The agency has been very active in whistleblower protection for the last 18 months — with seven cases generating more than $30 million in fines — and now appears to be kicking off an enforcement sweep looking at executive agreements for public companies to determine whether they somehow “inhibit” sharing information with the SEC. This is a timely issue for public company legal departments, especially since the SEC’s most recent cases have expanded what the agency thinks is problematic conduct.
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Hill Country Doctor Convicted in $39M Phony Prescription Scam
Dr. David M. Young of Fredericksburg was accused of prescribing orthotic devices and genetic tests for thousands of patients he never met. He was convicted by a jury Friday and is scheduled to be sentenced in October.
Energy Transfer Snares WTG Midstream for $3.25B
V&E advised Energy Transfer and Sidley assisted private equity-backed WTG on the deal, which expands the buyer’s natural gas pipeline and processing network in the Permian Basin.
Texas Firms Lead Nation with 13% Revenue Surge in 2023 as Results Driven by Big Victories
The 10 biggest Texas-based firms posted an eye-popping 13 percent revenue gain in 2023, good enough to earn the top spot among the 11 regions in Michael McKenney’s latest review of the U.S. corporate law business.
Judge Starr Cites Fifth Circuit’s ‘Hopelessly Amorphous’ Multiplier Test, Denies 1.9 Multiplier in $33M Fluor Class Action
Invoking The Simpsons, U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr on Thursday issued an opinion denying a request from plaintiffs’ lawyers who represented Fluor Corporation shareholders in a securities class action to tack a 1.9 multiplier on their fee award in the lawsuit that resulted in a $33 million settlement.
P.S. — Severe Storm Outreach, DVAP June Dates, HBA’s New Prez
Public service news for this week includes info on the HBA’s newest president, board of directors and award honorees; June dates for Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program’s legal clinics; two lawyers appointed by the governor to the state’s OneStar Foundation; and how those in Texas affected by the recent severe storms can receive legal and recovery assistance.
Firms mentioned this week include Locke Lord, Chamberlain Hrdlicka, Abaham Watkins, Womble Bond Dickinson, Bracewell, Gibson Dunn, Hunton Andrews Kurth, Baker Botts, Norton Rose Fulbright, O’Neil Wysocki, Blank Rome, Painter Law Firm, Beck Redden, Daly & Black, Okin Adams Bartlett, Parker PLLC, Wright.law, Bradley, DLA Piper, Alson & Bird, Haynes Boone, Foley, Dorsey & Whitney, Frost Brown Todd, Carrington Coleman, Gray Reed and Weil.
Constitutional Challenge to New Fifteenth Court of Appeals Hits SCOTX
In a petition for a writ of injunction filed with the state’s high court Wednesday afternoon, Dallas County alleges numerous ways the structure of the new court violates the state’s constitution. In June, the Legislature passed and the governor signed into law S.B. 1045, which created the Fifteenth Court of Appeals and granted it exclusive, statewide jurisdiction over certain cases involving the state or state officials. The jurisdiction of the state’s other 14 intermediate appellate courts is tethered to the district and county courts within its geographic region, which Dallas County argues is constitutionally required.
Fifth Circuit Revives Racial Discrimination Suit Against Chili’s Franchisee
In a ruling issued Wednesday that drew a concurrence from two of the three judges on the panel, the Fifth Circuit determined there was a fact issue that should have precluded Chili’s from getting an early win in the lawsuit brought by Sharnez Hager. Hager, who is Black, filed suit alleging the restaurant refused to seat her family at an open table, told her it was reserved for someone else, then sat her white fiancé at the table when he entered the restaurant moments later.
Ex-SDTX Bankruptcy Judge, Liz Freeman and Jackson Walker Seek Dismissals in Two Separate Fraud Cases
Within hours of each other late Wednesday, three key players in the romantic relationship scandal that has infected the Southern District of Texas Bankruptcy Court filed motions in two separate cases seeking to have the cases against them dismissed — and all three for different reasons.
Doctor Testifies He Was Duped by Con Men in $39M Phony Prescription Scam
“Do you feel like you trusted the wrong people?” one of Dr. David Young’s defense lawyers asked him in his medical fraud trial Dallas. “Absolutely,” the doctor replied.