Houston attorney Allan Kirk, a mergers and acquisitions partner at Kirkland & Ellis, drew on his own childhood experience with clubfoot and his faith-driven desire to help others when he helped Christ Clinic — a faith-based healthcare provider for low-income and uninsured patients — secure a pro bono legal team from his firm. Kirkland aided the clinic’s joint venture with Innovative Wellness, expanding access to care in the Houston area.
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GWG Bankruptcy Litigation Trustee Strikes Proposed Deal with Beneficient
The court-appointed litigation trustee overseeing the GWG Holdings bankruptcy has asked a federal judge to approve a settlement with its subsidiary Beneficient that would clear the way for the parties to jointly go after Beneficient’s former director and chief executive officer, Brad Heppner.
Dallas-Based DOBS Gets Whopping $966M Verdict Against J&J in California
Dean Omar Branham Shirley, which has racked up numerous wins on behalf of clients who allege Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder caused their mesothelioma, has done it again.
In a verdict returned by a California jury Monday evening, jurors determined Mae Moore, who died in December 2021 of mesothelioma, was exposed to Johnson’s baby powder or Shower to Shower, a body powder product, that contained asbestos, that the company was negligent in selling the product and that it was a substantial cause of Moore contracting mesothelioma.
Litigation Roundup: Fifth Circuit Revives Securities Fraud Suit
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Jerry Jones takes an “L” in his latest bid to bring an early end to a sexual assault lawsuit, American Airlines is hit with a permanent injunction in an ESG-related investor suit, and a Houston-based furniture company secures a $2.1 million final judgment.
DOJ Seeks Stay of EO Proceedings Involving Susman Godfrey
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.
‘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.