Litigation-Personal
Former Baylor Coach Rips Pepper Hamilton, Calls Out Ken Starr
News
A former football coach who lost his job at Baylor University had some harsh words for former Baylor president Ken Starr, but his strongest words are for Pepper Hamilton, the firm that investigated a sexual misconduct scandal involving football players.
Lawyer Suspended for False Advertising, ‘Gross Incompetence’
News
Daren Allen Webber’s incompetent representation of bankruptcy clients and violations of the rules on attorney advertising, the federal court found.
Netflix v. Winston & Strawn Spotlights Advance Conflict Waiver
The waivers—often broadly worded and vague—have become a regular feature of retainer agreements that large law firms execute with corporate clients, according to Bloomberg Law.
Jury Needed Only 45 Minutes to Agree on Punitives in Johnson & Johnson Talc Case
News
Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $4.69 billion to 22 women and their families who had claimed that asbestos in the company’s talcum powder products caused them to develop ovarian cancer, reports The New York Times.
Democrats’ Long-Shot Plan to Stop Trump’s Supreme Court Pick
News
Democrats plan to frame the process around women’s health and the future of legalized abortion, predicts The Los Angeles Times.
IADC Calls for Class Action Reforms in Ontario, Canada
News
The International Association of Defense Counsel has submitted to the Law Commission of Ontario its recommendations for reform to the Ontario Class Proceedings Act that could eventually affect class action legislation in Ontario and other Canadian provinces.
Texas Lawyers React to Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Retirement
News
Some Texas lawyers share their thoughts on the upcoming retirement of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.
An Arbitrator’s Power May Be Greater Than That of a Judge
Insight
Although an arbitration agreement can be written (double-spaced) on one side of a cocktail napkin, in some cases it may grant greater authority to an arbitrator than a judge has, writes Narges Kakalia of Mintz Levin.
Dallas Firm Secures $166M Verdict in Fort Worth Murder-for-Hire Case
News
Attorneys for Dallas-based Fears Nachawati Law Firm have secured a $166 million verdict against the daughter and son-in-law of a North Texas woman who was killed in 2014 for the proceeds of life insurance policies totaling $5 million.
Federal Suit Claims Systemic Failures to Pursue Rape Cases by Travis County DA, Austin Police
News
Three women have filed a federal class action lawsuit claiming that the Travis County District Attorney’s office and the Austin Police Department have violated the constitutional rights of women and discriminated based on gender in the manner in which they handle sexual assault cases.
Oil Firm, Once Called ‘Wolf of Wall Street Type’ Company, Sued By SEC for Fraud
News
Company brochures said that some of the wells were expected to provide returns of 300 to 500 percent, a number the SEC said conflicted with geologist production estimates, reports The Dallas Morning News.
Are Your Employees’ Electronically-Signed Agreements Enforceable?
Insight
In several recent cases, employees have disputed that they electronically acknowledged an agreement with their employer,” writes Drew York for Gray Reed & McGraw.
$17M Target Data Breach Settlement Affirmed on Second Try
News
The settlement, which provides for a $10 million fund for customers and $6.75 million for plaintiffs’ attorneys, won final approval in November 2016, according to Bloomberg Law.
Dallas Attorney Indicted for Allegedly Stealing From Client
News
Walter Thomas Finley is charged with felony theft in a case involving the trust fund of an East Texas woman.
VA Nurses’ Class-Action Overtime Lawsuit Could Open Door to More Plaintiffs
News
Class representatives brought the lawsuit on behalf of nurse practitioners and physician assistants from VA facilities across the country.
Trump’s Lawyer Michael Cohen Expects to Be Arrested Any Day Now: Reports
News
An ex-White House official said that “Trump should be super worried about Michael Cohen” deciding to cooperate with federal prosecutors against the president.
Defrauded Students of For-Profit Schools Will Stay Indebted, Judge Rules
News
A proposed class of borrowers had asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim to revive an Obama-era policy that promised full debt forgiveness to students defrauded by the now-defunct, for profit Corinthian Colleges, reports Courthouse News Service.
Texas Family Sues U.S. Over Church Massacre
News
The lawsuit in federal court claims the U.S. Air Force acted negligently when it failed to report the criminal record of gunman Devin Kelley to a U.S. database, reports Reuters.
Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants Receive Class Action Status in VA Overtime Suit
News
A federal judge has certified a class action lawsuit involving nurse practitioners and physician assistants accusing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of failing to pay overtime since 2006.
Fifth Circuit Allows Non-Signatories to Enforce Arbitration Agreement
News
The Fifth Circuit has affirmed an order compelling arbitration, despite the fact that the parties seeking to compel arbitration were not signatories to the relevant arbitration agreement, according to Carlton Fields.
