In this edition of Litigation Roundup, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown gets her first crack at handling multidistrict litigation after 12 putative class action lawsuits over the AT&T data breach are transferred to her, the former president of a Texas energy company goes to prison and a trio of attorneys representing Southwest Airlines gets a stay on an order that they undergo religious liberty training.
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Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial Expands to Texas, Opens Houston Office
WWHGD tapped Houston attorney Chaz Klaes to spearhead its Texas expansion. Klaes brought eight lawyers with him from Donato, Brown, Pool & Moehlmann.
Kirkland, Paul Weiss lead $1.6B deal between Noble and Diamond Offshore
In yet another stock-and-cash deal this year in the energy sector, Sugar Land-based Noble Corp. plans to purchase Houston-based Diamond Offshore Drilling by paying a premium of 11.4% per share. When the deal closes, Diamond shareholders will own 14.5% of Noble’s outstanding shares.
Transactional Lawyers Fail to Materialize for Biz Court Positions
Litigators dominate the latest applications for the new business court judgeships, public records show. In the coming weeks, Gov. Greg Abbott will exercise his new power to select jurists to handle the new court’s docket of complex corporate governance and transactional disputes. A drafter of the legislation to create the specialized court system makes the case for ‘sit down’ lawyers to throw their names in the hat.
Pulmonologist Grilled by Both Sides in Dallas Trial Over J&J Baby Powder
Houston-based pulmonologist Dr. Steven Haber testified for about 14 hours over two days in Texas’ first Johnson & Johnson baby powder trial. The case is also the state’s first talc trial, lawyers said.
The Texas Lawbook‘s Krista Torralva has the latest details from inside the courtroom.
Fifth Circuit Issues Fractured Ruling in Llano Book Ban Case
A divided Fifth Circuit panel has determined the Llano County library must put back in circulation eight of 17 books that had been previously removed because of objections to their contents.
The ruling was issued Thursday in the case brought by seven library system patrons who alleged that county employees’ removal of the books violated their First Amendment right to “access information and ideas.”
SCOTX: Trial Court Must Revisit Order Shutting Down Stinky Poultry Operations
Justices determined that two adjacent chicken farms were a nuisance but said less-drastic remedies to abate the odors are warranted. Agricultural interests are closely following the appeal, which attracted prominent lawyers for Sanderson Farms and its growers.
Dallas Dealmaker John Willding Jumps to Stinson
In a Q&A with The Lawbook, Willding describes recent deals he has handled, elaborates on a “significant pickup” in middle-market M&A deals, and identifies other trends he is observing
SCOTUS Sides with Insurer in Asbestos-related Chapter 11 Case
On Thursday, Justice Sonya Sotomayor delivered the 8-0 opinion of the court that held Truck Insurance Exchange should have been allowed to voice its concerns about the terms of a proposed $50 million settlement of thousands of asbestos-related lawsuits because the insurer is a “party in interest” in the dispute. Gibson Dunn’s Allyson Ho argued the case and spoke to The Lawbook about its implications.
Texas Supreme Court Abates Meta Lawsuit in Light of Tentative Settlement
A little more than a week before trial was slated to begin, a settlement has apparently been reached in a case where Texas alleged Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook, had unlawfully used the biometric data of Texans without their consent and for commercial use.