A jury in McMullen County that heard two weeks of testimony determined Energy Transfer’s underground, hydrogen sulfide injection well had interfered with the drilling rights of SilverBow Resources Operating and El Dorado Oil & Gas Inc. The case has a long history, including two trips to the Texas Supreme Court, and saw Houston-based law firms Yetter Coleman and Ahmad Zavitsanos & Mensing go head-to-head.
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Jury Awards $8.4M In Wrongful Death Case Against Bobcat of Houston
The jury was selected Jan. 18 and began hearing testimony Jan. 19 in the trial that had sought as much as $500 million in wrongful death damages on behalf of the family of Ricardo Garza. The jury deliberated for about seven hours before returning its verdict.
Texas Supreme Court Weighs Noneconomic Damages Cap
The state’s high court, minus three justices who recused themselves from the case, heard oral arguments Tuesday in a case that’s being closely watched by the insurance industry, economic and trial lawyer interest groups and law professors. The case presents the court with an opportunity to clarify the proper standard of review for noneconomic damages awards.
Former Texas Appellate Judge Rejoins Dykema
After eight years on the Dallas Court of Appeals, former justice David Schenck is practicing law at his old law firm. In an interview with The Texas Lawbook, Schenck said Dykema was the only firm he seriously considered.
An Overview of the FTC’s Proposed Rule Banning Noncompete Agreements
The proposed rule seems to be in line with the Biden administration’s executive order issued in 2022 encouraging the FTC to exercise whatever legal authority it has to “curtail the unfair use of non-compete clauses” that “may unfairly limit worker mobility.” Here are some questions and answers about this new proposed rule.
3 of 4 Whistleblowers Suing AG Paxton Ask for Abatement
The Texas Supreme Court is considering an opposed motion to hit pause on a whistleblower lawsuit brought by three former top aides to Attorney General Ken Paxton against the Texas AG, accusing him of firing them in retaliation for reporting to the FBI and Texas Rangers that they believed he abused the power of his office to benefit a campaign donor. One of the four whistleblowers isn’t involved in settlement negotiations and wants the lawsuit to proceed now.
Atlas Technical Agrees to $1.05B Buyout by GI Partners
Kirkland counseled the Austin-based company, which provides infrastructure and environmental solutions to U.S. markets.
Harnessing the Power of Crowdsourced DEI Innovation to Affect Change
Hackathons are a powerful crowdsourcing concept that will not only lead to the creation and implementation of innovative programming, but can help foster a more inclusive corporate culture. At Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, the firm has successfully implemented this concept during the summer associate program since 2020. One of the fruits has been the creation of a new scholarship program for first-generation law students.
Haynes and Boone Opens Virginia Outpost
The Dallas-based firm expanded to Northern Virginia by adding 19 lawyers with expertise in government contracts, construction and white-collar law.
CDT Roundup: 7 Deals, 7 Firms, 75 Lawyers, $2.2B
At best, 2022 was a mixed year for upstream M&A across the U.S., according to Enverus Intelligence Research. The numbers looked big, $58 billion across 160 deals. But the reality is that they were down, particularly in deal count, even when compared to pre-pandemic averages. The CDT Roundup takes a look at a few companies whose deals defined and, in some ways, defied the market, as well as the law firms that are advising them. Of course, there is the usual roundup of last week’s transactions.