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
In Pitts v. Rivas, Rivas brought claims against his accountants for negligence/malpractice, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract, based on alleged errors in financial statements that harmed his business....more
In Texas, as most other states, it is long settled that corporate agents are personally liable for their own tortious or fraudulent conduct—even if the conduct was done in their capacity as a corporate agent. Section 21.223...more
On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court of Texas issued a ruling clarifying the personal liability of individuals acting in a corporate capacity. The case, Keyes v. Weller, addressed whether individuals can be held personally...more
In a forty-page opinion issued by Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht, the Texas Supreme Court held that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (“ERCOT”) has sovereign immunity regarding allegations of overpricing during Winter...more
Contracting parties sometimes attempt to rely on merger clauses to avoid future claims arising from reliance on extra-contractual representations such as fraudulent inducement. But in Texas, the inclusion of a standard merger...more
How Express Contract Terms and the Negotiation Process May Affect Liability - Parties entering into a contract should negotiate in good faith, but parties must also perform due diligence to protect their own interests. In...more
The legal front remains forbidding for private company minority investors who seek to secure a buyout of their ownership stake based on claims for oppression against the company’s majority owners. It has been six years since...more
One of the most important tools manufacturers and franchisors have available to manage their networks are the agreements they sign with their channel partners. Significant time and effort go into those contracts, ensuring...more
In this cattle-feeding dispute, cattle owner Bonsmara Natural Beef Co. and its principal George Chapman brought an action against feed yard owner Hart of Texas Cattle Feeders LLC, alleging claims including breach of contract,...more
Bethel v. Quilling, Selander, Lownds, Winslett & Moser, P.C., (Feb. 21, 2020, No. 18-0595) 2020 Tex. LEXIS 139 - Brief Summary - The Texas Supreme Court held that a claim over an attorney's alleged destruction of evidence...more
Plaintiffs in civil litigation often seek punitive or exemplary damages. “Exemplary damages” means any damages awarded as a penalty or by way of punishment but not for compensatory purposes....more
Our first blog post of the New Year looks back at an important case the Texas Supreme Court decided in 2019, and its potential impact on majority owners seeking to avoid fraud claims by new investors. See Int’l Bus. Machines...more
In Barrow-Shaver Resources Company v. Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc the Supreme Court of Texas has held again, here in a consent-to-assign dispute, that a contract means what the words say, even if in negotiations a landman said...more
In a recent decision, the Texas Supreme Court upheld a contractual waiver of punitive damages despite a finding of fraud by the seller in the sale of a supposedly new aircraft that instead contained used and repaired engines....more
In Bombardier Aero. Corp. v. Spep Aircraft Holdings, a plaintiff who had purchased an aircraft sued the defendant for fraud associated with representations regarding whether the aircraft was new or used. No. 17-0578, 2019...more
A recent decision from the Texas Supreme Court has closed the door for good on certain fraud and fraudulent inducement claims based on false representations that are contradicted by the parties’ agreement. In Mercedes-Benz,...more
In Compass Bank v. Calleja-Ahedo, an identity thief drained the plaintiff’s bank account through a series of fraudulent transactions in 2012 and 2013, and the plaintiff sued his bank to recover the stolen funds. No. 17-0065,...more
Today, the Texas Supreme Court denied review in Wells Fargo v. Militello, No. 05-15-01252-CV, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 5640 (Tex. App.—Dallas June 20, 2017, pet. denied). In Militello, the court of appeals affirmed a trial...more
Last month, the Texas Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision to toss a lawsuit by Orca Assets GP LLP against JP Morgan Chase over property in the Eagle Ford Shale. ...more
The ruling from the Supreme Court of Texas in JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., et al v. Orca Assets, G.P., L.L.C. was foreseeable. Experienced energy professionals who pass on the opportunity to examine title for themselves are...more
In JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. Orca Assets G.P., a trustee leased minerals to a leasee. No. 15-0712, 2018 Tex. LEXIS 250 (Tex. March 23, 2018)....more
Today, the Texas Supreme Court granted a petition for review in Jackson Walker, LLPO v. Kinsel, No. 07-13-00130-CV, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 3586 (Tex. App.—Amarillo April 10, 2015, pet. granted). The Court’s staff attorney...more
A court of appeals recently issued an opinion rejecting a fiduciary’s claims regarding the excessiveness of the trial court’s judgment that awarded disgorgement and exemplary damages. In Swinnea v. ERI Consulting Engineers,...more
To conclude the series, we look at one more opinion — Serafine v. Blunt, No. 03-12-00726-CV, 2015 WL 2061922 (Tex. App.—Austin May 1, 2015). This case dealt with a property dispute, but the real interest comes from the...more