Under cross-examination, the former employee, Sarah Budd, acknowledged that she provided few details when she complained to her supervisor in 2019 about what she called pervasive crude and demeaning conduct by the overwhelmingly male force of mechanics she worked with at DFW International Airport.
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November 14 — The Day Fulbright & Jaworski Changed the Texas Legal Landscape Forever
Fulbright & Jaworski was the biggest of the Big Three in Texas a dozen years ago. For the past century, Fulbright, Baker Botts and Vinson & Elkins reigned as the masters of corporate law in Texas. Lawyers at the trio didn’t need to do much business development because clients rushed to their offices when they needed big-time help. Fulbright and her two sister firms — all headquartered in Houston — represented Texas’ biggest businesses and wealthiest citizens. Each employed about 700 attorneys, and they reported roughly the same revenues and profits. The best students at all the Texas law schools prayed one of the Big Three would extend them an offer. Lawyers joined Fulbright and stayed until they retired. Even as national law firms dipped their toes in the Texas legal market waters, leaders at the Big Three swore they would never merge. Texas forever.
Then came Nov. 14, 2012. And everything changed.
Brown Rudnick Expands in Houston with IP Lit Practice
Brown Rudnick, a Boston-founded law firm that opened in Houston three months ago, announced Wednesday that it has added eight intellectual property litigators, including three partners, to its Texas operation.
Coterra Acquires Permian Assets for $3.95 Billion
Gibson Dunn advised Coterra and Kirkland advised two Denver-based sellers, Franklin Mountain Energy and Avant Natural Resources, on two separate deals involving as many as 550 net well locations and 125 miles of pipeline in New Mexico.
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.
Workplace ‘Was Like a Form of Torture,’ ex-Employee of SkyWest Airlines Testifies in EEOC Sexual-Harassment Suit
Sarah Budd testified in U.S. District Court in Dallas that from the day she showed up for work in SkyWest’s maintenance department at DFW International Airport, she was subjected to a barrage of crude, demeaning, frightening comments by male co-workers.
Content warning: This article contains sexually explicit language.
Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty in Dallas City Hall Corruption Scandal
Sherman Roberts, president and CEO of City Wide Community Development Corporation, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiring to commit bribery. Roberts is accused of bribing two former Dallas City Council members in exchange for their support of his real estate projects.
J&J Talc Bankruptcy Judge: ‘Their Voices Must Be Heard’
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez told all sides in the Johnson & Johnson talc powder bankruptcy litigation Tuesday that he will “get a big pot of coffee” and spend the weekend in his office going through more than 11,500 disputed votes in order to get an accurate number of claimants supporting and opposing J&J’s $8.2 billion settlement plan. New Jersey-based J&J created a new Texas-headquartered subsidiary in September called Red River Talc and used a Texas law to transfer all its potential liabilities from tens of thousands of lawsuits filed against J&J by women who claim they have ovarian cancer because they used J&J’s talc powder. But there’s a dispute over 11,500 votes that were switched from voting against J&J’s forced bankruptcy plan to being in favor.
McDermott Advising Wellpath on SDTX Bankruptcy
A Nashville-based healthcare services company that focuses on treating incarcerated inmates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Houston Monday, claiming more than $1 billion in liabilities and an equal amount in assets. Wellpath Holdings and about 40 of its affiliated companies, which served about 3,000 in 2023 and reported revenues of $425 million, filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District of Texas. The case has been assigned to Judge Alfredo Perez.
How 2024’s Megadeals have Slowed In-House Legal Hiring in Texas’ Energy Sector
While these megadeals promise efficiency gains and economies of scale, they’ve had a chilling effect on one critical area: in-house legal hiring. Consolidation has temporarily shifted priorities, leaving legal teams focused on deal execution, integration, compliance and cost-cutting.