The 201st Civil District Court in Travis County held a status conference today. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs, intervenors, and Defendant GTECH participated. Judge Amy Clark Meachum agreed with the attorneys that it makes sense to hold a series of “bellwether” trials instead of attempting to hold one trial for all plaintiffs at the same time. […]
The Texas Supreme Court recently decided not to grant immunity to GTECH Corporation (n/k/a IGT) for fraud claims filed by over 1,000 Texas lottery players. GTECH did not ask the Court to reconsider its decision before the deadline to do so. That is not surprising since the Court seldom grants a request to reconsider one […]
Attorney Mark Lanier represented 22 women who alleged that Johnson & Johnson’s talcum powder contained asbestos and caused them to suffer ovarian cancer. A Missouri jury awarded Lanier’s clients $4.69 billion in damages. J&J appealed the jury’s verdict. A Missouri appellate court upheld that jury verdict this week and found that J&J’ engaged in “reprehensible conduct” […]
The more than 7 million Texas citizens who play the Texas Lottery have reason to celebrate today. The Texas Supreme Court ruled today that the contract operator of the Texas Lottery can be sued for fraud if it uses misleading language on lottery tickets. The lottery operator, GTECH (now known as IGT), designed and printed […]
More than 7 million lottery players in Texas will be indirectly affected by an opinion likely to be issued by the Texas Supreme Court. The appellate case pending before the Court is GTECH Corporation v. James Steele, et al, Case No. 18-0159. At issue in the GTECH case is whether the private contract operator of […]
Over 1,000 lottery players in Texas are still awaiting a decision from the Texas Supreme Court as to whether the private company that runs the Texas Lottery can be held liable for fraud. The Supreme Court is considering a claim by GTECH Corporation (n/k/a IGT) that it is immune from fraud suits because it is […]
The Texas Supreme Court issued an order this morning requiring the attorneys who represent the lottery players and the attorneys who represent GTECH (now known as IGT) to appear before the Court on December 3, 2019 to present oral arguments. The oral arguments will be videotaped and will be available for the public to watch […]
Plaintiffs in the Fun 5’s lawsuit in Texas filed their Respondents’ Brief on the Merits today. In their 61 page brief, attorneys for the Plaintiffs argue that GTECH (now known as IGT) is not entitled to derivative sovereign immunity. GTECH claims it was just following orders when it printed scratch-off lottery tickets with instructions that falsely […]
The current briefing schedule in the Texas Supreme Court is as follows: Respondents’ (Plaintiffs’) Brief on the Merits is due on February 19, 2019; Petitioner’s (GTECH) Reply Brieff is due March 6, 2019. Once those briefs are filed, the Supreme Court may decide to grant GTECH’s Petition for Review, it may decide to deny the […]
GTECH filed a 157 page brief on the merits in the Steele et. al v. GTECH, Inc. lawsuit pending in the Texas Supreme Court. In its brief, GTECH argues that the Supreme Court should grant GTECH’s petition for review. GTECH wants the Supreme Court to overturn the Austin Court of Appeals’ decision that allowed approximately […]