Dee Thompson News
Owner of property under Muleshoe Lake, and under an oil pipeline, loses trespass case on appeal
HOUSTON – An appellate court has ruled that Wayne Hoang Nhut Doan, who owns submerged property under Muleshoe Lake, is not entitled to any additional compensation from TransCanada Keystone Pipeline LP, the company that built a pipeline across the lake. Doan claimed the company trespassed.
Appellate court vacates order denying Velvin Oil's motion for leave in fraud case
HOUSTON – A Texas court of appeals has ruled in a dispute between two oil companies concerning mandamus relief challenging a lower court's order.
Dismissal of negligence suit against East Texas Medical Center upheld by appellate court
TYLER – The dismissal of malpractice suit against East Texas Medical Center Tyler (ETMC) alleging the hospital was negligent in the care of two patients has been upheld.
Fitness giant Nautilus wins patent infringement award of more than $1 million
SAN ANTONIO – A district court judge has ruled that ICON Health & Fitness infringed on a Chinese patent related to an elliptical exercise machine and awarded Nautilus Inc. $1.8 million in damages, plus attorney’s fees.
German company reaches settlement with Apple, ZTE Corp. over patents dispute
BEAUMONT – The patent infringement cases filed by German company Papst Licensing GMBH & Co. KG against Apple Inc. and ZTE Corp. and ZTE (USA) Inc. have been settled. Specific monetary terms of the settlement have not been publicly disclosed.
Fourth Court of Appeals overturns $2.9 million judgment over lack of sworn signature
SAN ANTONIO – The 4th Court of Appeals overturned a default judgment against two oil and gas exploration companies worth $2.9 million and sent the dispute back to the trial court.
Case against Dallas County by former sheriff's deputy sent back to trial court
DALLAS – The court of appeals for the 5th District partially affirmed and partially reversed a lower court’s decision regarding the case of Rodney D. Bailey, a sheriff's deputy who sued Dallas County and others over allegations of wrongful termination.
Paxton clarifies church concealed carry laws
AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton clarified two rules governing concealed carry and security for churches in response to questions posed by the lieutenant governor following a shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs that killed 26 people last November.
National Signs Holding loses court fight in appeal of arbitration
HOUSTON – National Signs Holding has lost its appeal disputing an arbitration award to Ali Rassouli, the man who sold his company to National Sign and then was terminated.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines filed motion to dismiss case filed by passenger after Hurricane Harvey canceled cruise
MIAMI – Royal Caribbean has filed a motion to dismiss the class action filed against it by a Canadian passenger upset at how the cruise line handled communication when Hurricane Harvey forced the cruise to be canceled.
Texas cities lose class action against online travel websites over tax
NEW ORLEANS – In a class action brought by 173 Texas municipalities, a federal appellate court has ruled that the cost of occupancy tax on a hotel reservation in Texas need not be included in the fees charged by online travel companies like Expedia and Orbitz.
Unsealed brief in the criminal indictment against Paxton argues the grand jury process was illegal
AUSTIN – According to a sealed motion recently made public, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion to dismiss the indictment against him for securities fraud, arguing his rights to due process were violated, subverting the grand jury process illegally.
Claims filed against Air Force by relatives of 9 of those killed in Sutherland Springs massacre
DALLAS – The U.S. Air Force's negligence is to blame for the Sutherland Springs church shooting deaths last month of nine relatives of Claryce and Joe Holcombe, the family claims.
Ninth Court dismisses workers' comp suit citing lack of jurisdiction
BEAUMONT – The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals at Beaumont has ordered the trial court to dismiss a truck driver's workers' compensation suit and ruled the suit’s proper venue was the Division of Worker’s Compensation.
RVOS Farm Mutual Insurance Co. not liable for hurricane damages, appellate court finds
BEAUMONT – The Court of Appeals of the 9th District of Texas at Beaumont affirmed a judgment in favor of an insurance company in a case involving damages to a home from Hurricane Ike.
Chef Kent Rathbun wins the right to use his own name and likeness for now
DALLAS – Chef Kent Rathbun continues a costly dispute with his former business partners over the use of his name and likeness, but the state's 5th District Court of Appeals has granted him the right to use his own name and likeness while the lawsuit is pending, based on the doctrine of “unclean hands.
Appellate Court upholds convicted criminal's breach of contract claim against former attorney
HOUSTON – A convicted criminal won his breach of contract case against his former defense attorney but lost his claim that the attorney had stolen money from him.
Attorney loses disbarment appeal in the Texas Supreme Court
AUSTIN: On Oct. 20 the Texas Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Board of Disciplinary Appeals in the case of Ikechukwu Nweze, an attorney who was disbarred after faking an automobile accident and fabricating medical bills.
iLife claims it is entitled to $25 million for Nintendo patent award
DALLAS – After winning its patent infringement case against Nintendo last August, iLife is now asking for not only the $10.1 million award from the jury but also prejudgment interest, post-judgment interest, and costs. This proposed amount totals $25 million.
Monsanto, Helena Chemical take discovery dispute to Texas Supreme Court
HOUSTON – The Texas Supreme Court has been asked to intervene in a discovery dispute between chemical companies Helena Chemical Co. and Monsanto.