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Articles by Ryan Autullo
Texas Sued by Voter Groups Over Registration Backlog Records Original
Texas’ chief election officer has failed to produce records involving a technical error that resulted in a backlog of 15,000 voter registrations, according to a new lawsuit from NAACP and League of United Latin American Citizens. Secretary of State Robert Howden’s withholding of the requested records is impeding the groups’ efforts to educate voters and ensure a fair election, they said in the Monday complaint.
Abbott’s Elon Musk Records Can be Reviewed by Election Opponent Original
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) must let his Democratic opponent in the November election review more than a thousand pages of unredacted communications he’s had with billionaire Elon Musk, a judge ruled Monday. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) is entitled to see the communications that have otherwise been kept from public disclosure because she might be able to use them for legislative reasons, Judge Catherine Mauzy of Travis County said at a hearing.
OpenAI Faces Texas Deceptive Claims, Child User Safety Lawsuit Original
and CEO Sam Altman face a new deceptive marketing lawsuit from the state of Texas for failing to protect users from the ChatGPT chatbot. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in a lawsuit filed Friday said the company and Altman also violated a state law requiring digital service providers to implement safety features to protect children.
Gilead Will Pay $45 Million to End Texas Medicaid Kickback Suit Original
will pay $45 million to resolve claims the pharmaceutical company paid illegal kickbacks influencing the prescription of drugs paid for by Texas Medicaid.
Texas Independent Survives Dismissal Bid in Ballot Challenge Original
Texas failed to secure dismissal of an independent political candidate’s lawsuit claiming state election laws make it nearly impossible for him and others not affiliated with a party to qualify for the ballot. Politician Mike Collier, who lost a prior ruling in the case that kept him out of the lieutenant governor’s race in November, kept his lawsuit alive Wednesday by pleading he’d like to run as an independent again in a future election cycle, Judge Robert Pitman ruled.
New Houston Judge Embraced GOP Ideas After Ousting by Democrats Original
When Texas Gov. (R) needed a judge for a new Houston court this summer, he chose a former Democrat state lawmaker eager to display her newfound conservative views. Shawn Thierry’s application leading to her appointment from Abbott revealed originalist legal philosophies, reverence for a conservative justice on the US Supreme Court, and her connections to prominent Republican officials. Thierry had already broken with House Democrats in 2023 in voting to ban child transgender medical care.
Abbott’s Elon Musk Records Sought in Election Rival’s Lawsuit
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is refusing to turn over more than a thousand pages of unredacted communications with billionaire Elon Musk, his Democratic opponent for governor said in a lawsuit. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) said Abbott won’t make the records available for inspection even though she’s entitled to them for legislative purposes.
Musk’s Communications With Texas Governor Sought in New Suit Original
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is refusing to turn over more than a thousand pages of unredacted communications with billionaire Elon Musk, his Democratic opponent for governor said in a lawsuit. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) said Abbott won’t make the records available for inspection even though she’s entitled to them for legislative purposes.
University of Texas, County Settle Case Over Stadium Club Taxes Original
The University of Texas and Travis County settled the county’s claims that the school was behind on property taxes on a private club inside the Longhorns’ football stadium. Travis County alleged in a 2025 complaint that the university was behind on $160,000 in property taxes, penalties, and interest for tax year 2024.
Temu Will Pay Texas $3 Million to Resolve Chinese Data Lawsuit Original
Online shopping platform Temu will pay $3 million to Texas to settle a lawsuit alleging it shared consumers’ data with the Chinese government without their knowledge or consent. The resolution requires Temu to store Texans’ personal data on American-owned and controlled servers in the US, and conduct annual independent product safety testing and remove products containing dangerous chemicals and materials, according to an agreement judgment.
Texas Cities Rebuffed in Battle to Retain Adjacent Area Control Original
Texas residents in unincorporated areas just outside a city’s limits can release themselves from municipal regulations under a 2023 state law, a state appeals court has ruled. SB 2038, which authorizes the break-up through a petition or election, survived numerous constitutional challenges from 25 cities and municipal development districts trying to hold onto the residents and their properties, according to the Court of Appeals, Fifteenth District, ruling released Thursday.
Texas County Beats Minority Voter Bid to Restore Polling Sites Original
Tarrant County can reduce the number of voting sites by nearly a third from the 316 available in the 2024 election, a Texas district court judge ruled. Judge Patrick Gallagher denied a request to restore 92 voting sites in Texas’ third most populous county from Black and Hispanic voters who sued, alleging the scaled down plan suppresses votes from racial minorities.
