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Texas
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August 23, 2024
Fed. Circ. Nixes $3.9M Dish Fee In Albright-Authored Decision
The Federal Circuit has ruled that Dish Network should not have been awarded a $3.9 million fee for its successful patent suit defense against Realtime Adaptive Streaming, finding in a decision written by Texas federal judge Alan Albright that a lower court judge abused his discretion when he found the case "exceptional" based on six "red flags."
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August 23, 2024
Latino Group Seeks Inquiry Into AG Paxton's Voter Fraud Raids
The Texas arm of the League of United Latin American Citizens is calling for a federal investigation into reports of "police state tactics" used by the Texas attorney general's office during its investigation of voter fraud.
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August 23, 2024
Texas City Can't Avoid Improvement District Bond Payments
A Texas appeals court has affirmed a Dallas specialty finance company's win over the city of Hutto, finding this week that the finance company made valid transactions despite the city's protests that the bonds at issue weren't valid under state law.
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August 23, 2024
Sale Sought For Assets Of Alex Jones' Co.
The court-appointed trustee in Alex Jones' bankruptcy case has asked a Texas judge to authorize the liquidation and wind-down of Free Speech Systems LLC, arguing that Jones' estate wholly owns the company and that it has valuable assets to monetize.
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August 23, 2024
Canada Mining Biz Seeks US Listing Via $589M SPAC Merger
Canadian rare-earth miner Tactical Resources Corp. plans to go public in the U.S. by merging with special purpose acquisition company Plum Acquisition III Corp. at an estimated value of $589 million, both parties announced on Friday, through a deal guided by four law firms.
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August 23, 2024
The Biggest Texas Trial Rulings Of 2024: Midyear Report
Trial courts in Texas saw a series of high-dollar verdicts for plaintiffs in suits over patent infringement and personal injuries, but appellate courts tempered some plaintiffs' successes, backing a large retail employer in a harassment suit and tossing a verdict based on a lawyer's remarks. Here's a look at some of the biggest trial decisions in Texas in the first half of 2024.
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August 23, 2024
Clinic Biz Can Tap Additional Ch. 11 Lifeline, Judge Says
A Delaware bankruptcy judge agreed on Friday to allow clinic operator Pioneer Health to take on more debtor-in-possession financing as it works toward an asset sale, finding the latest arrangement to be in the debtor's best interest.
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August 23, 2024
5th Circ. Strikes Down DOL Tip Rule
The Fifth Circuit struck down a U.S. Department of Labor rule on tipped wages, saying it goes against the Fair Labor Standards Act and is therefore arbitrary and capricious.
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August 23, 2024
Texas Justices Back Creation Of 15th Appeals Court
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday backed the creation of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals, writing that Dallas County's arguments alleging its unconstitutionality, while "not implausible," are not "inevitable."
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August 23, 2024
San Antonio Litigator Killed In Apparent Murder-Suicide
A prominent San Antonio personal injury attorney was apparently killed at his home earlier this week by his wife, who then killed herself.
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August 23, 2024
DOJ Sues RealPage For Helping Fix Rental Rates
The U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit Aug. 23 accusing RealPage of helping residential landlords across the country fix rental prices through the use of its revenue management software.
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August 22, 2024
10th Circ. Pauses Debt Relief Appeal After 8th Circ. Ruling
The Tenth Circuit on Thursday paused several states' appeal challenging a Kansas federal judge's injunction that partially barred the Biden administration's latest student debt relief plan, citing a broader injunction the Eighth Circuit issued earlier this month.
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August 22, 2024
Texas Appeals Knocks $1M Hernia Mesh Fee Ask Down To $135K
A Texas appeals court on Wednesday upheld an arbitration award of $135,000 in attorney's fees in a decadeslong hernia mesh litigation dispute while denying the firm's request for $1 million.
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August 22, 2024
Homeowner Loses Atty Fees In Suit Over HOA Fence Policy
A Texas appeals court reversed a homeowner's win in a dispute with his neighbors over privacy fences facing a road, finding that a new state law prevents homeowners associations from enacting any covenant barring homeowners from putting up security measures, so the homeowner couldn't collect attorney fees.
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August 22, 2024
5th Circ. Says No Tolling For COVID, Trims Atty's Conviction
The Fifth Circuit on Thursday knocked a false statement charge off Houston attorney Richard Plezia's conviction for his involvement in a multimillion-dollar ambulance-chasing kickback scheme but upheld the rest of his conviction, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. by helping another lawyer evade federal income taxes.
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August 22, 2024
Texas Asks Justices To Uphold Bar On Nuclear Waste Site
The state of Texas called on the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's attempt to upend a Fifth Circuit decision barring the agency from licensing a temporary nuclear waste storage facility in the state.
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August 22, 2024
Pennsylvania Hospital Gets 1 Week Reprieve In Steward Ch. 11
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved an order setting general closing procedures for bankrupt hospital operator Steward Health Care, but gave Pennsylvania authorities a week's reprieve as they try to arrange a hospital sale.
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August 22, 2024
Texas Tells High Court It's Not Idaho '2.0' In HHS Abortion Row
Texas and a pair of anti-abortion doctor organizations have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the federal government's appeal of a Fifth Circuit decision blocking the Biden administration's guidance that hospitals must provide emergency stabilizing medical care, including abortions.
