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Houston Firm to Pay $102K in Sanctions for Conduct in Toyota Center Personal Injury Case - Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker has been ordered to pay sanctions for failing to comply with court orders. While the firm is ordered to pay over $102,000 to compensate the plaintiffs for their attorney fees, the Harris County District Court warned further violations will result in more severe sanctions. February 19, 2026
Kornbacher Moving To Austin Tech-Focused Boutique Firm as Name Partner - Veteran tech dealmaker Devika Kornbacher Kornbacher comes from Clifford Chance, where she helped launch the Houston office in 2023 as managing partner and served as co-chair of the firm’s Global Tech Group. Prior to that, she was a partner at Vinson & Elkins in Houston for nearly 16 years. February 19, 2026Ex-Prosecutor, Defense Attorney Get Probation for Deleting Messages - A former federal prosecutor and a Dallas-based criminal defense attorney received misdemeanor probation after pleading guilty to a scheme involving deleting text messages they were ordered to produce to the court. February 18, 2026
TI, Intel, AMD and Mouser Successfully Move Ukrainian Lawsuits to Federal Court - Lawyers for four U.S. technology companies, including Texas Instruments, won a preliminary battle Wednesday to move lawsuits brought by five Ukrainian citizens who claim that microchips, processors and programmable devices made by the four companies are being used by the Russian military in its war against Ukraine. But the victory for the technology companies could be a “be careful for what you ask” moment in the litigation. February 18, 2026David Nemecek Bolts Kirkland for Simpson Thacher, Which Intends to Open a Dallas Office - David Nemecek, one of the nation's pre-eminent pre-eminent strategic advisers to distressed companies, is leaving Kirkland & Ellis for Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, according to a news release from his new firm late Wednesday. Simpson Thacher also said it plans to open a Dallas office. February 18, 2026
Dallas Business Court Jury Trial Ends with Directed Verdict - Judge Andrea Bouressa granted the defense's motion for directed verdict Wednesday afternoon and dismissed the jury on the second day of trial. This is the first jury trial for the newly established court to reach a conclusion. February 18, 2026
Centerpiece
In Ex-VP’s Race Discrimination Case Against Exxon, Business Court’s Constitutionality Challenged - Echoing arguments made by opponents of the creation of the Texas Business Court, Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee has filed a motion arguing that the structure of the court is unconstitutional and that his client’s race discrimination case does not belong there. The Texas Supreme Court in August 2024 decided a similar challenge to the constitutionality of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals, finding the law that allowed for its creation was constitutional. February 18, 2026
Litigation Roundup: Exxon’s Defamation Suit Against California AG Will Proceed - In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a team from King & Spalding notches an early win for Vistra in a dispute with the city of Sulphur Springs over the use of land that formerly housed a lignite mine, a healthcare executive faces prison after pleading guilty to fraud, and a $51 million win secured by Dean Omar Branham Shirley against Avon in a mesothelioma case is upheld on appeal in California. February 16, 2026
Expert Voices
Fifth Circuit Sanctions Opinion Gives Practical Advice for AI Use - In an opinion released Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sanctioned a lawyer $2,500 for filing a reply brief with several “hallucinated” case citations and then providing evasive responses to the court when it asked the lawyer about those references. Chief Judge Jennifer Elrod wrote the opinion and was joined by Judges Jerry Smith and Cory Wilson. The opinion provides a strong statement about the Fifth Circuit’s view of this highly relevant topic, as well as practical pointers to avoid this kind of problem going forward. February 19, 2026
Your Client’s ChatGPT Strategy Session Just Became Government Evidence - A Manhattan federal judge’s landmark ruling has direct consequences for Texas lawyers, corporate general counsel and every executive who has ever opened an AI chatbot to think through a legal problem — before calling their lawyer. February 18, 2026
Stories You Might’ve Missed
The Legacy of Pennzoil v. Texaco 40 Years Later — The Civil Jury Trial of the Century - Pennzoil v. Texaco's legacy remains significant, as it changed how companies handle mergers and acquisitions, caused the Chamber of Commerce to designate Texas as a judicial hellhole in 1986 and directly led to two decades of massive tort reform efforts that dramatically limited the rights of Texans to sue businesses, doctors and insurance companies for wrongdoing. It also launched Texas trial lawyer Joe Jamail to national stardom and made him the richest trial lawyer in American history.
In this in-depth article, The Texas Lawbook provides a detailed timeline of the events involved in the historic litigation, as well as comments from more than a dozen lawyers about the legal strategies employed. November 18, 2025