ICE Detention Warehouse Retrofit Faces Texas Environmental Suit Original
The conversion of a San Antonio warehouse into an immigration detention facility violates federal law, the Texas city said in a lawsuit Tuesday, because the government failed to follow critical steps to evaluate the environmental impact of the move. The warehouse purchased in February by Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is designed for the storage of goods, the city said.
Texas Justices Detour, Question Standing in Teacher Assignments
Texas’ education chief may have squandered a quick trial court victory by failing to challenge a teachers union’s standing to bring claims, justices on the state supreme court said during oral arguments Wednesday. Commissioner Mike Morath never questioned if teachers had suffered an injury when the Texas State Teachers Association challenged his agency’s rule on classroom assignments for failing public schools.
Texas Justices Detour, Question Standing in Teacher Assignments
Texas' education chief may have squandered a quick trial court victory by failing to challenge a teachers union's standing to bring claims, justices on the state supreme court said during oral arguments Wednesday.
AI Transcription Savings May Outweigh Errors, Texas Justices Say
Reducing litigation expenses by transcribing witness depositions with artificial intelligence technology likely outweighs concerns about accuracy, several justices on the Texas Supreme Court indicated during oral arguments Tuesday. Trial courts, justices said, have tools to address error-riddled transcripts, like comparing them against a recording of the deposition or ordering a new transcript prepared by a stenographer.
AI Transcription Savings May Outweigh Errors, Texas Justices Say
Reducing litigation expenses by transcribing witness depositions with artificial intelligence technology likely outweighs concerns about accuracy, several justices on the Texas Supreme Court indicated during oral arguments Tuesday.
Coinbase Secures Texas Derivative Dismissal Citing Delaware Exit
Texas corporate laws apply to shareholder lawsuits brought against Coinbase Global Inc. even though the claims involved allegations from when the company was still incorporated in Delaware, a Texas Business Court judge said.
Coinbase Secures Texas Derivative Dismissal Citing Delaware Exit
Texas corporate laws apply to shareholder lawsuits brought against even though the claims involved allegations from when the company was still incorporated in Delaware, a Texas Business Court judge said. The cryptocurrency exchange’s December 2025 relocation to Texas gave it status as a Texas corporation governed by Texas laws, Judge Andrea Bouressa said in Friday’s opinion.
Coinbase Dismisses Texas Derivative Suit After Delaware Exit (1)
Texas corporate laws apply to shareholder lawsuits brought against even though the claims involved allegations from when the company was still incorporated in Delaware, a Texas Business Court judge said. The cryptocurrency exchange’s December 2025 relocation to Texas gave it status as a Texas corporation governed by Texas laws, Judge Andrea Bouressa said in Friday’s opinion.
Uber Settles Bellwether Sexual Assault Case Before Third Trial Original
Uber Technologies Inc. settled a federal lawsuit from a sexual assault victim who was set to take the rideshare to trial in Texas beginning on Monday. The resolution, announced Oct. 2, marks a departure for Uber after it had proceeded to trial in two federal bellwether cases against passengers who said they were assaulted by the company's drivers. Uber lost both. In February, a jury in Arizona found Uber liable for not preventing the rape of a 19-year-old woman rider and awarded her $8.5 million.
Southwest Splits $2 Million in Fees in Religious Liberty Loss
and a transport workers union together will pay $2.13 million in attorneys’ fees and costs to a legal nonprofit that represented a flight attendant that sued them and won for wrongful termination over online posts opposing abortion. The two defendants in Charlene Carter’s federal discrimination lawsuit are each on the hook for half of the total amount, Judge Brantley Starr said in a Wednesday order.
Southwest Splits $2 Million in Fees in Religious Liberty Loss
Southwest Airlines Co. and a transport workers union together will pay $2.13 million in attorneys' fees and costs to a legal nonprofit that represented a flight attendant that sued them and won for wrongful termination over online posts opposing abortion.
Tris Pharma to Pay Texas $7.5 Million in Latest Drug Settlement
Tris Pharma Inc. will pay $7.5 million to settle claims from the state of Texas and a whistleblower that it misrepresented the efficacy of Dyanavel XR, an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug marketed for children. “Pharmaceutical companies that distort the truth to sell their products will face the consequences,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said in announcing the settlement Thursday.
Tris Pharma to Pay Texas $7.5 Million in New Drug Settlement (1)
Tris Pharma Inc. will pay $7.5 million to settle claims from the state of Texas and a whistleblower that it misrepresented the efficacy of Dyanavel XR, an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug marketed for children. “Pharmaceutical companies that distort the truth to sell their products will face the consequences,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said in announcing the settlement Thursday.
