Bringing Family Law Expertise to SCOTX | Justice Debra Lehrmann | Texas Appellate Law Podcast
Potential Changes to SCOTX Petition Practice | Justice Evan Young | Texas Appellate Law Podcast
An Unexpected Path to the Appellate Bench | Justice Rebeca Huddle | Texas Appellate Law Podcast
Texas Supreme Court Draws Line on Attorney Immunity Privilege
Handling the Texas Supreme Court’s Public Information | Osler McCarthy | Texas Appellate Law Podcast
Paths to Texas Judicial Selection Reform | Chief Justice Tom Phillips | Texas Appellate Law Podcast
On June 27, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court issued its opinion in Werner Enterprises, Inc. v. Blake, No. 23-0493, providing significant guidance on the doctrine of proximate cause in Texas negligence law. The Court reversed a...more
On June 13, 2025, the Supreme Court of Texas delivered a 17-page opinion in White Knight Development, LLC v. Simmons clarifying that monetary damages may be awarded alongside specific performance in real estate contract...more
On an icy winter day more than ten years ago, the driver of an F-350 pickup truck, traveling eastbound on Interstate 20, crossed a 42-foot grassy median, entered in westbound traffic, and collided with a Werner Enterprises...more
In a significant decision issued on June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court of Texas reversed a jury verdict awarding over $89 million in damages in favor of the plaintiffs in Werner Enterprises, Inc. v. Blake, holding that the...more
On May 9, 2025, the Supreme Court of Texas reversed an appellate court’s decision in Pohl v. Cheatham. The case involves two Texas-based attorneys, Michael Pohl and Robert Ammons, who solicited out-of-state clients with...more
On May 2, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court held that a franchisor owes no duty of care for injuries caused by a franchisee’s employee unless the franchisor retained or exercised control over the hiring of that employee....more
On May 16, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court issued a decision ruling that, absent specific contractual language, surface owners retain ownership of the caverns created by salt mining operations. The issue of ownership of salt...more
The so called “Anadarko Washout” involves a washout of oil and gas leases on undivided working interests owned by non-operating mineral cotenants. This particular species of lease washouts is based on two recent cases from...more
On May 23, the Supreme Court of Texas ruled that the maximum permissible interest on a loan must be calculated using the declining principal balance rather than the initial total principal amount. This decision was in...more
In this case (Scout Energy Mgmt., LLC v. Taylor Properties, No. 23-1014, 2024 WL 5249490 [Tex. Dec. 31, 2024]), the Texas Supreme Court held that vague notations on shut-in royalty check receipts cannot modify an unambiguous...more
A recent Texas Supreme Court decision fully overturned a jury’s finding that a franchisor was liable for the criminal actions of a franchisee’s employee. This decision underscores the importance of a franchisor having clearly...more
On May 2, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court reversed a Texas Court of Appeals’ decision that had affirmed a jury’s verdict finding a franchisor directly liable to the customer of a franchisee for actions undertaken by the...more
This lease royalty case involved a dispute over whether the lessee was permitted to deduct volumes of gas used off the premises to power post-production activities on other gas produced from the same well. Carl v. Hilcorp...more
The Supreme Court granted oral argument in In re UMTH Gen. Servs., L.P., 2023 WL 8291829 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2023), wherein a real estate investment trust entered into an advisory agreement with an entity and gave it authority...more
It has been approximately two months since the newly established Texas business court system began accepting its first filings on September 1, 2024. This article provides a brief introductory overview of this new court system...more
The recent decision in Serafine v. Crump by the Supreme Court of Texas primarily revolves around the interpretation of what constitutes “litigation” under Texas law, particularly in the context of determining whether someone...more
On June 4, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of an "at the well" royalty holder's class action lawsuit after the Texas Supreme Court held that Hilcorp Energy Co. properly...more
Texas is known as a business-friendly state. With every biennial session, the Texas Legislature passes laws affecting our courts and commercial disputes. This post discusses changes from the most recent regular session that...more
A stream of judicial decisions in the pipeline will have important implications for the energy industry. The three cases discussed below are among those that energy litigators and industry professionals are watching in 2024....more
The United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit (“Fifth Circuit”) in a February 16th Order considered the Port Arthur Community Action Network (“PACAN”) Petition for a review of a decision by the Texas Commission on...more
Chris Popov and Mike Heidler, partners at Vinson & Elkins, talk through a major opinion from the Texas Supreme Court, their role in the case, and what it means for investors in Texas companies....more
The Texas Supreme Court has unveiled a change to Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 28.3 to implement recent legislation requiring the state’s 14 intermediate appellate courts to explain themselves when denying petitions for...more
In a jurisprudential pile-up, the Fifth Circuit has become the arena for two simultaneous legal battles that may shape the law of standing and realign federal environmental law. While all eyes are on the U.S. Supreme Court...more
After years of stalled attempts, Texas will soon be the thirtieth state to establish a specialized business court specifically designed to hear complex commercial cases. House Bill 19, recently approved by the Texas...more
Primary and excess insurance carriers and their counsel need to pay close attention to a new Texas Supreme Court case Exxon Mobil vs. National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Starr Indemnity &...more