A federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas on Tuesday declared a mistrial in a commercial case after a COVID-19 outbreak among participants of the jury trial temporarily closed the Sherman federal courthouse and left the parties with less than six jurors.
Prominent Austin and Dallas Plaintiffs’ Law Firms Merge
The firms announced Tuesday that their two shops are merging to create a 10-lawyer plaintiff’s practice that will have offices in Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth.
Sherman Federal Courthouse Closed, Jury Trial Halted After Coronavirus Outbreak
A federal judge in Sherman has halted a jury trial underway in his courtroom in which multiple people involved in the trial, including two jurors, tested positive for COVID-19, according to court records and multiple sources. In response, the Paul Brown federal courthouse will be closed the rest of the week for a deep cleaning. Natalie Posgate has the scoop.
Fight Involving Texas Legal Recruiter to Proceed in Hong Kong (Maybe)
A new Fifth Circuit ruling involves an Austin legal recruiter and a competitor who are sparring in litigation that has stretched from Texas to Asia and involves accusations of defamation and theft of trade secrets.
Democrats Hold Grip on Dallas, Harris County District Courts
With results still trickling in, Democrats seemed certain to maintain their lock on the civil District Court benches in the state’s two most populous counties.
Texas Judicial Election Results
The Texas Lawbook has five journalists tonight – election night – covering the judicial appellate and trial court races and will provide details as the election results are provided.
Sidley Fortifies IP Litigation Practice in Dallas with McKool Smith Duo
Yvette Ostolaza said the firm had opportunities to go into the lateral market because of recent retirements in its IP practice and one attorney who moved in-house.
Ex-US Attorney for WDTX Joins Quinn Emanuel
John Bash’s resume also includes five years in the U.S. Solicitor General’s office; a brief stint as associate counsel to President Donald Trump; and clerkships with Justices Antonin Scalia and Brett Kavanaugh.
Caldwell Cassady Scores $502.8M Jury Win Against Apple
For the second time in three months, a Texas jury has slapped Apple with a half-billion dollar verdict for patent infringement. This time, the verdict is against Apple for violating VPN on Demand technology patents owned by VirnetX on 598 million iPhones, iPads and other products sold after Sept. 2013. The Texas Lawbook has the details.
The Lowdown on Straight-Ticket Voting in Texas
Straight-ticket voting is no more in Texas, but what are the implications? This article explains the history of the voting method and both parties’ attitudes toward it.