Armed federal agents raided a suburban Houston aviation company 16 months ago based on a sealed affidavit. The result: employees quit, customers fled and the business went bankrupt. Agents still have not charged the business owner with a crime, but they will not let him see the affidavit either. But the Fifth Circuit, in an obscure ruling this week, said yes to greater access to court records in the pre-indictment stage. The Lawbook has the details.
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Eight Deals, Three Offerings, $13 billion, Nine Law Firms – A Week of Deals
The middle of August is usually a dry period for deals, but several transactions across the energy spectrum kept Texas lawyers occupied the past week. Eight M&A transactions valued at a combined $11.4 billion and three securities offering at $1.8 billion. The Texas Lawbook has complete details.
Securities Offering Count by Lead Lawyer (Issuer’s Counsel Underwriters’ Initial Purchasers’ Counsel) – Q1-Q4 2016
Securities Offering Count by Value Range: 2016 vs. 2015
2016 Securities Offering Count by Quarter
Updated – Jeff Tillotson Deposes Warren Buffett & Marissa Mayer, Defeats Yahoo at 5th Circuit
The Fifth Circuit ruled Monday that Yahoo owes Dallas-based prize promoter SCA Promotions $5.5 million for backing out of a deal designed to pay $1 billion to anyone who successfully predicted the winner of all 63 games in the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Updated – Jeff Tillotson Deposes Warren Buffett & Marissa Mayer, Defeats Yahoo at 5th Circuit
The Fifth Circuit ruled Monday that Yahoo owes Dallas-based prize promoter SCA Promotions $5.5 million for backing out of a deal designed to pay $1 billion to anyone who successfully predicted the winner of all 63 games in the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Kirkland and Jones Day Advise in Newest EFH-Oncor Deal
Law firms have generated hundreds of millions of dollars from the EFH bankruptcy and the billable hours continued to mount over the weekend. EFH GC Andy Wright and the Houston office of Kirkland & Ellis are leading the bankrupt energy company’s sale to Sempra Energy for $9.45 billion in cash plus assumption of billions in debt. Jones Day is advising Oncor. White & Case represents Sempra. The Texas Lawbook has full details.
Fifth Circuit: Context Matters in Review of Workplace Rules Under NLRA
In a recent decision, the Fifth Circuit overturned much of a National Labor Relations Board holding that several workplace conduct rules at T-Mobile and MetroPCS violated employee rights under the Act. The court clarified the standard for reviewing Board findings, stating that a “reasonable employee” will interpret workplace rules in light of “the everydayness of [the] job” rather than how they might impact protected activities.
Houston Trial Lawyer Paul Yetter Inducted as IATL Fellow
IATL has an exclusive membership of 500 U.S. trial lawyers.