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August 22, 2024
Texas Court Backs Nate Paul's Co. In Real Estate Receiver Row
A Texas state appeals court on Thursday reversed a decision allowing a receiver to settle a lawsuit on behalf of a company owned by real estate investor Nate Paul, relying largely on a dispute from an El Paso appeals court involving Paul's companies with "nearly identical" facts.
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August 22, 2024
Investors Sue Orthopedics Co., Ousted Execs Over Stock Drop
Investors of Texas-based Orthofix Medical Inc. have launched a proposed class action against the spine and orthopedics company and current and former executives, claiming the company's stock tumbled more than 30% following Orthofix's merger with medical technology company SeaSpine in 2023 and the unexpected termination and reshuffle of some of the company's C-suite.
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August 22, 2024
Smuggling Suspect Arrested Over '22 Migrant Deaths In Texas
A Guatemalan national was arrested Wednesday in his home country at U.S. officials' request for his alleged role in a human smuggling operation blamed for the deaths of 53 migrants who were found in a tractor-trailer in Texas in 2022, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
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August 22, 2024
Memorabilia Biz Sues Atlanta Braves For Maligning Reputation
Auctioneer Heritage Vintage Sports has accused the Atlanta Braves in a defamation lawsuit of purposely maligning its image by leaking to the press that it did not have the right to sell certain items, including memorabilia connected to Hank Aaron.
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August 22, 2024
DLA Piper Wants Texas High Court To Review Doc Order
DLA Piper has asked the Texas Supreme Court to review a trial court order that would force it to hand over communications with a medical group it represented in a sale, writing that an ex-client is trying to carve out an exception to attorney-client privilege because she had hired multiple law firms.
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August 22, 2024
Jones Walker Adds Kelley Drye Bankruptcy Ace In Houston
Jones Walker LLP announced Thursday that it has bulked up its bankruptcy and restructuring team and its litigation practice group with a partner in Houston who came aboard from Kelley Drye & Warren LLP.
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August 21, 2024
Ex-Vitol Oil Trader Pleads Out To Texas FCPA Case In NY
A former Vitol oil trader on Wednesday admitted in New York federal court to charges brought in Texas accusing him of bribing Mexican officials to obtain business for the energy and commodities company, months after he was convicted in New York over similar conduct with Ecuadorian officials.
Expert Analysis
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Justices' Bump Stock Ruling Skirted Deference, Lenity Issues
Despite presenting a seemingly classic case on agency deference, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last week in Garland v. Cargill did not mention the Chevron doctrine, and the opinion also overlooked whether agency interpretations of federal gun laws should ever receive deference given that they carry criminal penalties, say Tess Saperstein and John Elwood at Arnold & Porter.
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Emerging Trends In ESG-Focused Securities Litigation
Based on a combination of shareholder pressure, increasing regulatory scrutiny and proposed rulemaking, there has been a proliferation of litigation over public company disclosures and actions regarding environmental, social, and governance factors — and the overall volume of such class actions will likely increase in the coming years, say attorneys at Mintz.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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Next Steps After 5th Circ. Nixes Private Fund Adviser Rules
The Fifth Circuit's recent toss of key U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules regarding private fund advisers represents a setback for the regulator, but open questions, including the possibility of an SEC petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, mean it's still too early to consider the matter closed, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Deciphering SEC Disgorgement 4 Years After Liu
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Liu v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to preserve SEC disgorgement with limits, courts have continued to rule largely in the agency’s favor, but a recent circuit split over the National Defense Authorization Act's import may create hurdles for the SEC, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Series
Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer
There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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What To Know As CFPB Late Fee Rule Hangs In Limbo
Though the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's final credit card late fee rule faces an uncertain future due to litigation involving injunctions, emergency petitions and now a venue dispute, card issuers must understand how to navigate the interim period and what to do if the rule takes effect, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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NY Combined Hearing Guidelines Can Shorten Ch. 11 Timeline
The Southern District of New York’s recently adopted guidelines on combining the processes for Chapter 11 plan confirmation and disclosure statement approval may shorten the Chapter 11 timeline for companies and reduce associated costs, say Robert Drain and Moshe Jacob at Skadden.
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Opinion
The FTC And DOJ Should Backtrack On RealPage
The antitrust agencies ought to reverse course on their enforcement actions against RealPage, which are based on a faulty legal premise, risk further property shortages and threaten the use of algorithms that are central to the U.S. economy, says Thomas Stratmann at George Mason University.
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Opinion
Bankruptcy Judges Can Justly Resolve Mass Tort Cases
Johnson & Johnson’s recent announcement of a prepackaged reorganization plan for its talc unit highlights that Chapter 11 is a continually evolving living statute that can address new types of problems with reorganization, value and job preservation, and just treatment for creditors, says Kenneth Rosen at Ken Rosen Advisors PC.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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5th Circ. Venue-Transfer Cases Highlight Mandamus Limits
Three ongoing cases filed within the Fifth Circuit highlight an odd procedural wrinkle that may let district courts defy an appellate writ: orders granting transfer to out-of-circuit districts, but parties opposing intercircuit transfer can work around this hurdle to effective appellate review, says Charles Fowler at McKool Smith.