The defense lawyer for Quintan Cockerell says he did nothing illegal by telling doctors they should consider using the costly medications prepared by 2 pharmacies that paid Cockerell millions of dollars. The government says he was taking kickbacks for inducing doctors to send prescriptions to the pharmacies.
Litigation Roundup: Hunton AK Tapped to Defend Aetna in $1.3B Suit, Waco Jury Slams California Co. With $240M Infringement Verdict
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Texas juries find infringement in one case involving smart thermostats and another involving cloud storage, a group of doctors want a Harris County judge to confirm a $153.5 million arbitration award in a dispute with UnitedHealthcare and federal prosecutors in Houston drop a female genital mutilation case.
Searchlight, BCI Take Consolidated Private in $3.1B Deal
Illinois-based Consolidated Communications was advised by Latham & Watkins on the deal. Searchlight Capital Partners already held 34 percent of Consolidated’s common stock and all of its Series A perpetual preferred. Claire Poole has details.
Harry Reasoner, the ‘Quintessential Advocate,’ Retires
Six decades ago, a rookie Vinson & Elkins lawyer named Harry Reasoner tried his first case in court. Hundreds of jury and bench trials and 59 years later, Reasoner, now 84, tells The Texas Lawbook that he has decided to retire on Dec. 31.
Reasoner has won billion-dollar courtroom victories for plaintiffs and corporate defendants. His service of pro bono is unparalleled. He guided V&E through a time of tremendous growth, adopted progressive workplace policies in the 1990s such as same sex benefits and helped the Houston firm survive the Enron financial scandal.
Highly Respected Houston Bankruptcy Judge David Jones Resigns Amid Investigation
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones, one of the most prominent and busiest bankruptcy judges in the U.S., is expected to resign his position Monday over allegations of an undisclosed relationship with a former Jackson Walker bankruptcy lawyer who never appeared before him in a case, according to sources at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Fifth Circuit Revives Racial Profiling Suit Against Mesa Airlines
A three-judge panel on Friday determined that disputed fact issues should have precluded U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor from granting Mesa Airlines a summary judgment win in the lawsuit brought by Issam Abdallah and Abderraouf Alkhawaldeh. The men booked their tickets through American Airlines for a flight Mesa operated. Both frequent fliers on American Airlines, Abdallah holds gold status and Alkhawaldeh holds executive platinum status.
The Real Energy Transition
Energy is still king in Texas M&A, despite the diversification of the Texas economy and the rise of technology and manufacturing and infrastructure. ExxonMobil’s decision to buy Pioneer Natural Resources for $59.5 billion is exhibit A. Still, energy deals have been fading in recent years as a share of the overall M&A market: from a 42 percent share of the overall Texas deal count in 2020 to only 32 percent this year, according to The Lawbook’s exclusive Corporate Deal Tracker. But while capital markets have retreated from investment in hydrocarbon development, energy transition is gaining traction in a way that is transforming Texas energy M&A. And even traditional oil and gas is beginning to reap the benefit.
Ex-Wife of Pharmacy Marketer Testifies She Was Paid Lavishly for Doing Nothing
Kristin Najarian said her former husband, Quintan Cockerell, arranged for her to be put on the payroll of a Fort Worth pharmacy that, according to federal prosecutors, paid Cockerell millions of dollars in kickbacks. In one month alone, she said, she was paid $711,706.47 even though “I wasn’t working there.”