Not since the frontier days when Texas jurisprudence was being developed from Spanish law has there been a Supreme Court justice as influential as Nathan Hecht. While serving on the court for 35 years as a justice and chief justice, Hecht was a leader in the court’s transition from a plaintiffs-oriented body to one that pleased the business community with skepticism about large jury verdicts in tort cases. He played key roles in writing procedural rules that make litigation more efficient and vigorously advocated for civil legal services funding. As the longest-serving judge in Texas history hangs up his judicial robe due to state-mandated retirement, he recalls elections past and decisions that helped shaped the current court.
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Judge Cuts $2.17M Jury Award in SkyWest Airlines Sexual-Harassment Case to $300K, as Prescribed by Law
In accordance with federal damages caps, U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater on Thursday reduced a jury’s $2.17 million verdict against SkyWest Airlines to $300,000.
Skadden, Weil Advise on $1.2B Sale of Pipelines by ONEOK
Tulsa-based ONEOK is selling three pipelines connecting Appalachian basins with midwestern gas and power markets.
Dallas County Judge Ordered to Rule on Motion for Arbitration Pending Since July 2022
In an opinion dated Nov. 12 but not published to the court’s website until Monday, the panel found that “the trial judge has abused her discretion by failing to perform her ministerial duty to rule on Megatel’s motion to compel arbitration despite Megatel’s numerous attempts to set a hearing and request a ruling.”
Evil Robots and Data Privacy
This article contemplates an artificial intelligence hypothetical given to a dozen Silicon Valley attorneys at an annual meeting of in-house lawyers and general counsel. The takeaway: as AI expands, it will increasingly become necessary for attorneys and their clients to understand exactly what tools are available to them to improve their models and avoid an increasing number of ethical and legal pitfalls.
Fifth Circuit Affirms Dismissal Of ‘Anti-Woke’ Hiring Bias Suit
The case implicated issues at the forefront of the American social, political and legal consciousness. Practically speaking, the decision has implications and reminders for employers in the education sector and beyond.
Litigation Roundup: SCOTX Will Hear Anadarko Lease Dispute
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Kroger strikes an $83 million deal to bring an end to opioid epidemic claims in Texas, the state is given a deadline to reply to a rehearing request in the longrunning litigation over the safety of the foster care system and a fried chicken trademark spat lands in the Eastern District of Texas.
CareMax Hires Sidley to Lead Chapter 11 in NDTX
A Miami-headquartered and publicly traded healthcare network filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday in Dallas, citing between $500 million and $1 billion in liabilities but less than $500 million in assets.
Democratic Judge Tina Clinton Claims Late Victory in Dallas Court of Appeals Election
The news of an all-Republican sweep of the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas last week was premature.
Citing mail-in ballots and provisional voting from Dallas County and Collin County, multiple sources have told The Texas Lawbook that Dallas County Criminal Court Judge Tina Clinton, a Democrat, appears to have flipped the election results and won her race for the Dallas appeals court against Thompson Coe commercial litigator Matthew Kolodoski.
CDT Roundup: 17 Deals, 11 Firms, 245 Lawyers, $11.5B
Methane emissions are a sticky business in Texas, especially in the Permian where the colorless, odorless substance is simply a by-product of exploration and production for oil and gas on a massive scale. An $88 million satellite set into orbit in March, however, has begun to visualize and quantify the problem. The picture isn’t pretty. But situation is complicated, as the CDT Roundup reports this week — along with its usual survey of transactions.