Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, we bring details of a defense win for Cisco in a jury trial in the Western District of Texas, Greyhound escapes a $15 million damages request in a wrongful death trial in Dallas County and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se lawsuit against the American Bar Association.
Among the law firms involved in the litigation sprawling across state and federal courtrooms in California, Texas, Louisiana and New York are Gibson Dunn, Holland & Knight, Sheppard Mullin, Quinn Emanuel and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. It all began in December with the filing of a since-dismissed Jane Doe lawsuit in the Southern District of New York that accused Jay-Z and Sean Combs of “drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl” in 2000.
Just days after Elon Musk said “it is time” to consider impeaching federal judges who block President Donald Trump’s government reform initiatives, at least six federal judges in Texas and many more of their clerks and staff received so-called “DOGE emails” the past two days demanding that they justify their jobs by providing explanations of the work that they did last week. The federal judges, who spoke to The Texas Lawbook on the condition that they not be identified, said the emails created “incredible unease and stress” and caused many of the clerks and staff to ask whether their positions were in danger of being eliminated. The email from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management told the recipients to reply with five bullet points listing their work accomplishments and to copy their supervisor. In a statement posted on the social media platform that he owns, Musk wrote, “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
The Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday morning was told there isn’t enough evidence that the construction of a pipe manufacturing plant in rural Matagorda County was the cause of flooding that damaged several neighboring homes during Hurricane Harvey.
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the Texas Supreme Court answers two certified questions from the Fifth Circuit, and a plaintiff who saw her $222 million jury award canceled abandons her appeal.
Judge Christine Weems of the 281st Civil District Court in Harris County is ruling on cases by day and acting and directing by night. Weems’ new show, The Five Minute Mile, put on by a 13-person ensemble cast, is slated to open Feb. 15.
The ground had not yet thawed four years ago when the Texas courts were slammed with an avalanche of lawsuits. More than 30,000 individuals and small businesses filed wrongful death, personal injury and property damage lawsuits against ERCOT and the energy companies accusing them of gross negligence that caused much of the power blackouts. A separate class action accused energy companies and financial institutions of using Winter Storm Uri to manipulate prices and generate billions of dollars in profits. Four years later, not a single witness deposition has been taken and not a single case has been set for trial. And a growing number of legal experts predict that none of those cases will ever be heard by a jury of Texas citizens.
A cap on damages agreed to by CPS Energy and Robert and Virginia Rymers in advance of trial means the utility will only owe $60 million. The Rymerses suffered burns, and lost two pet dogs as well as all possessions inside their rental home as a result of the blast.
© Copyright 2025 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.
