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.
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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.
Houston Corporate Counsel Award Winners: Phillips 66, LyondellBasell, First Reserve, McDermott, Cardinal Systems
More than 220 corporate in-house counsel and their outside lawyers gathered last week at the Four Seasons in downtown Houston to recognize more than two-dozen general counsel and senior in-house counsel who achieved extraordinary success during the past year.
Dallas Doctors Plead Guilty to $9M Healthcare Fraud Scheme
Drs. Desi Barroga and Deno Barroga admitted to submitting false insurance claims purporting to give patients more than 80 corticosteroid shots in a single visit. In reality, the doctors often mimicked injecting patients by placing a needle on their bodies without piercing their skin.
SCOTX Hands Fen-Phen Clients Win in Suit Against Their Former Attorney
The Texas Supreme Court, in a unanimous ruling issued Friday, decided Houston attorney George Fleming was barred — or judicially estopped — from arguing the claims of his former clients were substantially similar after he earlier defeated class certification by arguing the claims were too distinct and therefore not suitable for class treatment. Fleming’s about-face on whether the claims of his former clients were similar or distinct came in the wake of his win in a bellwether trial against six former clients referred to in court documents as the Harpst plaintiffs.
CDT Roundup: 11 Deals, 11 Firms, 173 Lawyers, $5.5B
While the oil and gas business remains the endoskeleton of the Texas economy, oil and gas are currently living divergent performance experiences. Oil is experiencing boom times; natural gas, not so much. In such a market the semi-annual Haynes Boone borrowing base and price deck surveys can offer a valuable lenders’-eye view of the immediate future. The CDT Roundup mines the latest data, along with the usual survey of last week’s Texas-related deals.
BakerHostetler Recruits Baker Botts Lawyer to Lead Catastrophic Accident Response Team
Former Baker Botts partner Greg Dillard has joined BakerHostetler’s Houston office as a partner. Dillard has represented big companies such as BP, Chevron and ExxonMobil in crisis responses and regulatory enforcement actions.
Locke Lord Enhances Tax, Private Wealth Offerings in Dallas
Isreal J. Miller, a former trial attorney for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, has joined the firm’s private wealth and tax controversy teams.