The state judge in Oregon did not immediately offer a reason for overturning a jury’s verdict in the trial for a woman who accused J&J’s talc-based baby powder of causing her mesothelioma. J&J’s worldwide vice president of litigation blasted Dean Omar Branham Shirley lawyers for “prejudicial conduct” that led to an “indefensible” verdict.
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Norton Rose Adds New Family Office Partner in Dallas
Norton Rose Fulbright announced Tuesday that it has hired a new partner — Gabriella Orengo Lyons — for its corporate, M&A and securities practice in Dallas.
Houston-Based Law Firm Obtains $39M Verdict in Mesothelioma Case Against Georgia Mineral Company
The Lanier Law Firm represented a mesothelioma patient who lawyers said is the first person to claim that the medical procedure talc pleurodesis led to his deadly cancer. Cimbar Performance Minerals failed to warn its buyers of the risk of asbestos in its products, which was contained in a product used in the plaintiff’s medical procedure, lawyers said.
Ex-Judge Says He Ordered Quitman Police Captain’s Arrest Over ‘Total Pile of Crap’ Affidavit
Jeff Fletcher, Wood County’s former state district judge, joins fellow defendants in Terry Bevill’s wrongful-termination suit in denying there was any conspiracy to punish Bevill for saying in 2017 that a friend couldn’t get a fair trial in the East Texas county.
Arnold & Itkin Seeks Sanctions Against AZA Over ‘Inflammatory’ Media Coverage of Hurricane Zeta Case
Plaintiffs’ lawyers representing about 20 crew workers aboard the Deepwater Asgard drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico when Hurricane Zeta hit in October 2020 have asked a Houston judge to issue sanctions and possibly remove defense attorneys for Transocean Offshore Drilling for a “false and inflammatory” pretrial filing last week that the lawyers say “tainted the jury pool” and “deprived plaintiffs of their right to an impartial jury.” Attorneys for Arnold & Itkin claim that opposing counsel Ahmad Zavitsanos & Mensing violated disciplinary rules when AZA publicly accused the Houston plaintiffs’ firm of being involved in a financial scheme that includes medical experts and a private equity funding source.
Jury Could Begin Deliberations in Fired Police Captain’s Case as Early as Midweek
Fired Quitman police captain Terry Bevill’s wrongful-termination case in Sherman could go to a federal jury as soon as midweek.
At the conclusion of Friday’s court session before U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant III, Bevill’s lawyers said they have two witnesses yet to call, and will probably rest on Tuesday.
P.S. — Jack Balagia’s New UT Law Assignment, San Antonio ACC’s Ethics & Leadership Award Nominations
Retired Exxon Mobil GC Jack Balagia gets a new position. The American Bar Association recognizes retired Texas Criminal Court of Appeals Judge Elsa Alcala. And the Association of Corporate Counsel’s San Antonio Chapter seeks nominations for its prestigious Lee Cusenbary Ethical Life & Leadership Award.
Next week, The Texas Lawbook will announce a planned expansion of the Texas Lawbook Foundation and its mission. Also, a reminder: Please send us any information about scholarship programs set up by law firms, lawyers or legal organizations for students from low-income and disadvantaged families and communities.
Samsung Hit With $192M Patent Infringement Verdict
A federal jury in Marshall found Samsung infringed on five patents obtained by California-based startup Mojo Mobility with the tech giant’s flagship smartphone Galaxy series and other products. Jurors awarded Mojo Mobility more than $192 million in damages and found that Samsung willfully infringed on at least one of the asserted claims.
Jury Begins Deliberations in Patent Infringement Case Against Samsung
A federal jury in Marshall began deliberating Thursday whether South Korean technology company Samsung Electronics infringed on cell phone wireless-charging patents obtained by California-based startup Mojo Mobility. McKool Smith lawyers asked for $303.5 million for its client. A legal team led by Paul Hastings denied Samsung infringed and asserted the patents at issue were invalid.
Wallace Jefferson Reveals Clues to His Improbable Journey
The history-making justice and chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court recounts his personal and family history at a ceremony unveiling his portrait. The great-great-great grandson of a once enslaved man who served on the Waco City Council during Reconstruction, Jefferson remembers ancestor Shedrick Willis along with the judge who once held Willis in bondage but later joined him in guiding Waco into a new era. (Photo by Mark Matson)