Litigation Roundup: Religious Liberty Training for SWA Attorneys Paused, Energy CEO Gets Prison

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown gets her first crack at handling multidistrict litigation after 12 putative class action lawsuits over the AT&T data breach are transferred to her, the former president of a Texas energy company goes to prison and a trio of attorneys representing Southwest Airlines gets a stay on an order that they undergo religious liberty training.

June 10, 2024 Michelle Casady

Transactional Lawyers Fail to Materialize for Biz Court Positions

Litigators dominate the latest applications for the new business court judgeships, public records show. In the coming weeks, Gov. Greg Abbott will exercise his new power to select jurists to handle the new court’s docket of complex corporate governance and transactional disputes. A drafter of the legislation to create the specialized court system makes the case for ‘sit down’ lawyers to throw their names in the hat.

June 10, 2024 Janet Elliott

Pulmonologist Grilled by Both Sides in Dallas Trial Over J&J Baby Powder 

Houston-based pulmonologist Dr. Steven Haber testified for about 14 hours over two days in Texas’ first Johnson & Johnson baby powder trial. The case is also the state’s first talc trial, lawyers said. 

The Texas Lawbook's Krista Torralva has the latest details from inside the courtroom.

June 7, 2024 Krista Torralva

Texas Supreme Court Abates Meta Lawsuit in Light of Tentative Settlement

A little more than a week before trial was slated to begin, a settlement has apparently been reached in a case where Texas alleged Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook, had unlawfully used the biometric data of Texans without their consent and for commercial use.

June 7, 2024 Michelle Casady

Jury System Survives Challenges in Trump Case

In this guest article, Winston & Strawn’s Tom Melsheimer applauds the jurors who decided the New York State court trial of Donald Trump. “Trial lawyers can discuss and debate the result and argue about the tactics of both sides. That’s fair game,” he writes. “But anything but praise for the citizens who were effectively drafted into a fractious and controversial case? That’s just fake news.”

June 6, 2024 Tom Melsheimer

Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder Trial Begins in Dallas

The latest trial accusing the cosmetic giant J&J of manufacturing products that caused consumer’s cancer got underway in Dallas on Wednesday. A Texas man says his mesothelioma was caused by the talc mineral used in the company’s baby powder.

June 6, 2024 Krista Torralva

Dallas Law Firm Obtains $260M Verdict Against J&J in Latest Baby Powder Trial

Dean Omar Branham Shirley represented an Oregon mother of three who said her mesothelioma diagnosis came after years of using J&J’s baby powder. The company is facing lawsuits across the country from plaintiffs who claim J&J knew cancer-causing asbestos was turning up in its baby powder for decades but didn’t warn consumers or the FDA.

June 4, 2024 Krista Torralva

Litigation Roundup: Details on 2 SCOTX Grants, XTO Sees 7-year-old Case End

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Citgo draws another suit — this one seeking $400 million — from members of the so-called Citgo 6 who were imprisoned in Venezuela for years, XTO gets a win in a lawsuit over exposure to natural gas production activities that had been lingering in the courts for seven years and we detail some interesting grants from the Texas Supreme Court.

June 3, 2024 Michelle Casady