Texas

  • December 16, 2024

    Jay-Z Flags 'Glaring Inconsistencies' In Buzbee Rape Claims

    Counsel for Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter told a New York federal judge Friday that new media reports reveal "glaring inconsistencies" in an anonymous woman's rape allegations against the rapper and fellow music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, suggesting that her attorney Tony Buzbee deserves sanctions for failing to vet the claims.

  • December 16, 2024

    Atty Seeks To Escape Hurricane Ad Suit Against Texas Firm

    A Houston-area lawyer is asking a Texas federal court to let him out of a proposed class action involving allegedly deceptive advertising targeting hurricane victims, saying discovery has closed, and the plaintiff has come up empty-handed in finding proof that he "solicited" her in violation of Lone Star State barratry laws.

  • December 16, 2024

    Texas Courts Eye 'Living Wage' Hikes For Support Staff

    Court support and clerk's office personnel in Texas should receive pay at levels that at least amount to a living wage in their counties to fight attrition, the Texas Judicial Council heard, and a novel "time study" is needed to determine each jurisdiction's staffing needs.

  • December 16, 2024

    Justices Preserve Calif. Vehicle Emissions Autonomy

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to allow California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles, a power red states had challenged as unconstitutional.

  • December 13, 2024

    Real Estate Recap: New Mapping, Terrorism, What We Learned

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including a new state-by-state mapping tool for real estate practitioners, one BigLaw attorney's view of terrorism liability safeguards for commercial real estate, and takeaways from the multifamily and life sciences sectors in 2024.

  • December 13, 2024

    Texas Panel Prods Harrison County About Tank Leakage

    A Texas appeals court judge on Friday questioned whether Harrison County is seizing on a legal ambiguity to avoid required testing of underground storage tanks, saying its loose interpretation of the word "year" in a state law "doesn't sound like a very good idea."

  • December 13, 2024

    5th Circ. Revives Challenge To Dallas Flood Project

    A Texas federal judge jumped the gun dismissing two Dallas property owners' claims that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has failed to fully analyze the potential impacts of a flood control project in the city, a Fifth Circuit panel said Friday.

  • December 13, 2024

    Del. Chancellor Positions Musk Pay Fight For Likely Appeal

    Delaware's chancellor positioned for likely appeals late Friday final pieces of a landmark six-year battle over Tesla Inc.'s attempt to award CEO Elon Musk a more than $55 billion, 10-year pay package, in a trio of orders that also directed the company to pay in cash or post sufficient bond for a $345 million stockholder attorney fee.

  • December 13, 2024

    New Evidence Allows Doctor's Questioning In Zeta DQ Bid

    Transocean's attorneys will now have the chance to question a doctor at the center of a rival law firm's disqualification bid, after a Houston judge told the parties Friday that she received evidence from the crew member plaintiffs that "significantly changes" the issue.

  • December 13, 2024

    DOL Board Says Agency Can Revoke Prior H-2B Registrations

    The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals has affirmed a U.S. Department of Labor officer's decision to deny a Texas fabrication company's request to temporarily hire dozens of foreign metalworkers and to revoke its previously approved registration number for the H-2B visa program.

  • December 13, 2024

    Texas AG Sues NY Doctor Over Telehealth Abortion Script

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a New York doctor who founded the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine in the Lone Star State Friday, accusing the physician of violating Texas state abortion laws by providing abortion-inducing prescription drugs to a Texas resident via telehealth.

  • December 13, 2024

    After 36 Years, Texas Chief Justice Reflects On 'End Of An Era'

    Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht is unsure what his life will look like in a month, but he knows that hanging up his robe after 36 years on the Texas Supreme Court isn't goodbye.

  • December 13, 2024

    4 Firms Rep On Rent-A-Center Owner's $460M Brigit Deal

    Rent-A-Center owner Upbound Group Inc. has agreed to acquire financial technology company Brigit for up to $460 million, with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Mayer Brown LLP guiding Upbound and Cooley LLP and Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP representing Brigit.

  • December 12, 2024

    BakerHostetler Can't Ditch RICO Claims In Bankruptcy Fight

    A Texas bankruptcy judge Wednesday trimmed fraud and legal malpractice claims alleging BakerHostetler aided a $100 million insurance fraud scheme, but he refused to throw out civil racketeering claims, finding that the allegations are "well-pleaded," and he must assume, for now, that they're true.

  • December 12, 2024

    Judge Says Pay Owed After Texas Co. Benched H-1B Worker

    A Department of Labor judge said a Houston engineering company owes a former H-1B worker nearly $57,000 in wages since it "benched" the worker without pay for months after a third-party contract collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • December 12, 2024

    Incora's Opt-Outs Not Like Class Actions, US Trustee Says

    The U.S. Trustee's Office on Thursday objected to the third-party releases in the Chapter 11 plan from aircraft parts supplier Incora, arguing in a Texas bankruptcy court that the opt-out mechanism for the releases is not comparable to class action procedures.

  • December 12, 2024

    Coke Zero Sweetener Co. Asks Justices To Hear Patent Feud

    The company that developed the artificial sweetener used in Coke Zero wants to keep patents that were filed at the patent office after the drinks went on sale, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that Federal Circuit judges who thought otherwise were prioritizing their "own decisions over Congress's judgment."

