Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
A Pittsburgh jury returned a confusing verdict Monday in a mesothelioma trial involving Texas lawyers on both sides. Jurors handed a defense verdict to the pharmaceutical giant but went on to answer questions about punitive damages that they shouldn’t have. J&J is nevertheless claiming the verdict as vindication.
In a recent CLE event hosted by The Texas Lawbook and the Houston chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, lawyers from Bracewell, Talen Energy and Vopak gathered to discuss various topics related to the different areas they are keeping a keen eye on as the change of presidential administrations inches closer to the Jan. 20 inauguration date.
Opening statements were made Wednesday afternoon in the case that pits billionaire Tilman Fertitta’s Landry’s against Landry Distilling, a company that launched in Austin in 2021 and sells bourbon and rye whiskey featuring quarter horses on the bottle.
The 119-page lawsuit brings claims for breach of contract, professional negligence, fraud, fraudulent inducement, fraud by nondisclosure, fraud by concealment, negligent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, defamation, business disparagement, and seeks indemnification.
Butler Snow announced Wednesday that it has expanded the firm’s Austin office with the addition of 14 attorneys, all of whom were at Enoch Kever.
South Texas College of Law Houston has named Reynaldo “Rey” Anaya Valencia, dean of the Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio, as its next president and dean following a nationwide search. Valencia will assume the position in July.
The year’s biggest fraud prosecutions confirmed what federal authorities have long known: If there’s a way to steal from Medicare, other government healthcare programs, and private insurers, someone will find it.
For the fifth consecutive year, Texas led the nation in business bankruptcy filings, cementing its position as the premier destination for corporate restructurings. However, Delaware closed the gap significantly in 2024, surpassing Texas’ Southern District as the top venue for business bankruptcies.
Despite a tumultuous year marked by scandal in the Southern District, Texas' three other federal court districts experienced significant increases in bankruptcy filings, ensuring the state maintained its dominance in this critical legal sector. The Northern District, in particular, emerged as a rising star, with its Chapter 11 caseload more than doubling.
The Texas Lawbook's Mark Curriden has the details on these trends and more.
The corporate bankruptcy practice faced some headwinds in 2024, including higher interest rates, an unsettled political environment and the judicial romance scandal that rocked the complex bankruptcy panel in the Southern District of Texas.
The Texas Lawbook talked with Haynes Boone corporate bankruptcy and restructuring partner Ian Peck about trends in the world of complex business Chapter 11s in Texas.
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, we preview a trademark infringement lawsuit brought by Landry’s that’s slated for trial this week, another trial in the 26-year dispute between David Clapper and American Realty Investors is averted, and the Fifth Circuit sends a malpractice lawsuit against Beck Redden to state court.
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