Two recent rulings for $178.5 million have ended what had been one of the longest running cases in the nation. The downside of the case, filed nearly three decades ago, is that only about 70 of the original 2300 plaintiffs have lived to see its end. The Lawbook’s Litigation Writer Natalie Posgate has the bittersweet details.
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.
Jury Awards Former Glazer’s Liquor Executives $2.4M in Lost Compensation
A Dallas County jury has awarded $2.4 million to two former executives of Glazer’s liquor distribution company, finding they were owed compensation when the company combined with Southern Wine & Spirits in 2016.
Judge Allows Mineral Interest Fight Against Chesapeake, Total E&P to Proceed
A state court in Fort Worth has denied requests by Chesapeake Exploration and Total E&P USA to dismiss claims in multidistrict litigation brought by North Texas mineral interest owners over “sham” transactions tied to royalty payments. The ruling continues a widespread rebellion by mineral rights owners who claim the Oklahoma City energy giant cheated them on royalty payments. Details in The Texas Lawbook
V&E Wins $31M IP Defense Verdict for HTC
(May 14) – An East Texas jury on Friday threw out claims that HTC Corp. infringed on a former U.S. government rocket scientists’ patent on user interface and infrared universal remote control technology.
Remaining Named Gruber Hail Partners Land at New Firms
© 2018 The Texas Lawbook. By Natalie Posgate and Mark Curriden (May 3) – Gruber Hail Johansen Shank was never a huge firm in terms of lawyers, peaking at about
Swiss Deportee to File Claims Against his Lawyers, Federal Marshal for Malpractice, ‘Entrapment’
A Swiss businessman may soon be filing a malpractice lawsuit against the federal public defenders who represented him in a criminal bankruptcy fraud case, a recent letter to a federal appeals court indicates. This is a man who was a fugitive after fleeing a federal contempt order, a pro se party several times in litigation after failing to pay his lawyers’ retainer fees, and a big spender on cars and townhouses but not so much on a $2 million civil judgment from 2011 that he still owes to his courtroom opponent. The Lawbook has the latest on this truly remarkable legal saga.
Houston NRF Lawyer Scores Appellate Win for Phillips 66 in Toxic Tort Case
A group of Houston lawyers at Norton Rose Fulbright have been on a winning streak of toxic tort cases for Phillips 66. The latest happened in a federal appeals court in Denver. Details here.
Updated – From $50 in the Bank to Tuesday’s $502M Verdict Against Apple: Meet Caldwell Cassady & Curry
Meet Caldwell Cassady & Curry. They started with a $50 bank account and a dedicated client. Now they wear jeans to work, name their conference rooms after hip-hop artists and score verdicts in the hundreds of millions. Natalie Posgate explains who they are, where they come from and why Apple wishes they’d go away.
Lawsuit Alleges Immigration Fraud at Major Building Services Firm
In a lawsuit filed in state court, a Dallas-based financial services firm alleged that it was being defrauded by a small subcontractor doing business with a major building services firm. But what began as a relatively straight-forward lawsuit involving an executive kickback scheme has morphed into a RICO suit alleging that a Fortune 500 company has been routinely flouting immigration and tax laws. Natalie Posgate recounts the saga in The Texas Lawbook.