  • December 12, 2024

    Calif. Judge Kills Software Patent Suit Under Alice

    A California federal judge on Thursday threw out a patent infringement lawsuit by a bankrupt startup against one of Salesforce's brands, saying the claims in the patents didn't pass muster under the test laid out in the U.S. Supreme Court's Alice decision.

  • December 12, 2024

    Bitcoin Investor Gets 2 Years For Tax Fraud In Landmark Case

    An investor who concealed millions of dollars he earned in bitcoin and became the first person criminally charged for failing to report gains from the sale of cryptocurrency by filing false returns was sentenced to two years in federal prison Thursday.

  • December 12, 2024

    Texas AG Targets Instagram, Reddit Over Youth Data Security

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday that his office is looking into minors' privacy and safety policies of more than a dozen tech companies, including Character.AI, Reddit and Instagram, as part of his long-running campaign to stop companies from selling minors' personal information without permission from their parents.

  • December 12, 2024

    Insurer Must Defend Texas Oilfield Against Burned Worker

    An insurer must continue to defend an oilfield services company in a suit brought by a severely burned worker seeking over $1 million for his injuries, a Texas federal court ruled, finding nothing in his short complaint triggered exclusions.

  • December 12, 2024

    6th Circ. Appears Divided On Telecom Breach Reporting Rule

    A Sixth Circuit panel seemed split over the Federal Communications Commission's tightened telecommunications data breach rules, with one judge defending the commission as taking necessary steps to safeguard consumers from a "true" danger and another claiming that the rule seemed to run afoul of lawmakers' wishes.

  • December 12, 2024

    Nvidia Should Go First In Patent Suit, Microsoft Tells Albright

    Microsoft says Nvidia should be the first to face patent infringement claims from a Texas startup that initiated a legal fight targeting microchips used to power Microsoft's generative artificial intelligence models, saying the chipmaker is the "only source" of the products at issue in the lawsuit.

  • December 12, 2024

    Albright Confirms Move To Austin, Pending 5th Circ. Sign-Off

    U.S. District Judge Alan Albright is in the process of moving from the Western District of Texas' Waco division to Austin, and he's just awaiting a vote from the Fifth Circuit Judicial Council, he confirmed Thursday.

  • December 12, 2024

    Mazzant To Take Over As EDTX Chief From Gilstrap In March

    The Eastern District of Texas will have a new chief judge next year, with U.S. District Court Judge Amos L. Mazzant slated to take over U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap's role as the top jurist overseeing the nation's busiest patent docket.

Expert Analysis

  • Crypto.com's Suit Against SEC Could Hold Major Implications

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    Crypto.com's recent lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could affect the operation and regulation of crypto markets in the U.S., potentially raising more questions about the SEC's authority to regulate the industry when it's unclear whether another agency is ready to assume it, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Testing The Waters As New Texas Biz Court Ends 2nd Month

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    Despite an uptick in filings in the Texas Business Court's initial months of operation, the docket remains fairly light amid an apparent wait-and-see approach from some potential litigants, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Biden Green Card Program Unlikely To Advance Post-Election

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    Even if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the election and continues a Biden administration policy that would allow certain foreign relatives of American citizens to apply for green cards without leaving the U.S., a challenge in Texas federal court is likely to delay implementation for a long time, says Brad Brigante at Brigante Law.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Fed. Circ. Ruling May Signal Software Patent Landscape Shift

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    The Federal Circuit's recent ruling in Broadband iTV, despite similarities to past decisions, chose to rely on prior cases finding patent-ineligible claims directed to receiving and displaying information, which may undermine one of the few areas of perceived predictability in the patent eligibility landscape, say attorneys at King & Wood.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Opinion

    It's Time To Sound The Alarm About Lost Labor Rights

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    In the Fifth Circuit, recent rulings from judges appointed by former President Donald Trump have dismantled workers’ core labor rights, a troubling trend that we cannot risk extending under another Trump administration, say Sharon Block and Raj Nayak at the Center for Labor and a Just Economy.

  • Election Unlikely To Overhaul Antitrust Enforcers' Labor Focus

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    Although the outcome of the presidential election may alter the course of antitrust enforcement in certain areas of the economy, scrutiny of labor markets by the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice is likely to remain largely unaffected — with one notable exception, say Jared Nagley and Joy Siu at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Unpacking State AG Approaches To Digital Asset Enforcement

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    Attorneys at Cozen O'Connor survey recent digital asset enforcement by attorneys general nationwide driven by concerns over regulatory gaps where technological developments and market changes have outpaced legislation.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • 5th Circ. DOL Tip Decision May Trigger Final 80/20 Rule Fight

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    A recent Fifth Circuit decision concerning a Labor Department rule that limits how often tipped employees can be assigned non-tip-producing duties could be challenged in either historically rule-friendly circuits or the Supreme Court, but either way it could shape the future of tipped work, says Kevin Johnson at Johnson Jackson.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • An Update On Legal Issues In The Drone Market

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    Marialuisa Gallozzi and Alex Slawson at Covington examine recent developments in the legal issues surrounding the growing drone market, including possible First Amendment protections, Fourth Amendment surveillance, and litigation involving criminal and civil penalties, evidentiary pursuits, and insurance.

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