A three-justice panel of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals issued an opinion reviving the lawsuit brought by the family of Carolyn Burford against her husband’s former employer, Alcoa Inc., over her allegedly fatal exposure to asbestos. At a hearing before dismissing the case, Judge Mark Davidson, who presides over the asbestos multidistrict litigation court in Harris County, had said he was “reluctantly” granting Alcoa’s no-evidence motion for summary judgment and hoped his ruling would be reversed on appeal.
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Three Courts, Two Eviction Actions and One 11-Hour Move: How Four V&E Associates Kept a Pro Bono Client Off the Streets
It took six months, 177 pro bono hours, $167,000 of their firm’s resources, a U-Haul and an 11-hour move for a team of four Vinson & Elkins associates to secure a favorable resolution for their 74-year-old client who was facing eviction, but they never gave up. The V&E team recently spoke with The Lawbook about what made this case unusual from typical landlord-tenant disputes, why this pro bono matter was important to them and how the many twists and turns of the case mirrored some of their billable commercial litigation work.
“It took me days to figure out what the law on this was,” said Josh Jilovec, one of the lawyers on the case. “To expect a tenant to prepare a legitimate case in defense … it’s just a tall task.”
Q&A with Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo GC Jeffrey Downing
The native Houstonian shares his early HLSR memories, what he’s learned 18 months into the job, how he manages all of the logistics of an event serving more than 2 million people over 20 days, and why it’s the best job he’s ever had.
CDT Roundup: 19 Deals, 12 Firms, 248 Lawyers, $16.4B
Before Houston-based Intuitive Machines landed the first privately funded craft on the moon, they landed a merger partner and a major investor with the help of the Houston office of Latham & Watkins. This week, The Roundup looks back at those deals and the lawyers who worked on them — along with the $16 billion in Texas-related deals reported last week.
Litigation Roundup: Attorney Gets 50 Years for ‘Ponzi-like’ Scheme; A Look at Recent SCOTX Rulings
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a few recent rulings from the Texas Supreme Court are highlighted, a San Antonio attorney charged with defrauding clients out of as much as $65 million over 20 years goes to prison, and cryptocurrency miners sue the Department of Energy over an effort to get data on energy use.
Paul Hastings Hires Eight V&E Finance Partners in Texas
The number of corporate finance lawyers may grow to as many as two dozen, lawyers familiar with the move told The Lawbook.
King & Spalding Launches Dallas Office, Nabs Veronica Lewis Moyé from Gibson Dunn
Veronica Moyé joined King & Spalding as partner in the firm’s business litigation group. Moyé spoke with The Lawbook about her decision to move and what her goals are in this new chapter.
U.S. Fifth Circuit Rules in Favor of Advisor in $4M M&A Fee Dispute
The court ruled that Denver-based Catalyst Strategic Advisors is entitled to an advisory completion fee in connection with the sale of a Houston building supply company. The court determined that the “procuring-cause doctrine” was rendered inapplicable by the specific language of Catalyst’s contract, even though the sale took place 15 months after the company’s sale.
Employee Spotlight: Krista Torralva
The Texas Lawbook is pleased to announce that former Dallas Morning News courts reporter Krista Torralva has joined The Lawbook team to work with Michelle Casady and Janet Elliott to cover complex commercial litigation being handled by Texas lawyers.
SCOTX Again Stays Case Involving Attorney’s Sex Tape, Child Porn Concerns
The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday entered a stay for the second time in a case that involves the intersection of rules governing civil discovery and federal laws regarding the dissemination of child pornography. In January, the court lifted its first stay in the case and in a 5-4 decision denied Magdoline Elhindi’s petition for writ of mandamus. Tuesday’s stay came amid consideration of Elhindi’s motion for rehearing, which remains pending.