More Stories

Two Midland-based oil companies and Dallas-based J. Cleo Thompson intentionally failed to meet their end of a decade-old agreement with Dallas oil mogul T. Boone Pickens to acquire and drill more than 160 oil wells in Reeves and Pecos counties, a West Texas jury ruled Wednesday.

A lawyer for 82-year-old Dee Wyly, the widow of Dallas entrepreneur Charles Wyly, came to tears in her plea Tuesday to Bankruptcy Judge Barbara Houser that a neutral mediator be appointed to try to help reach a settlement with the IRS because the IRS was not negotiating in good faith and using Mrs. Wyly as leverage in their case against Sam Wyly. Judge Houser rejected the argument and instead changed the bankruptcy from a reorganization to a liquidation.

“I realize that this is not a good outcome for Mrs. Wyly,” Judge Houser said. “Mrs. Wyly could lose everything.”

As part of the deal, Sunoco will acquire ETP in a unit-for-unit transaction. The deal is the third largest to be announced this year for The Texas Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker.

As part of the deal, Sunoco will acquire ETP in a unit-for-unit transaction. The deal is the third largest to be announced this year for The Texas Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker.

Jim Sacher has filed hundreds of lawsuits and handled more than 1,000 allegations of discrimination during his 28 years as lead lawyer for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Houston. Now, he is retiring. In an interview with Houston Chronicle journalist L.M. Sixel, Sacher discusses the progress his agency has made in trying to assure a level playing field for employees.

Volkswagen will pay the state of Texas $50 million to settle a deceptive trade practices lawsuit brought against the automaker. The settlement is part of an $14.7 billion nationwide agreement to resolve allegations that VW mislead consumers by promoting diesel vehicles as “clean” even though the German manufacturer knew the cars were equipped with software to cheat on emissions tests.