Category Archives: Commercial Litigation
Force Majeure in Business Disputes in the Age of COVID-19
One of the six flags that has flown over Texas was that of France, from 1685 to 1690. Another brief period of French history that has made an impression on the history of Texas was the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century. Napoleon’s legal reforms, with their emphasis on a clearly… Read More »
Texas Supreme Court Sides with Underwriters Insurance Companies in Finding that Only a Trial Court Judge Has Jurisdiction Over Class Action Claims
In November, the Texas Supreme Court upheld the Court of appeals judgment in a case that involved deciding whether an arbitrator or a trial court judge must decide whether arbitration can be conducted on a class basis; i.e. whether class allegations should be decided in arbitration or in state court. Ultimately, the state Supreme… Read More »
Update: Huawei Business Litigation in Texas Courts
An important business dispute was recently decided in the Eastern District of Texas after a 17 day jury trial and both companies receiving nothing in terms of damages. Chinese tech company Huawei Technologies Co. and Texas subsidiary Futurewei Technologies Inc. sued Yiren Ronnie Huang and his company CNEX Labs Inc. (which also filed a… Read More »
U.S. Supreme Court Seeks Administration’s View On Important Software Copyright Case
On April 29, the U.S. Supreme Court asked the Trump Administration to provide its views on whether it should hear an important copyright lawsuit which could very broadly define the level of copyright protection for software in the industry. The case involves Google’s appeal to Oracle Corp’s copyright infringement lawsuit involving their Android operating… Read More »
U.S. Supreme Court Makes Landmark—and Long Overdue—Copyright Infringement Decision
On March 4, the U.S. Supreme Court made a landmark decision finally bringing copyright law in line with patent and trademark law. Specifically, the Court ruled that, in order for a business or other part to sue for copyright infringement, the copyright owner must have their Federal Copyright Registration in possession, i.e. completed. Until… Read More »
A Look at Past & Future Labor and Employment Law Disputes
A number of businesses financially suffer each year due to labor and employment law disputes. As commercial litigation attorneys in Texas, we deal with a number of these disputes each year, customizing our approach based on our client businesses’ needs and the disputes themselves. Below, we discuss some of the most important employment law… Read More »
Texas Supreme Court to Hear Business Dispute That Could End Punitive Damages
During the second week of December, the Texas Supreme Court heard an important business/commercial litigation case that legal experts indicate could spell the death of punitive damages for civil disputes. The litigation involves claims that one business (Mercedes) intentionally devised a scheme to defraud another (a smaller dealership run by Carduco) via sabotage; specifically,… Read More »
When Companies File Trademark and Libel Lawsuits against Each Other
In September, one energy company (Monster) filed a direct lawsuit against a similar corporation Vital Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VPX), claiming that it violated federal trademark statutes, unfair competition, false advertising, and trade libel laws; and demanding a jury trial. The lawsuit highlights just how business disputes often arise and result in litigation between companies in… Read More »
Tesla’s Elon Musk Sued by Shareholder
In a shareholder dispute that has captured headlines, one of the world’s most high-tech automotive companies, Tesla, and its CEO and entrepreneur Elon Musk, were sued by its own shareholders, who claim that Musk illegally inflated the company’s share price via tweeting about taking the company private in August. Reportedly, Musk tweeted that his… Read More »
Case Argued Before Texas Supreme Court Has Broad Implications for Companies & Anonymous Users
An interesting case that was argued in front of the Texas Supreme Court on September 19 is one that businesses should watch with respect to what is considered defamatory when it comes to allegations of bad business practices, and what violates privacy and speech laws. The case involves the online forum Glassdoor, which hosts… Read More »
