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Video of a Parker County man igniting his water well in flames could help define the reach of a 2011 Texas law designed to protect citizens engaged in public discourse from retaliatory lawsuits.

The Texas Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in a case of first impression involving the Texas Citizens Participation Act, which was designed to allow trial courts to quickly dismiss so-called strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPP suits, filed by businesses attempting to use the courts to intimidate and silence their public critics. The Texas Lawbook has the details.

An Austin federal judge ordered Waco-based Life Partners Holdings and its CEO and general counsel to pay $46.9 million for violating securities laws. In a scathing, 22-page order, U.S. District Judge James Nowlin made statements that surprised lawyers for both Life Partners and the Securities and Exchange Commission, which brought the lawsuit in 2012. The Texas Lawbook has the details.

An affiliate of The Energy & Minerals Group, LP (EMG) has closed its $460 million equity commitment to American Energy Minerals Holdings, LLC (AEMN), which was formed by its parent company to pursue a business plan focused on the acquisition of minerals and overriding royalty interests.

How much discovery is too much? The Texas Supreme Court recently offered important guidance on this practical question, holding that a request for “similar” insurance claim files was overly broad, even with limits as to place and time. This article has the full details and analysis.

Weatherford International has announced that it will sell its engineered chemistry and integrity drilling fluids businesses to an affiliate of Cleveland-based The Lubrizol Corporation (a subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway) for $750 million in cash.

Weatherford International has announced that it will sell its engineered chemistry and integrity drilling fluids businesses to an affiliate of Cleveland-based The Lubrizol Corporation (a subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway) for $750 million in cash.

The group of banks Hunton represented financed part of a multi-train natural gas liquefaction and export facilities project on the Gulf Coast Quintana Island region run by Freeport LNG.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s new decision granting regulatory authority of unmanned aircraft systems is a blow to businesses seeking to use drones in a variety of industries. It is now clear that Texas energy and utility companies eyeing drone technology for pipeline or power-line inspections, or commercial agriculture operators considering drones for crop inspections, will need to seek exemptions from the FAA.