Lynn Pinker partner Mary Goodrich Nix told the AAA its arbitrator refused to grant her any accommodation or continuance when she was in the hospital with her fatally ill father. She also told the administrator of the arbitration between her client, Dickey’s, and a franchisee that arbitrator Gary Leydig referred to her in an email as “Ms. Dix” and said he “has never apologized or acknowledged this, despite having been confronted with how offensive it was.”
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Bill to Limit Medical Cost Damages in Tort Cases Advances
Senators broke along party lines in advancing legislation to stop “nuclear verdicts.” Senate Bill 30 would limit recoverable medical expenses to 300 percent of Medicare rates, adjusted for inflation. Supporters said the bill is needed to bring down insurance rates, while critics said it would remove discretion from judges and juries to make decisions on facts in individual cases.
Another Case of Missing Cases? Fifth Court of Appeals Wants Clarification
Just six days after telling parties in a separate appeal that the court could not locate a handful of cases cited by the appellant, the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas on Wednesday told a man representing himself in a child custody case that it couldn’t locate eight cases he cited.
Houston Jury Awards $5.9M in Family Dispute
Jurors sat through a four-day trial in Harris County District Judge Michael Gomez’ court before siding with the plaintiffs and awarding them $5.9 million in damages. The case centered on the disputed transfer of 45 acres of property near Seabrook, Texas.
Houston Corporate Counsel Awards for M&A Transaction, Business Litigation of the Year
The awards for Business Litigation and M&A Transaction are unique in that they recognize both the in-house counsel and the outside lawyers who worked on the matters. Finalists include in-house lawyers from Marathon Oil, Waste Management, Baker Hughes, and McDermott.
Mikal Watts to J&J Bankruptcy Judge: Give Us a ‘Do Over’
Some plaintiffs’ lawyers representing tens of thousands of women claiming that Johnson & Johnson talc powder caused their ovarian cancer have asked a Houston judge to give them a second chance. Attorneys representing different groups of women asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez to reverse his March 31 decision to dismiss the Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition filed by Red River Talc, a subsidiary of J&J, but to allow the parties to either fix the flaws in the previous petition or to send the entire case to mediation. But an opposing group of lawyers who also represent more than 20,000 women, including 465 women in the Dallas area, told The Texas Lawbook Wednesday that this new effort to reopen the bankruptcy is just another attempt by J&J “to force unreasonably low settlements on women already suffering from life-threatening illness and financial hardship.”
Update: X Hit With $105M Verdict in Dallas Patent Infringement Case
VidStream Inc., the successor to a bankrupt tech company, said the social media behemoth formerly known as Twitter infringed two patents to streamline the transfer of user-generated videos to online platforms and TV.
Shook, Hardy & Bacon Hires Retired Magistrate Judge
Kimberly Priest Johnson, who formerly served as a U.S. magistrate judge in the Sherman Division of the Eastern District of Texas, has joined the Houston office of Shook, Hardy & Bacon as a partner in its complex litigation and strategic counseling practice group.
Kirkland, Norton Rose Fulbright to Advise Clean Energy Business in Billion-dollar Bankruptcy
California-based Global Clean Energy Holdings, a renewable fuels company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of Texas early Wednesday. Citing between $1 billion and $10 billion in liabilities and assets in its original petition, Global Clean Energy and 15 of its affiliated companies hired Kirkland & Ellis as its lead legal advisor and Norton Rose Fulbright Houston partner Jason Boland as its local legal bankruptcy counsel.
Lowe’s Announces Acquisition of Dallas’ Artisan Design Group for Over $1.3B
Lowe’s announced on April 14 that it had entered an agreement to acquire Artisan Design Group, a Dallas-based designer, distributor and service provider for interior finishes, for $1.325 billion. Lawyers from Latham & Watkins and Covington & Burling are advising on the deal.