Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
A group of investors allege Rhodium Enterprises executives and Fort Worth-based Imperium Investments Holdings, LLC deceived investors to secure a $33 million investment. Rockdale-based Rhodium filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August.
A lawsuit filed in federal court in Dallas Thursday by a family-owned logistics company accuses some of its biggest competitors of “illicitly” building a multibillion-dollar business by “systematically defrauding consumers and small business owners” in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
U.S. District Court Judge Alan Albright, one of the most popular jurists for handling patent infringement disputes in the U.S., is moving his chambers from Waco to Austin, Bloomberg Law reported late Wednesday. The judges of the Western District of Texas have approved Judge Albright’s request to move his primary chambers to Austin in 2025, according to Bloomberg Law. The transfer must be approved by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s Judicial Council.
A federal judge in Dallas has given Southwest Airlines more time to prepare a legal defense against a lawsuit brought by an organization that claims the airline’s program offering free flights for low-income Hispanic students to go home to visit their parents is illegally discriminatory. Senior U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater ruled Dec. 6 that the lawsuit brought by the American Alliance for Equal Rights must proceed forward even though Southwest officials agreed to end the charitable effort several months ago.
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, we have the details on a $60.6 million Tarrant County jury award, Oncor beats back a $10 million jury award on appeal in Dallas and the Department of Justice accuses an Austin man who founded a beverage company of swindling investors.
The state’s high court heard oral arguments Wednesday morning in the lawsuit brought by Sheema Shaik against BRP-Rotax GmbH that asks it to determine whether Texas courts have specific jurisdiction over a foreign manufacturer based on an allegedly defective engine.
A Pennsylvania judge ruled to block testimony from Energy Transfer co-founder Kelcy Warren, who is also executive chairman on the board of directors. Dallas-based Cardinal Midstream had sought to have Warren testify about comments he made about Energy Transfer “making mistakes” in its Pennsylvania projects. Cardinal Midstream is seeking $33 million from Energy Transfer under a purchase agreement, claiming that a pipeline explosion prevented the fulfillment of an earnout condition tied to gas delivery volumes. Energy Transfer argues that the explosion, caused by a landslide from heavy rains, qualifies as a "force majeure," while Cardinal Midstream blames poor pipeline design for the failure.
Cheryl Butler, a former Southern Methodist University law professor, sued the university and several former colleagues in 2016, bringing claims for defamation, fraud and conspiracy to defame. She appealed to the Fifth Circuit in January 2023, the same month U.S. District Judge Ada Brown dismissed her case with prejudice after agreeing that the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act preempted the claims. The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in the case that will determine whether Butler will be allowed to proceed with a defamation claim against her former coworkers, who she alleges played a role in her being denied tenure in 2016.
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