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Texas

February 13, 2026
Texas Justices To Weigh Home Depot's Duty In Fatal Crash
The Texas Supreme Court has said it will hear arguments in a negligence suit against Home Depot revolving around the liability an employer assumes over the actions of an independent contractor hired to deliver goods.
February 13, 2026
Atty Fee Fight Brewing After Google's Chatbot Injury Settlement
An Orlando, Florida, law firm has urged a federal court to grant it contingency fees from a pending settlement in a suit accusing Google LLC and a chatbot company of causing the suicide of a teen, saying the firm was left in the dark about the deal.
February 13, 2026
Albright Stresses IP Sovereignty In Allowing BMW Injunction
U.S. District Judge Alan Albright has defended BMW's right to a jury trial and the importance of having the U.S. adjudicate its own patents in a Friday opinion explaining why he'd barred Onesta IP from suing BMW in Germany over U.S. patents.
February 13, 2026
Vicor Loses Appeal Of $25M Verdict In SynQor Patent Fight
The Federal Circuit on Friday shot down electronics company Vicor's challenge to rival SynQor's $25 million award in a patent infringement suit over power converter technology, backing both the initial jury's findings and the lower court's later decision to boost the damages.
February 13, 2026
FTC Mulls Merger Rule Appeal, Blasts 'Left-Wing' Chamber
After a Texas federal judge struck down a major overhaul of premerger reporting requirements, the Federal Trade Commission said Friday it would keep its options open for continuing the legal fight while also assailing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the plaintiff in the case, as a "left-wing" organization.
February 13, 2026
Duane Morris Adds Cross-Border Real Estate Pro In Dallas
Duane Morris LLP announced that the firm has added a cross-border real estate pro from Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP to the firm's Dallas office, noting that the newest partner is licensed to practice in both Texas and Mexico.
February 13, 2026
Feds Resist Sierra Club's Bid To Enforce Border Wall Deal
The U.S. government is opposing the Sierra Club's attempt to enforce a settlement pact concerning borderlands barriers as they fight over the first Trump administration's diversion of federal funds for border wall construction versus environmentalists' claims that the wall impedes wildlife passage.
February 13, 2026
5 Cattle Trading Co. Workers Charged In $220M Fraud Scheme
Five employees of a defunct cattle trading company were charged in Texas federal court with defrauding over 2,000 victims in a $220 million Ponzi-like scheme where they falsely promised to spend investor money on raising cattle but used it to pay off prior investors, loans and personal expenses.
February 13, 2026
Suspect In Labor Scheme Probed By IRS Must Stay In Custody
A self-proclaimed religious leader accused of orchestrating a sweeping forced-labor scheme investigated by the Internal Revenue Service must stay behind bars while he awaits trial, a Michigan federal judge decided Friday after privately reviewing more than 150 pages of victims' statements.
February 13, 2026
Judge Unsure OnlyFans Model Can Pin X With Revenge Porn
A Texas federal judge seemed hesitant to buy an argument by an anonymous OnlyFans model that circulation of his images on X constitutes a violation of revenge porn laws, saying Friday the model's claims seem "difficult to reconcile" with the actual text of the law.
February 13, 2026
Oil Co. Presses IRS For $3.2M In Refunds From Merger
The Internal Revenue Service has failed to act on an oil and natural gas company's requests for nearly $3.2 million in tax refunds tied to losses from a 2020 merger, despite the company giving the agency all requested information, it told a Texas federal court.
February 13, 2026
Real Estate Recap: Office Conversions, Multifamily Oversupply
Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insights into the office conversion puzzle and a look at multifamily oversupply heading into 2026.
February 13, 2026
ITC Reinstates Patent Claims Against Chinese Resin Importer
The U.S. International Trade Commission has reversed an administrative law judge's decision finding that a Chinese company was not importing fluoride resin products in a way that would infringe patents held by chemical company Syensqo.
February 13, 2026
Google's Hot Link Patent Claim Challenge Revived At Fed. Circ.
Google was able to reboot its challenge to a "hot link" patent it was accused of infringing, after the Federal Circuit said Friday the Patent Trial and Appeal Board needs to reconsider whether the company could prove one of the claims was invalid.
February 13, 2026
Saks Approved For More Store Closing Plans In Ch. 11
Bankrupt luxury retailer Saks Global received court approval Friday in Texas to begin closing procedures at nine of its flagship stores and continue the liquidation of its off-price e-commerce inventory as part of its Chapter 11 plan to rationalize the company's operating footprint.
February 13, 2026
Texas Justices Says Tornadoes Are Windstorms Under Policy
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday held that the ordinary meaning of the term "windstorm" in a homeowners policy unambiguously encompasses a tornado, confirming that a higher windstorm deductible applied to a Dallas couple's claim for property damage following a tornado.
February 13, 2026
Texas Well Operator Responsible For Worker Injury Costs
An appellate court in Texas ordered an oil well operator to compensate contractor Total Energy for a worker injured on-site, finding that an agreement with a separate midstream company required the operator to cover the cost of litigation.
February 13, 2026
Prenatal Testing Co. Missed Fatal Condition, Couple Say
A Massachusetts couple say Natera Inc. misreported the results of tests for a genetic marker linked to a fatal kidney condition, leading to the conception of a child who died an hour after birth.
February 12, 2026
Apple Infringed Wireless Charging Tech, Powermat Alleges
Israel-based Powermat Technologies Ltd. sued Apple Inc. in Texas federal court for allegedly infringing five patents related to wireless charging, accusing the Cupertino, California-based tech giant of being an "unwilling licensee" that has refused to discuss licensing Powermat's patent portfolio in good faith.
February 12, 2026
FTC Merger Filing Overhaul Thrown Out
The Federal Trade Commission hasn't shown the costs on merging companies outweigh the claimed benefits of dramatically increasing the amount of information that must be provided upfront when giving notice of a transaction, a Texas federal judge said Thursday, throwing out the commission's overhaul of premerger reporting requirements.
February 12, 2026
Split 5th Circ. Backs State Farm After 'Fecal Catastrophe'
A split Fifth Circuit on Thursday agreed with a lower court's finding for State Farm that the source of sewage that flooded a Mississippi family's home absolved the insurer of coverage, while one circuit judge said Mississippi law favored the homeowners in the "disgusting tragedy."
February 12, 2026
Restaurant Group Alleges Ex-GC Embezzled, Shared Secrets
The former general counsel of a restaurant group behind Casa Madera in West Hollywood charged luxury items and anti-aging treatments to his company credit card in a $250,000 embezzlement scheme and released privileged company information when he was fired, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Nevada federal court.
February 12, 2026
Feds Charge 2 Foreign Nationals Over $10M Healthcare Fraud
Federal officials in Chicago announced healthcare fraud charges Thursday against two natives of Pakistan who allegedly made $10 million by using fake medical companies to submit Medicare and other health benefit claims for items and services they never provided.
February 12, 2026
5th Circ. Upholds Texas Ban On Compensated Vote Harvesting
The Fifth Circuit on Thursday reinstated enforcement of Texas' felony ban on compensated vote harvesting, saying that hypothetical scenarios are not enough to claim that a law is unconstitutional.
February 12, 2026
DC Judge Skeptical Funding Lapse Settles ICE Visit Policy Row
A D.C. federal judge considered Thursday whether the U.S. Department of Homeland Security permissibly used a funding gap to freshen up a policy requiring a week's notice for congressional oversight visits, or if a longstanding spending rider prohibits the move.

