In today’s legal landscape, jury awards to personal injury plaintiffs are trending upwards. Studies show that “nuclear verdicts” are increasing in prevalence as jurors grow more critical of corporate defendants and are increasingly persuaded by provocative trial tactics from plaintiff attorneys. However, recent decisions from Louisiana and Texas show that some courts are bucking the
Texas Supreme Court
Hurricane Harvey and the Texas Judicial System
By Jeffrey Boudreaux on
Posted in Hurricane Harvey
Earlier this week, the Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued an emergency order to allow the courts affected by the disaster to suspend regular court procedures and deadlines. The order is effective for one month and states in part:
Pursuant to Section 22.0035(b) of the Texas Government Code, all courts…
Forest Oil: Texas Supreme Court Rejects Exclusive Jurisdiction of the Texas Railroad Commission over Oilfield Contamination Claims
By Tyler Kostal on
Posted in Legacy Oil Field Sites, Oil & Gas
The Texas Supreme Court recently handed down a decision in Forest Oil Corp. v. El Rucio Land & Cattle Co., Inc., 14-0979, 2017 WL 1541086 (Tex. Apr. 28, 2017), that at first glance, is reminiscent of the landmark Louisiana legacy cases Corbello and Magnolia Coal. Forest Oil, like Corbello, supports the…