The Texas Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Oct. 26 in the case that asks it to decide whether a group of cotton farmers suing Helena Chemical Co. for crop damage allegedly caused by the aerial application of an herbicide have presented enough evidence to survive a no-evidence motion for summary judgment. In amicus briefs recently filed, the Chamber and the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association each warned the court of dire consequences that could flow from its ruling.
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$158M Healthcare Fraud Trial Starts in Dallas Next Week
Long delayed by COVID, the trial involves what federal authorities say is a $158 million scam by doctors and pharmacies to bill a government workers’ insurance program for fraudulent, ultra-costly prescriptions.
Lessons from Mis Abuelos
Mis abuelos taught me life lessons — on work ethic, marriage and faith, among others — that have made me realize that I have a responsibility to not just pursue the practice of law with excellence, but also to be role models in our families, workplaces and communities.
Diamondback Expands in Midland Basin with $1.6B Acquisition from FireBird
With the deal for cash and stock, Midland-based Diamondback expects to increase productive assets by 68,000 acres and 17 million barrels per day in their “backyard.” The Lawbook has details, including the firms and many of the lawyers involved.
Sherman Murder Defendant Loses Effort to Overturn His Death Penalty in Racially Tinged Prosecution
The U.S. Supreme Court denied review — and habeas relief — for the killer in a notorious 2004 Sherman case who murdered his estranged wife, turning down his argument that he was denied effective assistance of counsel after his trial counsel failed to strike any of three jurors who stated religious objections to interracial marriage or mixed-race children. The habeas corpus effort lingered on the Supreme Court’s docket for more than a year from when it was filed in September 2021 and drew amicus support by leading Texas jurists and ex-PepsiCo general counsel and former deputy U.S. attorney general Larry Thompson.
Q&A with New Energy Transactions Pair at Porter Hedges
Michael Byrd, who has served as lead counsel in more than 100 oil and gas M&A deals over his 30-plus-year career, and his “protégé” shared the scoop on why Porter Hedges and what kinds of deals they are working on in a Q&A with The Lawbook.
Bracewell Adds to Energy Depth with Houston Partner John Zabaneh
After spending the last decade in various corporate legal departments, Zabaneh is returning to private practice at a firm he got to know well while at Noble Energy.
CDT Roundup: 19 Deals, 12 Firms, 114 Lawyers, $2B
This week’s CDT Roundup looks at Rob Little whose twin contributions to this week’s deal lineup point up his steady stream of work with CenterOak Partners. They also lend themselves to the diversity of this week’s lineup: which includes sectors as varied as biopharmaceuticals and upstream O&G to funeral homes and satellites. Claire Poole has Little’s deals along with the usual roll call of lawyers involved in all of last week’s action.
Texas Supreme Court Weighs Meaning of ‘Double Fractions’ in Ancient Oil-and-Gas Agreements
In one case alone, $50 million in disputed royalties are at stake. And that could be just the tip of the iceberg.
Litigation Roundup: Fight Over California Winery Heads to SCOTX, Trademark Suit Filed By Canned Cocktail Co. and F1 Racing Tech Patent Suit Nears Settlement
In this week’s edition of Litigation Roundup, a settlement nears in a patent dispute over Formula One racing safety technology, a Texas lawyer takes his fight with a California wine entrepreneur to the Texas Supreme Court and a former NFL Pro Bowl cornerback blames a Houston-area clinic for a failed drug test.