Expert Analysis

Series
Judges On AI: Practical Use Cases In Chambers
U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard in the Southern District of California discusses how she uses generative artificial intelligence tools in chambers to make work more efficient and effective — from editing jury instructions for clarity to summarizing key documents.
Notable Q4 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Last quarter featured a novel class action theory about car rental reimbursement coverage, another win for insurers in total loss valuations, a potentially broad-reaching Idaho Supreme Court ruling about illusory underinsured motorist coverage, and homeowners blaming rising premiums on the fossil fuel industry, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.
Saks' Post-M&A Bankruptcy Illustrates Current Market Risks
The recent Saks Fifth Avenue bankruptcy occurred on the heels of its merger with fellow luxury purveyor Neiman Marcus, showing that capital structure, not concept, dictates resilience when conditions turn, says Ben Thompson at Thompson.
Opinion
Corporations Should Think Twice About Mandatory Arbitration
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent acceptance of mandatory arbitration provisions in corporate charters and bylaws does not make them wise, as the current system of class actions still offers critical advantages for corporations, says Mohsen Manesh at the University of Oregon School of Law.
Series
Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.
Trade Secret Steps To Take As Exposure Risk Increases
Against the backdrop of rising trade secret litigation, greater employee mobility and constraints on noncompetes, recent cases highlight the importance of minimizing trade secret risks when employees leave or when new hires join, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.
What's At Stake In Possible Circuit Split On Medicaid Rule
A recent Eleventh Circuit decision, reviving Florida's lawsuit against a federal rule that reduces Medicaid funding based on agreements between hospitals, sets up a potential circuit split with the Fifth Circuit, with important ramifications for states looking to private administrators to run provider tax programs, say Liz Goodman, Karuna Seshasai and Rebecca Pitt at FTI Consulting.
Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts
Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.
Texas AG Wields Consumer Protection Law Against Tech Cos.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted technology companies using the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a broadly worded statute that gives the attorney general wide latitude to pursue claims beyond traditional consumer protection, creating unique litigation risks, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.
What To Know As Courts Rethink McDonnell-Douglas
Although the U.S. Supreme Court declined the latest opportunity to address the viability of the McDonnell-Douglas burden-shifting framework used in employment discrimination and retaliation claims, two justices and courts around the country are increasingly seeking to abandon it, which could potentially lead to more trials and higher litigation budgets, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.
Bipartisan Enforcement Is Rising In Consumer Finance
Activity over the past year suggests a bipartisan state enforcement wave is rippling across the consumer finance industry, which follows a blueprint set out by former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra, who notably now leads a Democratic Attorneys General Association working group, say attorneys at Hudson Cook.
Series
Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.
Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience
Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.
Contract Disputes Recap: Terminations Galore
Three recent decisions from the Federal Circuit and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals provide valuable insights about sticking to a contract's plain language, navigating breach of contract claims, and jurisdictional limits on reinstatement of a canceled contract, say attorneys at Seyfarth.
How Selig May Approach CFTC Agricultural Enforcement
As the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission begins a new chapter under recently confirmed Chairman Michael Selig's leadership, a look back at the agency's actions in agricultural markets over the past six years sheds light on what may lie ahead for enforcement in the area, say attorneys at Latham.