Latest News
Federal Court
Professor sues UT for alleged First Amendment violations
AUSTIN – A finance professor is suing officials at the University of Texas at Austin for allegedly threatening to punish him for his criticism of the university by threatening his job, reducing his pay, and removing his affiliation with UT’s Salem Center, a press release states.
Federal Court
Oil & gas giant must defend discrimination lawsuit after failed summary judgment
HOUSTON – Lawyers at Sanford Heisler Sharp, one of the nation’s leading civil rights law firms, are ready to take on Schlumberger Technology after beating back another attempt by the oil and gas company to obtain summary judgment in a case alleging it discriminated against, sexually harassed, and retaliated against a former female engineer who worked on oil rigs, a press release states.
Federal Court
GLS Capital and Nanoco Group announce $150M settlement of patent suit against Samsung
HOUSTON — GLS Capital, one of the world’s largest private investment firms focused on litigation finance, announced its financial partnership with Nanoco Technologies in its patent litigation against Samsung Electronics, a press release states.
Federal Court
Texas AG joins brief asking SCOTUS to take up case over train ‘anti-blocking’ law
AUSTIN – Attorney General Paxton has joined an Indiana-led brief that calls for the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case that he believes has important implications for commerce, transportation, and the ability of local emergency services to carry out their duties in a timely manner.
Federal Court
Fifth Circuit finds bump stock ban not authorized by federal law
NEW ORLEANS - A regulation promulgated by the ATF to interpret the federal prohibition on machineguns as extending to bump stocks violates federal law, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit concluded on Friday.
Federal Court
Fifth Circuit finds Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act unconstitutional
AUSTIN – Attorney General Paxton has secured a victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit with justices striking down the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) as unconstitutional, a press release states.
Federal Court
Bankruptcy Court for Texas' Southern District received 10% of cases over past 5 years, Lex Machina report shows
HOUSTON - Only Delaware handled more cases than the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas over a five year period, according to a Lex Machina report.
Federal Court
Texas judge vacates Debt Forgiveness Program, appeal follows
FORT WORTH - A Texas federal judge has granted summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs who sued the U.S. Department of Education for allegedly violating the Administrative Procedure Act by promulgating a Debt Forgiveness Program behind closed doors.
Federal Court
Omega Healthcare agrees to pay $3M to settle False Claims Act allegations
AUSTIN – Omega Healthcare Investors, as successor-in-interest to MedEquities Realty Trust, has agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations that MedEquities violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Medicare and Medicaid programs, a press release states.
Federal Court
$7.5 million settlement reached in class action against American Airlines over bag fees
FORT WORTH - A class action alleging American Airlines improperly charged checked bag fees to passengers who were promised one or more free checked bags has settled for $7.5 million.
Federal Court
Lawsuit seeks to stop implementation of Debt Forgiveness Program
FORT WORTH - A lawsuit filed earlier this week is asserting that the U.S. Department of Education violated the Administrative Procedure Act by promulgating a Debt Forgiveness Program behind closed doors.
Federal Court
Lawsuit alleges Texas A&M hiring policies discriminate against white and Asian men
HOUSTON - A recently filed lawsuit is alleging the Texas A&M University System discriminates when hiring faculty by giving preferences to female or non-Asian minorities at the expense of white and Asian men.
Federal Court
Patent MDL assigned to Judge Gilstrap in Eastern District of Texas
MARSHALL - The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued a transfer order last week consolidating four patent cases and assigning them to Chief District Judge Rodney Gilstrap of the Eastern District of Texas.
Federal Court
Fifth Circuit vacates injunction on Texas mask-mandate ban
AUSTIN – On Monday, Attorney General Paxton secured a ruling against imposing mask mandates on Texas children in violation of state law, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated a lower court’s injunction on Texas’ statewide mask-mandate ban and ordered the court to dismiss the underlying lawsuit.
Federal Court
Fifth Circuit upholds marketing denial orders for Triton Distributors’ flavored e-cigarette products; ACS CAN applauds decision
NEW ORLEANS – On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in favor of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the case of Triton Distribution v. FDA, upholding the agency’s marketing denial order for Triton’s flavored e-cigarette products.
Federal Court
Fifth Circuit serves Texas craft brewers a victory to-go
NEW ORLEANS - On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a ruling allowing two Texas breweries to sell their beer to-go.
Federal Court
$25.4M settlement reached in fraudulent billing suit over provisions supplied to American troops overseas
BEAUMONT - A $25.4 million settlement has been reached in a lawsuit brought against DynCorp International and Damco U.S.A.
Federal Court
Lex Machina launches appellate analytics for federal courts
Lex Machina adds nearly 400,000 federal courts of appeals cases and has enhanced analytics for district court cases
Federal Court
Federal judge issues $230 million verdict against U.S. for Sutherland Springs shooting
SAN ANTONIO - Federal district court judge Xavier Rodriguez issued a verdict yesterday against the U.S. in the amount of $230,000,000 for the government’s role in causing the shooting at Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church on Nov. 5, 2017, a press release states.
Federal Court
State of Texas backs attorneys in legal battle over mandatory bar dues currently before SCOTUS
WASHINGTON - The state of Texas has sided against the State Bar of Texas, filing a brief in support of a trio of attorneys asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hold that members of a mandatory bar cannot be compelled to finance any political or ideological activities with their dues.