Tris Pharma to Pay Texas $7.5 Million in Latest Drug Settlement
Tris Pharma Inc. will pay $7.5 million to settle claims from the state of Texas and a whistleblower that it misrepresented the efficacy of Dyanavel XR, an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug marketed for children.
TikTok Granted Brief Stay As Texas Harmful Content Trial Looms
TikTok Inc. can have a temporary pause from trial court proceedings while it appeals a Texas state court's ruling that it lied about its ability to keep harmful material from children, a state appeals court ruled Tuesday.
TikTok Granted Brief Stay As Texas Harmful Content Trial Looms
can have a temporary pause from trial court proceedings while it appeals a Texas state court’s ruling that it lied about its ability to keep harmful material from children, a state appeals court ruled Tuesday. The justices on the Court of Appeals, Fifteenth District, said they need more time to decide if an indefinite stay is warranted under an exception for media members in First Amendment cases for which TikTok says it qualifies.
Boeing Beats Southwest Pilots’ Wages Claims over 737 Grounding
defeated claims from pilots that the aircraft manufacturer induced them into a collective bargaining agreement with misrepresentations about the 737 MAX airliner, a Texas Business Court judge ruled. Given the chance to fix a deficient petition this summer, the pilots’ labor union failed for a second time to show their damages were caused by acts or omissions from Boeing, Judge Andrea Bouressa said in a Monday order.
Boeing Beats Southwest Pilots' Wages Claims over 737 Grounding
Boeing Co. defeated claims from Southwest Airlines pilots that the aircraft manufacturer induced them into a collective bargaining agreement with misrepresentations about the 737 MAX airliner, a Texas Business Court judge ruled.
Texas Historic Hotel Investors Seek to Stop New $30 Million Ask
Investors in a $120 million historic hotel restoration project in Texas say the project manager is unlawfully soliciting additional capital that would make it hard for them to recover their investment. The Baker Hotel legacy investors say an attempt from Thomas Randall Nix to raise up to $30 million is prohibited because there are two vacancies on the four-member board that he refuses to fill, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in the Texas Business Court.
University of Texas Defeats Suit From Pro-Palestine Protestor
University of Texas at Austin didn’t violate the First Amendment, a federal judge ruled Thursday, when it suspended a student who led a pro-Palestine protest in 2024 that it said disrupted the flagship campus during finals week. The suspension was reasonable since the university president reasonably inferred the protest would lead to imminent violations of campus rules, Judge Robert Pitman of the Western District of Texas said in a findings of fact and conclusions of law.
Meta Loses Texas Venue Challenge in WhatsApp Encryption Suit
lost its bid to transfer Texas’ lawsuit alleging WhatsApp is able to access users’ encrypted messages, according to a state court order. Judge Brad Morin said he’s keeping the case in Harrison County, denying Meta’s request to move it to Travis County, home to the state attorney general’s office in Austin. The one-page order following a Sept. 17 hearing gives no explanation for the transfer denial. Meta had argued the county lacks connection to the parties, lawyers, or claims alleged.
Texas Must Add AC to All Prisons by End of 2029, Judge Orders
Texas must accelerate the timeline on a $1 billion-plus plan to install air conditioning in all state prisons, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, a win for inmate advocates who argued the state is moving too slowly to lower temperatures that have led to at least two dozen deaths. Installation of system wide air conditioning must be completed by the end of 2029, no matter how much it costs, US District Judge Robert Pitman of the Western District of Texas said.
TikTok Seeks Media Exception in Pausing Texas Child Safety Trial
is claiming to be a member of the media, as defined by Texas law, in asking a state appellate court to resolve its appeal of a judge’s ruling that it lied about its ability to keep harmful material from children before trial commences. Texas called the appeal a stunt to postpone the trial set for next month.
Texas Judge Punts to Lawmakers on GOP Closed Primary Challenge
A Texas judge will consider a bid from the state GOP to close election primaries to pre-registered Republicans only if the legislature fails to make the change next year. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk paused the party’s case Sept.
Interstate Handgun Sale Ban Unconstitutional, Fifth Circuit Says
A federal firearms ban against direct purchases of handguns across state lines is unconstitutional, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled Friday, creating a split with the Second Circuit. Requiring a purchased gun to go through a third-party dealer located in the buyer’s home state fails to comport with early principles underlying the Second Amendment, the court said.
