ExxonMobil Wants $725M Award Wiped Out or Knocked Down to $250K

Lawyers from Dallas-based Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel earlier this month convinced the jury in a 10-2 decision that their client, Paul Gill, was entitled to damages from ExxonMobil for its failure to warn consumers about the risk of exposure to benzene that is in its petroleum products, including gasoline. Gill, who worked as a Mobil service station mechanic between 1975 and 1980, was diagnosed in 2019 with acute myeloid leukemia and testified about using gasoline to clean car parts.

May 29, 2024 Michelle Casady

Litigation Roundup: Anti-ESG Class Action Certified Against AA; Samsung Defeats Patent Suit in EDTX

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Samsung beats back a patent suit seeking half a billion dollars in damages after arguing the plaintiff had unclean hands, a jury in Marshall renders a $445 million infringement verdict and we detail what led American Airlines to replace Wilson Elser as its outside counsel in a lawsuit involving a bathroom recording of a 9-year-old girl.

May 28, 2024 Michelle Casady

Judge Starr Cites Fifth Circuit’s ‘Hopelessly Amorphous’ Multiplier Test, Denies 1.9 Multiplier in $33M Fluor Class Action

Invoking The Simpsons, U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr on Thursday issued an opinion denying a request from plaintiffs’ lawyers who represented Fluor Corporation shareholders in a securities class action to tack a 1.9 multiplier on their fee award in the lawsuit that resulted in a $33 million settlement.

May 24, 2024 Michelle Casady

Ex-SDTX Bankruptcy Judge, Liz Freeman and Jackson Walker Seek Dismissals in Two Separate Fraud Cases

Within hours of each other late Wednesday, three key players in the romantic relationship scandal that has infected the Southern District of Texas Bankruptcy Court filed motions in two separate cases seeking to have the cases against them dismissed — and all three for different reasons.

May 23, 2024 Mark Curriden

Litigation Roundup: Jury Argument, Venue Doom $222M Wrongful Death Award

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, an improper jury argument wipes out a $222 million award on appeal, a Dallas firm notches a $15 million verdict in a Connecticut mesothelioma case and the Texas Supreme Court declines to revive a lawsuit a couple dozen cities brought against streaming giants Disney+, Hulu and Netflix.

May 20, 2024 Michelle Casady

Litigation Roundup: American Airlines Sued Over In-Flight Death of Teen

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a mother from the Bronx sues American Airlines in federal court in Fort Worth over the in-flight death of her 14-year-old son, USAA is accused in a proposed class action lawsuit of covertly operating a two-tier benefits system and a divided ruling from the state’s court of last resort for criminal cases makes a surprise appearance in this civil courts-focused article.

May 13, 2024 Michelle Casady

Texas GCs: Litigation Spend Soars in Post-Covid Era

Litigation spend by Texas companies with revenues of $1 billion or more reached an average of $3.9 million, according to Norton Rose Fulbright’s 19th annual trends survey of corporate general counsel. Two top lawyers from the firm discussed with The Texas Lawbook what is driving up the costs.

May 13, 2024 Krista Torralva

Lawyers Discuss Perceived Surge of So-Called ‘Nuclear Verdicts’

A Dallas County district judge and top civil lawyers shared their observations about what leads to large jury verdicts and discussed changes in jury attitudes during a recent CLE hosted by The Texas Lawbook.

May 9, 2024 Krista Torralva