T. John Ward, a pioneer of the ‘rocket docket,’ says he didn’t think his simple case-management plan – set strict deadlines and hold people to them – would beckon thousands of patent litigants to knock on his Marshall courtroom door.
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Texas Supreme Court Answers Certified Questions in a Way that Package Liquor Stores Worry May Open Floodgates to Big Retailers
The court answered certified questions from the Fifth Circuit asking it to interpret state liquor laws banning public corporations from owning package-store permits in Texas. But, in doing so, justices determine an exempt corporation, exempted by a grandfather clause that allows a public corporation to own liquor stores, should not forfeit its exemption by selling interests to ease debt in a Chapter 11 reorganization.
Latham Aids Natgas Processor Lucid on Sale to Targa for $3.55B
V&E advised the buyer, who plans to fund the purchase using available cash and debt within its targeted leverage ratio.
Louisiana Federal Magistrate Nominated to Be First African American Woman in Fifth Circuit
President Joseph Biden has nominated U.S. Magistrate Dana Douglas of New Orleans to one of two open seats on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. An African American jurist who practiced energy litigation, products liability and intellectual property law during her 17 years in corporate law, Judge Douglas would be the first woman of color to serve on the Fifth Circuit.
Remembering Jim Cowles – A Lion of the Texas Bar
Jim Cowles, who tried nearly 600 cases to a jury verdict, including a dozen trials while he was still in law school, died this past weekend, according to an announcement released Wednesday by Cowles Thompson, the firm he co-founded in 1978.
Judge: Jury to Decide Law Prof. Linda Mullenix Equal Pay Case Against UT
A federal judge in Austin has ruled that University of Texas School of Law professor Linda Mullenix and the university will go to trial over the educator’s claim that she has been discriminated against under the federal Equal Pay Act. An expert on class action litigation, Mullenix claims she was paid less than male professors who have less experience, fewer articles published and fewer professional honors.
Litigation Roundup: Stanford Trial Date, Social Media Addiction, Jerry Jones’ Daddy Issues
A challenge to a high-profile patent that endangers a multibillion-dollar verdict. An SEC settlement worth hundreds-of-millions involving a Texas-based financial services giant. An Texas-based airline sued for a passenger’s wrongful arrest. All this and more in this week’s litigation roundup.
V&E Counsels Hamm on $25B Bid to Take Continental Resources Private
The firm has long advised the company. Harold Hamm’s offer represents a nearly 10 percent premium over Continental’s closing price yesterday.
Updated: Ryan GC ‘Seeks to Set the Record Straight’ With Lawsuit Against USA Today
Ryan General Counsel John Smith said the Dallas-based tax services provider sued USA Today and parent company Gannett Co. because the media company published allegedly defamatory articles about Ryan’s business practices but never disclosed in its articles that Gannett employed Ryan to identify potential tax savings and then failed to pay for its services. Ryan, in the lawsuit filed Monday in Montgomery County, accuses the national newspaper chain of defamation, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, quantum meruit, suit on a sworn account and fraud.
CDT Roundup: 17 Deals, 12 Firms, 123 Lawyers, $7.6B
With oil and gas prices high, older established fields are seeing a renaissance. That may explain recent deals involving North Dakota’s Williston Basin. This week’s CDT Roundup looks at what makes the Williston attractive, along with the firms and lawyers involved in deals there and elsewhere.