Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
After three hours of deliberation, a Marshall, Texas federal jury of three men and four women found Samsung Display Company infringed on two smartphone screen display patents owned by an Irish company. The prevailing side spoke with Natalie Posgate about how they won the case.
A Fort Worth federal judge has dismissed a securities fraud class action against Arlington-based Six Flags Entertainment Corp. after finding the allegations of two anonymous employees unreliable — allegations that essentially anchored the plaintiffs’ entire case.
Last December we reported on a $2 billion-plus merger agreement between Diamondback Energy and QEP Resources. The all-stock deal seemed like a good deal for both sides, since it included Diamondback's assumption of $1.6 billion. But a major stockholder at QEP is having second thoughts, and their thinking is yet another sign that things are getting better. The CDT Roundup has the details of their concerns, as well as details of all 24 transactions.
Exactly 358 days after the Texas Supreme Court issued its first Covid-19-related emergency order closing most state courtrooms to in-person hearings and trials, the justices issued their 36th order Friday officially lifting the statewide ban. But the pandemic caused a backlog of thousands of civil and criminal jury trials that Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht told The Texas Lawbook needs to be addressed.
Lawyer Edward Moses, Jr., self-described monarch and deity of the “Atakapa Indian de Creole Nation” and “Christian Emperor of New Orleans,” tried for a second time to get the judges of the Fifth Circuit to take up his case. For some reason, the appellate court felt that Moses’ lawsuit against 150 world leaders wasn’t supported by law or facts.
A state appeals court this week upheld a $3 million-plus trial court judgment in an oil and gas contract case. The appeal involved a debate over the correct language for standard of care in joint operating agreements, and the non-prevailing side says the debate isn't over. Litigation writer Natalie Posgate has the details.
California-headquartered Chevron Corporation announced Friday that it is acquiring all the stock it doesn't already own in Noble Midstream Partners. Latham & Watkins and Baker Botts advised on the deal. The Texas Lawbook has the names of the lawyers involved.
Vinson & Elkins and Baker Botts are highly unlikely to change their firm names to “Bad Ass Lawyers” or “Energy M&A Deals are Us,” but four out of five Texas lawyers who voted in a State Bar of Texas referendum over the past few weeks think they should be able to do so if they want.
Exhibition baseball began this past week. For those who pay attention to such things, it's a sign of life and hope. Not only did deal makers continue to show signs of both, the deals included at least one that involved...baseball. Or at least someone once involved with baseball. The CDT Roundup has that and last week's transactions.
Even as U.S. District Judge Alan Albright was in the middle of one of the most closely-watched patent infringement trials of the year, he gave The Texas Lawbook and the IP community some of his time to sit in the hot seat and discuss patterns and trends unfolding in and out of his courtroom.
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