New Trial Order Predicated on Juror Misconduct Allegations Undone in Nissan Products Liability Case 

A jury had sided with Nissan in March, issuing a take-nothing verdict in the lawsuit brought by Deana A. Rios following the April 2022 death of her husband. In a 46-page opinion issued Thursday and authored by Chief Justice Terry Adams, the panel held Harris County District Judge Fredericka Phillips had abused her discretion by granting Rios a new trial, in part by relying on inadmissible testimony from some of the jurors about deliberations in the case. 

November 22, 2024 Michelle Casady

Blackstone’s ‘Rushed’ $788M Sale of Energy Company Kicks Off Docket of Dallas Business Court

Oral arguments on a motion for summary judgment, pitting Kirkland & Ellis against Susman Godfrey, are believed to be a first for the newly created court.

November 22, 2024 Bruce Tomaso

Judge Isgur Tosses Insurers’ $1.3B Claims Against Zachry, Chiyoda

According to audio of the hearing available on the docket, Judge Isgur told counsel for the insurers about four minutes before he issued an oral ruling from the bench dismissing the subrogation that he wasn’t inclined to adopt his arguments. “I’m not even following a little bit of your argument, just so you know,” he said. “It seems obvious that you’re wrong.”

November 21, 2024 Michelle Casady

Judge Cuts $2.17M Jury Award in SkyWest Airlines Sexual-Harassment Case to $300K, as Prescribed by Law

In accordance with federal damages caps, U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater on Thursday reduced a jury's $2.17 million verdict against SkyWest Airlines to $300,000.

November 20, 2024 Bruce Tomaso

Dallas County Judge Ordered to Rule on Motion for Arbitration Pending Since July 2022

In an opinion dated Nov. 12 but not published to the court’s website until Monday, the panel found that “the trial judge has abused her discretion by failing to perform her ministerial duty to rule on Megatel’s motion to compel arbitration despite Megatel’s numerous attempts to set a hearing and request a ruling.”

November 19, 2024 Michelle Casady

Litigation Roundup: SCOTX Will Hear Anadarko Lease Dispute

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Kroger strikes an $83 million deal to bring an end to opioid epidemic claims in Texas, the state is given a deadline to reply to a rehearing request in the longrunning litigation over the safety of the foster care system and a fried chicken trademark spat lands in the Eastern District of Texas.

November 18, 2024 Michelle Casady

Self-Driving Truck Company TuSimple Sues Co-Founder’s New Venture Over Alleged Theft of Trade Secrets, Proprietary Technology

Autonomous trucking company TuSimple Holdings Inc. is suing a new venture led by TuSimple’s co-founder and ex-CEO in one of the first Texas business court cases. Lawyers for TuSimple say the case is among the earliest and largest nationwide in which artificial intelligence technology is at the core.

November 15, 2024 Krista Torralva

Securing Texas Business Court Jurisdiction Over ‘External’ Disputes

For Texas’s commercial litigation bar and their clients, the wait is over. Texas’ business court is open for business.

But it’s still a court of limited jurisdiction, and securing a hearing there is far from guaranteed. The business court can only hear the kinds of disputes listed in its jurisdictional statute, the new Texas Government Code § 25A.004, write Gibson Dunn's Matt Scorcio and Trey Cox in this Expert Voices column.

November 13, 2024 Matt Scorcio & Trey Cox