Five victims of the Houston Watson Grinding 2020 fatal explosion saw some relief from a Harris County jury earlier this month. Their attorneys discussed the details of the case with The Texas Lawbook and the five-year journey it has taken to obtain the $37.9 million verdict. Another trial in the case is expected at the end of this month. (2020 file photo by Godofredo A. Vásquez/Houston Chronicle via The Associated Press)
Thousands of Texas Hemp Jobs at Risk as State Legislature Passes THC Ban
Thousands of Texas hemp retailers and their employees face looming legal and financial uncertainty after lawmakers approved a sweeping ban on psychoactive THC products, including popular delta-8 and delta-9 edibles, vapes and beverages. Gov. Greg Abbott has stayed neutral on the issue, declining to say whether he plans to use his veto pen or let the bill become law by the June 22 deadline. (Photo by Jim Vertuno/The Associated Press)
Trial Commences in Alleged $300M Wire Fraud Scheme
Opening statements began in the trial against one fintech founder Thursday morning. Stephanie Hockridge was federally indicted in 2024 for allegedly committing wire fraud through a Paycheck Protection Program fraud scheme.
Family of Arlington Firefighter Who Died at Cancun Resort Gets $31.27M Verdict
The widow of an Arlington firefighter who died while celebrating his 10th wedding anniversary at the all-inclusive Royalton Chic resort in Cancun, Mexico, was awarded $31.27 million by a jury this week that found the hotel liable for negligence.
Elijah Snow, 35, died in July 2021 and his widow, Jamie, filed suit in June 2022, naming as defendants RCM Hotel, its parent company Blue Diamond Hotels and Resorts and a travel agency that was later dropped from the suit.
Texas Lawbook Expands Civil Litigation Coverage, Adds Reporter from The Indiana Lawyer
A former reporter with The Indiana Lawyer in Indianapolis, Alexa Shrake joins The Lawbook team as the publication expands its efforts to cover complex commercial litigation and the trial lawyer community in Texas. “Alexa was hired after a nationwide search that yielded more than 200 applicants,” said Texas Lawbook senior litigation reporter and editor Michelle Casady, who leads a team of five journalists who cover litigation full- or part-time. “She was clearly the best reporter for the job.”
Big Data, Big Impact: Texas Trial Lawyers Talk ‘JuryBall’
Imagine knowing what a jury is going to do — whether they will find liability, how they will apportion it and how much they will award in damages — before voir dire even begins. “The last five trials I’ve gone to I’ve been armed with the answer to those questions before the trial even starts,” Brent Walker of Brent Walker Law told The Texas Lawbook in a recent interview. “It’s sort of like playing poker and knowing what the cards are going to be.”
Litigation Roundup: SCOTX Clarifies Limitations Period in Attorney Discipline Case
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a lawsuit is filed against the organizers of a cheer competition that took place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and ended in what plaintiffs call a chaotic stampede, and the Texas Supreme Court issued a ruling that rescinded punishment doled out by the Commission for Lawyer Discipline.
Sunnova Energy Selects Kirkland, Bracewell to Lead $10B Bankruptcy
Only a week after a subsidiary of Sunnova Energy International filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the Southern District of Texas, the residential solar corporate parent itself filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, citing more than 100,000 potential creditors and liabilities or debts exceeding $10.6 billion.