Lawyers for three Texas teenagers who were targeted by sexual predators on Facebook, raped and forced into sex trafficking told the Supreme Court of Texas Wednesday that a federal law protecting social media sites from defamation litigation should not shield them their duty to warn and protect minors using its website. The case is being monitored by legal experts nationwide. A win for the plaintiffs could open the floodgates for litigation against Facebook and other social media outlets brought by victims of sexual predators across the country.
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DBJ: Dallas Fintech Going Public at Valuation of Nearly $5B
Apex Clearing Holdings was represented by a Sidley team led out of Chicago that included associates in Dallas.
Shearman, Weil Advise on $1.15B SPAC Deal to Take Ardagh Metal Public
Ardagh Metals Group, Luxembourg-headquartered purveyor of metal beverage containers is combining with a Los Angeles-based SPAC. The result will be an $8.5 billion public company. And several Dallas-based lawyers took part.
Houston Chronicle: SCOTX to Decide ERCOT’s Sovereign Immunity
The Texas Supreme Court is weighing a 2016 dispute brought by Panda Energy against ERCOT that could decide if the quasi-governmental non-profit corporation power grid operator should be protected from civil lawsuits via a cloak of sovereign immunity. The Houston Chronicle has details.
Power Outage Lawsuit Avalanche Coming
A dozen lawsuits against ERCOT and four Texas energy companies have already been filed and hundreds more are expected as a result of the winter storm-induced power outages. The initial lawsuits are by individuals, but legal experts say that the biggest cases – those pitting energy companies against each other over contract breaches – are several months away from being lodged. The Texas Lawbook has an in-depth report.
Is Lady Justice Blind?
In my first year of law school, we were taught that Lady Justice wears a blindfold to symbolize the premise that all laws, facts and people are judged without considering race, gender or sexual orientation. I soon learned that Lady Justice might symbolically have a blindfold over her face, but she can clearly see.
VLSI: Intel Used its Patents in ‘Nearly a Billion’ Intel Products
U.S. District Judge Alan Albright’s second patent trial is underway in Waco. Monday afternoon, jurors heard from two of the country’s premier trial lawyers about the backstories of their sparring clients, VLSI and Intel. The takeaway? Intel either knowingly made a billion products that infringe on VLSI’s patents or Intel engineers were too caught up in their own innovations to know of their existence.
Shearman Signs Houston Capital Markets Partner from Jones Day
Bill Nelson, head of Shearman & Sterling’s Texas offices, said the new addition fits the firm’s long-term strategy in the state. The lateral hire comes one year after Shearman picked up a trio of Jones Day dealmakers in Dallas.
Former Head of NRF’s U.S. O&G Practice Joins Baker Botts
Julie Mayo said she was attracted to Baker Botts’ track record in the energy sector and “thought-leadership-focused approach” to energy transition issues.
Highly-anticipated VLSI v. Intel Trial Begins. Here’s Why it’s Important
Jury selection is currently underway in VLSI v. Intel, which will easily be one of the hottest and closely-watched trials this year. While we wait for a panel to be selected, The Texas Lawbook asked a number of IP experts why the trial is so important.