The U.S. Justice Department has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to issue a stay of all proceedings involving the litigation between the Trump administration and four law firms, including Susman Godfrey, until the government shutdown is over.
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‘Third Time Is a Charm’: After Two Hung Juries, Credit Card Execs Take Plea Deal
Two former executives of a Virginia-based credit card processing company received 36 months of probation after pleading guilty to defrauding the city of Sherman. As part of the plea agreement, Edward Walsh Vaughan, the former president of Electronic Transactions Systems Corp., and Hadi Akkad, the company’s former executive vice president, will forfeit $5.3 million and $1.9 million, respectively.
“This is a rare case, very unusual,” said Fort Worth criminal defense attorney Jeff Kearney, who negotiated the plea agreement with Houston trial lawyer David Gerger. “I never thought this case would get resolved. [Gerger’s] persistence and ingenuity got this settled.”
All-Texan Team Gets $296M Jury Verdict in Arizona
After a 12-day trial in Maricopa County, Arizona, and five hours of deliberations in a dispute between two real estate companies, a jury found ZOM Holding breached its contract with Gray Services and Gray Development and owes more than $296 million in damages. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher attorneys from Texas, many of whom also successfully represented Energy Transfer in a trial against Greenpeace earlier this year, represented Gray.
New SCOTUS Term Starts with Oral Arguments in Texas Case
The U.S. Supreme Court heard its first oral argument of the new term Monday with a case from Texas. The question presented was whether a trial court violated a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel by prohibiting discussions during an overnight recess.
Fifth Third Buying Dallas-based Comerica in $10.9B Deal
Wachtell and Sullivan & Cromwell advised on the deal, which positions Fifth Third as a major presence in 17 of the fastest-growing banking markets in the country.
UTSA, USAA, BioBridge, VSP Vision — More San Antonio Corporate Counsel Award Recipients Announced
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s San Antonio Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have announced the recipients of the inaugural 2025 San Antonio Corporate Counsel Awards for Lifetime Achievement, Business Litigation of the Year, M&A Transaction of the Year and Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service.Two prominent and long-time San Antonio corporate legal leaders — retired Mission Pharmacal General Counsel Lee Cusenbary and BioBridge Global GC Richey Wyatt — have been selected to receive the 2025 San Antonio Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement.
The Top 10 Trial Mistakes That You Didn’t Know Were Mistakes
Many trial-centric CLEs set forth the traditional top 10 tips for a successful trial presentation. Examples include: Don’t ask a question to which you do not know the answer, be honest and ethical, tell a compelling story, make sure your witnesses are prepared, don’t fight with opposing counsel, etc. These are worthy tips. But there are many other mistakes to avoid that stem from the evolution of juror behavior over the last 20 years — and especially in the five years since COVID.
CDT Roundup: From Solar to Chemicals to LNG, Energy Powers $20.8B Week
The week that ended Oct. 4 saw 21 deals reported with a total value of $20.8 billion with a few billion-dollar transactions, including one that may be the final deal for the Oracle of Omaha. Elsewhere, Texas bank consolidations continue as Prosperity Bank acquires Texas Partners to expand further into San Antonio, Austin and The Hill Country.
That and more in this edition of CDT Roundup.
Jackson Walker, GWG Bankruptcy Trustee Reach $405,000 Settlement
The litigation trustee in the GWG Holdings bankruptcy dispute has asked a federal judge to approve a $405,000 out-of-court settlement agreement with the law firm Jackson Walker related to the scandal involving former Houston Bankruptcy Judge David Jones.
The GWG litigation trustee is the seventh party to reach a proposed settlement with Jackson Walker, which is accused of knowing about and failing to disclose a secret romantic relationship between one of its former bankruptcy partners, Elizabeth Freeman, and Judge Jones.
SDTX Bankruptcy Court Scandal Timeline
2011: David Jones leaves Houston law firm Porter Hedges after 19 years as a corporate bankruptcy lawyer to become a bankruptcy judge in the Southern District of Texas. Jones later hires