Austin Bar Member Jason Snell Prevails Before Texas Supreme Court 

Jason Snell and the Snell Law Firm obtained a final judgment from the Texas Supreme Court in favor of their client, who was awarded more than $16 million under the Texas Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act. Justice Boyd delivered the opinion of the Court, joined by Justices Hecht, Devine, Busby, Bland, and Huddle. Justice Young filed a dissenting opinion, which Justice …

District & County Court Jury Trial Verdicts September 2024

Editor’s Note: A monthly update on jury trials in Travis County will also be circulated in Bar Code and posted on the Austin Bar app. CIVIL City Of Austin v. Laszlo Herczeg Cause No.: C-1-Cv-20-003717 Judge: Eric Shepperd Dates: June 3-4, 2024 Attorneys: Plaintiff: Phillip B. Arnold, Bickerstaff, Heath, Delgado, Acosta LLP Defendant: Laslo Herczeg, Pro Se Case Summary: Five jurors awarded …

Texas Supreme Court Update September 2024

The following are summaries of selected opinions issued by the Texas Supreme Court in June 2024. These summaries are prepared by court staff as a courtesy and are not a substitute for the actual opinions. The summaries are overviews of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: Commission’s order approving electricity scarcity-pricing was not subject to judicial review. …

Third Court of Appeals Criminal Update September 2024

The following is a summary of a selected criminal opinion issued by the Third Court of Appeals in January 2024. The summary is an overview; please review the entire opinion. Subsequent history is current as of Aug. 6, 2024. TRIAL TESTIMONY — LICENSING STATUS OF WITNESS, RELIABILITY OF WITNESS, RELIABILITY OF OUTCRY WITNESSS, AND “BACKDOOR HEARSAY”: Trial court did not …

Third Court of Appeals Civil Update September 2024

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Third Court of Appeals during June and July 2024. The summaries are overviews; please review the entire opinions. Subsequent histories are current as of Aug. 12, 2024.  FAMILY LAW: Court grants mandamus relief in contempt proceeding. In re Kozinn, No. 03-23-00748-CV (Tex. App.—Austin June 6, 2024, orig. proceeding) (mem. …

Federal Civil Update September 2024

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in June 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. CONTRACTS: Force majeure provision in natural gas supply contract did not require showing that performance is impossible. MIECO, LLC v. Pioneer Nat. Res. USA, 2024 WL 3418718 (5th Cir. …

District & County Court Jury Trial Verdicts July/August 2024

Editor’s Note: A monthly update on jury trial verdicts in Travis County will also be circulated in Bar Code and posted in the Austin Bar app. CIVIL Ramos v. Regan  Cause No.: D-1-GN-22-007206 Judge: Jessica Mangrum, 200th Civil District Court Trial Date(s): May 13-15, 2024 Attorneys:Plaintiff: Casey Archer and Guilherme Vasconcelos, DJC Law, PLLCDefendant: J. Hampton Skelton and Sean Hoffman, …

Texas Supreme Court Update July/August 2024

The following are summaries of selected opinions issued by the Texas Supreme Court in June 2024. These summaries are prepared by court staff as a courtesy and are not a substitute for the actual opinions. The summaries are overviews of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: Statutory regulations governing public insurance adjusters do not implicate protected speech.  …

Third Court of Appeals Criminal Update July/August 2024

The following is a summary of a selected criminal opinion issued by the Third Court of Appeals in December 2023. The summary is an overview; please review the entire opinion. The subsequent history is current as of June 3, 2024. AGGRAVATED ROBBERY—EVIDENTIARY SUFFICIENCY AND LESSER-INCLUDED OFFENSE: Evidence was sufficient to prove that defendant committed aggravated robbery, and defendant was not …

Third Court of Appeals Civil Update July/August 2024

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Third Court of Appeals during May 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions.Subsequent histories are current as of June 11, 2024. MANDAMUS: Court grants relief where trial court denied objection to associate judge referral.  In re Laurie, No. 03-24-00124-CV (Tex. …