Handshake in New York led to courtroom drama in Texas

The deal was done Texas-style, with a handshake. As Pennzoil executives celebrated their pending acquisition of Getty Oil in 1984, Texaco suddenly made a sweeter offer. Getty accepted, igniting one of the ugliest corporate courtroom brawls in U.S. history. When it was over, a Texas jury determined that Texaco had intentionally interfered with Pennzoil’s deal and awarded a jaw-dropping $10.53 billion to Pennzoil. The landmark litigation is the focus of a Houston Chronicle series of articles about the most important stories in the newspaper’s history.