A Dallas tax lawyer who “exploited his position as an attorney” and promoted illegal tax shelters for wealthy Texas clients for several years has been charged with 41 counts of tax and wire fraud.
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CDT Q3 2022 M&A Deal List
A comprehensive listing of Texas-involved deals reported to The Texas Lawbook as announced or completed between July 1 and September 30, 2022.
Austin Software Company Wins $105M IP Verdict Against Ford Motor
A federal jury in Detroit listened to 15 days of testimony and arguments and then deliberated nearly 10 hours before ruling Wednesday that Ford Motor Co. misused Versata’s trade secrets and the carmaker to pay Austin-based Versata Software $105 million in damages. The nine-digit verdict is the largest courtroom victory for Houston-based Mitby Pacholder Johnson, a three-partner litigation boutique formed earlier this year. The Texas Lawbook has the inside story.
Texas Justices Drill Down on Evidentiary Requirement in Spray-Drift Cases
In the case that pits a group of cotton farmers against Helena Chemical Co., the Texas Supreme Court justices focused much of the questioning during oral argument Wednesday morning on the intricacies of the evidentiary standard Helena is asking the court to adopt. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a brief in favor of Helena, while the farmers garnered amicus support from the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association and the High Plains Wine & Food Foundation.
SCOTX Wrestles with Force Majeure Clause in Drilling Delay
The Texas Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could lay out the rules for deciding how to read a drilling lease’s force majeure clause. The case involves a driller’s response to unforeseen circumstances and its miscalculation of a deadline.
Texas Justices to Decide if $332M Astros Sale Spat Goes to Trial
The Texas Supreme Court will decide whether Jim Crane can proceed with his lawsuit over the allegedly inflated price he paid for the stake in a regional sports network. Two lower courts have denied bids by the team’s former owner and Comcast to end the lawsuit. Michelle Casady tuned into oral arguments Tuesday as the Houston Astros prepare for Game 1 of the World Series.
Dallas Judge Tonya Parker to Run for Appeals Court Spot
Dallas District Judge Tonya Parker announced Monday that she intends to seek election to an upcoming opening on the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas.
Judge Parker, a widely respected trial judge who consistently ranks among the top three judges for judicial temperament and legal knowledge by Dallas Bar Association members, sent an email to supporters stating that she has been “seriously considering a run for court of appeals” for some time.
CDT Roundup: 20 Deals, 13 Firms, 253 Lawyers, $8.2B
Energy pricing may have rebounded to heights not seen in years, but that doesn’t mean that industry confidence hovers alongside. Haynes Boone’s latest borrowing base redetermination survey suggests that both lenders and borrowers expect current bases to remain flat — or even lower. This week’s CDT Roundup explores possible reasons for the current state of caution, along with the usual review of last week’s deals.
Holland & Knight Nabs Gray Reed M&A/PE Practice Leader
Based in Houston, Nancy Bostic’s clients focus on the upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas sectors and in the oilfield services. She worked across Thompson & Knight on a $100 million funding in 2019.
Litigation Roundup: Paxton Sues Google; Payday Loan Rule Vacated; RE Tech Firm Accused of $300M Fraud
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a $10 million class action settlement over defective, leaky pipes gets Fifth Circuit approval, the Texas attorney general sues Google for unlawful biometric data collection and a Dallas-area real estate analytics and software company draws an antitrust lawsuit in California.