Round 3 Goes to Apple in Optis Patent Trial

A lawsuit that began nearly seven years ago ended Thursday after jurors determined Apple did not infringe five wireless technology patents held by Optis Wireless Technology. Optis had been seeking between $400 million and $600 million in damages, according to court documents. Judge Gilstrap also entered a sua sponte order Thursday finding that Optis and its affiliated entities that were also plaintiffs in the case are “judicially estopped from asserting that they are entitled to recover pre-suit damages” from Apple.

February 12, 2026 Michelle Casady

Business Court: January 2026 Decisions

If January is any indication, it’s going to be another blockbuster year for the Court. The Court penned three opinions and gave us an early contender for quote of the year.

February 10, 2026 Zack C. Ewing & Sofia Michael

Susman, Litigation Funder Sued by Former Client for Loss

Dublin-based Arigna Technology filed a lawsuit against Susman Godfrey and Longford Capital in Harris County over a $37 million award. The case in which the patent monetization firm hired Susman went to arbitration, and Longford was awarded over $37 million.

February 2, 2026 Alexa Shrake

EDTX Jury Hands Out $66.8M Damages Award in Patent Case

Earlier this month, a jury in East Texas determined that BOE Technology Group owes $66.8 million in damages for infringing three patents owned by Longitude Licensing that cover semiconductor devices and methods for configuring pixel electrode orientations in LCD displays that are used in computers, monitors and televisions.  

January 23, 2026 Michelle Casady

Litigation Roundup: Egg-Cellent Settlement Nets 2.1M Eggs for Texas Food Banks

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, we give you details on the unusual terms of a settlement Texas reached with Cal-Maine Foods in a price gouging suit, the U.S. Court of Appeals issues a ruling being hailed as a victory for taxpayers, and a doctor in the Valley goes to prison for fraud involving adult day care centers. 

January 20, 2026 Michelle Casady

Energy Transfer’s Sam Hardy Reflects on ‘Verdict of A Lifetime’

Energy Transfer Partners faced months of protests that delayed the Dakota Access Pipeline, prompting a defamation suit against Greenpeace and allied groups over allegedly false statements that fueled sometimes‑violent demonstrations.

Sam Hardy became deputy general counsel in 2022, inheriting the case and hiring Gibson Dunn’s Trey and Collin Cox and former Judge Gregg Costa, valuing their deep trial experience and alignment with Energy Transfer’s aggressive, trial‑ready culture. By 2025, the company sought $350 million; a North Dakota jury instead awarded $667 million, including $400 million in punitive damages.

Hardy’s team also won a complete defense win in a $150 million fraud and contract case against Goldman Sachs and secured a $15 million settlement of a securities class action once valued above $2.1 billion, earning Hardy the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter and The Texas Lawbook’s recognition as a finalist for the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Business Litigation of the Year.

January 20, 2026 Michelle Casady & Mark Curriden

Litigation Roundup: Acer Hits AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile with Infringement Claims

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, an East Texas scammer who prosecutors said lied about representing the late Major League Baseball player Pete Rose and about owning cannabis dispensaries in Las Vegas is sentenced to prison, and the decision of a Collin County jury in a dispute between a landlord and a tenant over a rat infestation is undone by a Dallas appellate court.

January 12, 2026 Michelle Casady

Another Billion-Dollar Win for Keurig Dr Pepper, Another Nomination for Business Litigation of the Year

Two years ago, Stephen Cole reflected on his career as the vice president and assistant general counsel of Keurig Dr Pepper and was confident his best day at the company came after a summary judgment ruling resulted in a $925 million win against competitors Coca-Cola and BodyArmor. 

But Cole, now a five-year veteran of KDP, has stayed busy ever since.

In July, the company’s legal team, along with outside counsel at Kirkland & Ellis, defeated a lawsuit from Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling that had been seeking more than $1 billion in damages over the ending of an agreement that had allowed Reyes to distribute Dr Pepper/Seven Up in California and Nevada.

Because of this work, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have named Cole a finalist for the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Business Litigation of the Year.

January 12, 2026 Michelle Casady & Mark Curriden

Energy Transfer Sues Blackstone, Alleges Aiding and Abetting Fraud

Dallas-based Energy Transfer claims Blackstone directed its portfolio company EagleClaw Midstream Ventures to maximize the volumes of natural gas that it delivered into a joint venture pipeline, even if it meant diverting volumes Energy Transfer was contractually entitled to receive first. The lawsuit was filed in Reeves County.

January 12, 2026 Alexa Shrake

Biggest Texas Verdicts of 2025

Billions of dollars were awarded by juries in Texas last year in personal injury and patent infringement trials. The largest damage awards were doled out in Bexar and Harris counties.

January 5, 2026 Alexa Shrake