Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
On their second day of deliberation, jurors in the court of state District Judge Monica McCoy Purdy awarded damages of $3.94 million to the family of electrician Gabriel Vela, who was killed in 2019 while working at a West Texas midstream energy plant. However, because the jury found Vela 51 percent responsible for his death, the defendants will not be liable. Bruce Tomaso reports.
In closing arguments, attorneys for a West Texas midstream gas facility say electrician Gabriel Vela died because of his own negligence. A plaintiff’s attorney counters that the gas plant’s conduct was ‘the grossest of gross negligence’ he’s seen in 34 years of practice.
Since U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ruled that Evan P. Jowers improperly poached business from his former boss, Robert E. Kinney, Jowers has filed a new lawsuit in Florida and a motion for a protective order, alleging that Kinney threatened his family. Kinney, in turn, is seeking sanctions against Jowers and his current and former lawyers.
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the University of Texas settles a gender discrimination lawsuit with the law professor Linda Mullinex, Amazon draws a patent infringement lawsuit over robotics used at its fulfillment centers, the Fifth Circuit denies a bid from a fraudster — who waived his right to appeal — to challenge his 14-year sentence and a settlement is reached in a shareholder lawsuit against Fluor Corporation.
Paul Yetter was a thriving young partner at Baker Botts in 1997 when he faced a decision: Drop a big client or leave one of the most prestigious corporate firms in Texas. He chose the later and this year Yetter Coleman, now a highly-respected 50-lawyer boutique in Houston, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The Texas Lawbook recently interviewed Yetter about the firm’s successes and challenges during the past quarter century, why he thinks Yetter Coleman survived and thrived and what still lies ahead.
There were few surprises in the races for district judge seats in the state’s biggest counties, where Democrats have steadily made inroads in recent years. Three judges who were recently appointed to their seats by Gov. Greg Abbott were soundly rejected by voters.
Both sides touted the ruling as a win in press releases and statements to reporters. The Nov. 4 ruling means it will cost Fox at least $4.1 billion to exercise its option to purchase an 18.6 percent stake in the online sports betting company.
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Texas reaches a tentative settlement with Colorado and New Mexico in a nearly decade-old lawsuit over use of the Lower Rio Grande River’s resources, two major tobacco companies say Texas owes them about $8.6 million in taxes paid under protest, and another trial between VLSI and Intel kicks off.
In opening statements in state court in Dallas, lawyers for the family of Gabriel Vela say EnLink Midstream cut corners in its rush to expand the plant. Defense lawyers say Vela’s actions led to his death.
A team from Alavi Anaipakos successfully represented oil field products manufacturer G&H in a post-grant review challenge before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The ruling could impact nearly a dozen patent infringement lawsuits pending against other manufacturers.
The lawsuit alleges that District Attorney Greg Willis “treats many female employees as objects that, without their consent, must gratify his sexual impulses and personal vanity.”
In this week’s edition of Litigation Roundup, juries in Dallas and Tarrant County doled out damages to individuals permanently injured in separate botched surgeries, FedEx is slammed with nine-digit damages in a racial discrimination and retaliation case and the entire Fifth Circuit votes to rehear a lawsuit over a citizen-journalist’s arrest in Laredo.
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