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.
More Stories
WWHD? — Should the Question ‘What Would Hamilton Do?’ Inform the Fifth Circuit’s Separation-of-Powers Jurisprudence?
Seven federal courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, have rejected arguments that federal financial regulators should not be funded by assessments made outside the usual budgeting process. The reasoning was those fundings are done pursuant to acts of Congress.
The Fifth Circuit in Community Financial Services Association of America v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau saw matters otherwise and cited several drafters of the Constitution, including the ubiquitous Alexander Hamilton.
Houston Appellate Lawyer Moves from One Prominent Plaintiffs Firm to Another
Vic Thomas, a former staff attorney for Houston’s 14th Court of Appeals, has left The Lanier Law Firm for Sorrels Law. Thomas is part of the team handling the appeal in Cruz v. Allied Aviation.
Behind the Scenes: How a Pair of Texas Friends Prepped for a SCOTUS Argument
Ed Sullivan and Sam Kaplan (pictured center) have been friends for 30 years, beginning when they met at the University of Texas as undergraduates. Later they both decided to become lawyers.
Their friendship continued but never as intensely as it did this year, while working together on a case that would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The case, argued Oct. 12, was Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. v. Hewitt, a dispute about whether highly paid employees are eligible for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act. It is an important issue for the oil and gas industry. The case was brought by Michael Hewitt, a “tool-pusher” on an offshore oil rig. Other amicus briefs indicated that the outcome of the case could affect a range of organizations including nursing.
Alleged Kickbacks in Pharmacy Fraud Trial Were Legitimate Loans to Doctors, Defense Lawyers Contend
In opening statements, the defense attorneys tell jurors in Dallas their clients did not write thousands of bogus prescriptions, for which the government was billed $196 million, as a federal indictment contends.
Two Exxon Mobil Attorneys Join Hunton Andrews Kurth
With the additions, Hunton AK welcomes back a familiar face as a tax partner and recruits the lead in-house counsel for Exxon Mobil’s treasurer function.
Locke Lord Brings Back Energy Lawyer in Houston
David Wilhelm has returned to the firm he started his career at after gaining more than a decade of in-house experience, most recently as an executive at Navitas Midstream Partners.
Q&A with Katten Privacy Expert Trisha Sircar
Sircar visited with The Texas Lawbook about what she learned as assistant general counsel of privacy at AIG, how she has used her privacy and cybersecurity expertise for a pro bono client and the key developments in her practice that businesses should be paying attention to.
Winston & Strawn Adds Lynn Pinker Litigation Partner
Jervonne Newsome, who made partner at Lynn Pinker this year, said she was drawn to Winston & Strawn’s full-service capabilities and national presence.
CDT Roundup: 9 Deals, 9 Firms, 139 Lawyers, $3B
Energy deals are holding their own these days, even if other sectors seem to be slacking. The third quarter topped $16 billion for upstream M&A nationwide, making it the best quarter of the year in that category, according to Enverus. Claire Poole provides some perspective for that market, along with deals for the week in all sectors.