCC output contracts to the internal affairs doctrine, the Texas Business Court’s October docket provided a clear window into how the new bench is handling high-stakes corporate disputes. Notable rulings included applying Texas' strict pre-suit demand requirements to a derivative suit against Coinbase’s directors and using the economic-loss rule to limit tort claims in commercial lease fights.
The city of Arlington is moving to protect a $270 million stadium maintenance funding deal and a lease extension for the Dallas Cowboys that would keep America’s team playing in the city through 2055. To quickly squash a taxpayer lawsuit blocking the deal, the city has invoked a statute to force an immediate trial.
U.S. District Judge Ada Brown failed to appear for a mandatory hearing Friday morning before a Fifth Circuit special committee investigating allegations that she abandoned her docket and directed racial slurs at a visiting attorney.
In a filing late Wednesday, lawyers for Camp Mystic filed an updated proposal that would see the Eastland family cede control over the defense and possible settlement of wrongful death litigation stemming from the July 4, 2025, flood that left 25 campers, two counselors and the camp’s own director dead. The move comes after U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez identified the Eastland’s control over the litigation as a conflict of interest that would require him to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee if not remedied.
A newly released court transcript sheds light on the judicial misconduct probe surrounding U.S. District Judge Ada Brown, revealing a hearing in which she repeatedly badgered a Latino attorney from New York with racially charged insults, including calling him a ‘White Savior, Come to Save All Black Lawyers in Texas.’
A team of Baker Botts lawyers recently secured a pro bono victory in a federal copyright and trademark dispute involving two quinceañera dress businesses, with a Houston federal judge ordering that the plaintiff take nothing against the firm’s clients.
Just hours after the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders sought an emergency restraining order in Collin County, counsel for rock band My Chemical Romance agreed to stop using alleged knockoff uniforms on tour, a move that canceled a scheduled Wednesday temporary restraining order hearing.
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