Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
Senior reporter Brenda Sapino Jeffreys covers the business of law in Texas. Contact her at [email protected] On Twitter: @BrendaSJeffreys
August 20, 2007 | Texas Lawyer
1st Court Denies Request to Disqualify BP Defense LawyerThe steering committee of lawyers representing plaintiffs suing BP over the deadly explosion at the company's refinery in Texas City wants Houston lawyer Ronald Krist off the defense team.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
6 minute read
February 23, 2004 | Texas Lawyer
A Different View of JusticeAfter working 23 years as a prosecutor, Thomas F. Lee says he's happy with his decision to move from the prosecutor's office to the bench, but the adjustment was a little difficult at first.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
10 minute read
November 06, 2006 | Texas Lawyer
More at Stake than Money: BP Explosion Plaintiff's Unsettling Suit Atypical in Mass Tort LitigationThe first trial stemming from the fatal explosion in 2005 at the BP refinery in Texas City kicks off next week in Galveston, but the verdict in the suit won't set a market rate for settlements, which is what typically happens in mass tort suits. Instead, the trial may help plaintiff Eva Rowe, whose parents were killed in the explosion, force BP and other energy companies to improve safety practices at refineries.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
13 minute read
March 20, 2006 | Texas Lawyer
Watkins Testifies V&E's Enron Investigation Was "Bogus"Houston's Vinson & Elkins, which was once Enron Corp.'s go-to outside law firm, took some major hits from Sherron Watkins last week during her testimony in the criminal trial of former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay and former Enron Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
8 minute read
February 23, 2009 | Texas Lawyer
Charity Sues Some Stanford Companies Seeking Return of MoneyAnother suit has been filed against financier R. Allen Stanford, who already faces a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission complaint alleging he and others engaged in a $9.2 billion investment fraud.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
5 minute read
January 22, 2008 | Texas Lawyer
Grand Jury That Indicted Justice, Wife Not Properly Empanelled"We think this effectively ends everything. Hopefully Judge Medina can go on with his life," Justice David Medina's lawyer Terry Yates said after a Jan. 22 hearing.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
5 minute read
December 11, 2006 | Corporate Counsel
Baron & Budd Alleges Ex-Shareholders Breached Duties by Planning Vioxx Venture With LanierIn August, Dallas lawyers Fred Baron and Lisa Blue filed a breach of contract suit against plaintiffs firm Baron & Budd over payments for the sale of their equity interest in the firm. Now, in a counterclaim, Baron & Budd alleges that Baron and Blue breached contractual, fiduciary and legal obligations to the firm by failing to receive prior consent from Baron & Budd for plans to form a new firm -- with Houston plaintiffs lawyer W. Mark Lanier and others -- to handle Vioxx litigation against Merck & Co.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
7 minute read
December 13, 2006 | Law.com
Lead Plaintiff Seeks to Dismiss V&E From Enron Shareholder SuitVinson & Elkins may win a dismissal from the Enron Corp. shareholders securities class action. Last week, the lead plaintiff in the class action, the University of California board of regents, filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon of Houston to voluntarily dismiss V&E from the case. In a written statement, UC's director of special projects stated that the plaintiffs believe the claims against V&E have merit, but the move is intended to help "streamline the case" for the jury.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
2 minute read
September 13, 2002 | Texas Lawyer
Is the Check in the Mail?Reluctant Texas juror David C. Williamson took the wrath of a federal judge seriously enough to show up for a single day of jury service in San Antonio. But the software consultant could yet again find himself in hot water with U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, who's not amused by Williamson's efforts to collect thousands of dollars from the court for jury service. Williamson resubmitted his "invoice" to the court on Sept. 1.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
4 minute read
November 04, 2002 | Texas Lawyer
Corporate Distrust on the Rise, Study ShowsWith the actions of corporate executives, including some in-house lawyers, under scrutiny by prosecutors investigating corporate scandals at companies such as Enron Corp., WorldCom and Tyco International, distrust of corporations by potential jurors is rising, a new study indicates. More than half of the 1,000 potential jurors interviewed in a telephone survey in September for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association say their opinion of large corporations has worsened during the last year.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
8 minute read