Texas Bar Accreditation Remains Uncertain Following ABA Split
Non-accredited law schools wanting to break into Texas following the state’s split from the American Bar Association will likely have to wait until next year, the earliest it appears such requests will be considered. It’s been eight months since the Texas Supreme Court ended ties with the ABA, but the state judicial agency administering the bar exam says it’s still awaiting word from the justices on an approach to adding non-accredited schools to the state’s list.
Fermi Beats Co-Founder Neugebauer’s Bylaw Change Emergency Fight
Fermi Inc. can enforce a bylaw for now that co-founder Toby Neugebauer said stripped his authority to prepare the artificial intelligence powering project for sale, the Texas Business Court ruled Wednesday. The bylaw change, which requires a 70% of shareholder approval to enact amendments, will remain in place pending a temporary injunction hearing, Judge Brian Stagner said in a written order.
Texas Justice Seems Open to Mall Owner Liability in Shooting Original
, the biggest US mall owner, may need to defend claims it’s liable for a 2023 mass shooting that killed eight and wounded seven others at an open-air outlet center near Dallas, a Texas Supreme Court Justice suggested during oral arguments Wednesday. Justice Debra Lehrmann indicated an openness to liability for property owners in a mass shooting — an exception from case precedent that generally holds the owner harmless for unforeseeable criminal conduct on their property.
Ousted Fermi Co-Founder Entitled to Discovery on Bylaw Change
Fermi Inc. must produce evidence on allegations that former US Energy Secretary Rick Perry and his son conspired with others to force out co-founder Toby Neugebauer from the artificial intelligence powering project, a judge indicated at a hearing Tuesday.
Texas Justices Block County’s Unusual Mid-Election Map Redraw
Texas counties can’t alter precinct maps mid-election cycle, the state supreme court ruled Friday, ordering Galveston County to use the lines it employed in the March primary again for the November general election. The justices in halting the effectiveness of a June precinct redraw until after the general election rejected the coastal county’s argument that the primary and general are distinct elections.
Texas Justices Seek Litigation Finance Input After Panel’s ‘No’
Texas is moving closer to requiring disclosure of outside finance in litigation, even after a committee recommended against it last summer. One of several rough draft scenarios discussed by the advisory group Thursday would keep private the identities of funders pending a judge’s in-camera review of their involvement. Another would require a judge’s good cause finding before a party discloses its financial backers.
Texas Justices Aim to End Rural Legal Hole With $26 Million Fund
With lawyers concentrated disproportionately in the state’s big cities, the Texas Supreme Court is expanding rural legal services through a multi-year investment that could wind up reaching $100 million. The initial $26.7 million the court announced Sept. 4 is restricted to low-income residents in rural areas, the first time the court has approved a grant program for that specific population.
O’Rourke, Paxton Fundraising Court Fight Narrows After Appeal
A Texas appeals court sent Beto O’Rourke’s fundraising lawsuit to a Tarrant County court without addressing whether the judge properly ordered him to stop raising money for state House members who fled last year to avoid a vote on congressional redistricting. Review of the court’s restraining order became moot once the O’Rourke-backed Democrats returned to Texas and the state abandoned claims against O’Rourke for injunctive relief, the split court said Tuesday.
Big 12 Ends Texas Tech Lawsuit Over Brendan Sorsby’s Eligibility
The Big 12 Conference dismissed a lawsuit against Texas Tech University and the state of Texas over the eligibility of the school’s onetime quarterback, Brendan Sorsby. The conference ended the case Friday, a day before the Red Raiders opened the 2026 football season with Sorsby no longer part of the program.
Texas’ Billion-Dollar Side Deal Ranks High in Meta Settlement
A week before 47 states reached a $17 billion mid-trial settlement with over claims it caused social media addiction in young users, Texas was presented with an offer to join them. Instead, Texas worked up a $1.05 billion side deal with Meta that maxes out at $1.335 billion if ‘s YouTube and agree to the same terms and safety changes the Facebook and Instagram parent accepted in the multistate settlement Wednesday. Details of the Texas accord were confirmed in an Aug.
AT&T Wins $8 Million Verdict Over DOJ Probe Indemnity Failure
AT&T was awarded $8 million by a Texas jury that said third-party provider Fiberwave and a subcontractor failed to indemnify it in a Justice Department investigation into illegal kickbacks. Fiberwave and Spearhead Networks must each pay the telecommunications giant $4 million, a Business Court jury said in an Aug. 21 verdict. Jurors heard dueling contract claims at a weeklong trial, issuing the first jury verdict in the two-year-old court’s Dallas division.
Texas Instruments Loses Another Bid to Block Ex-VP’s New Job
Texas Instruments Inc. can’t stop a former vice president’s exit to a potential competitor, a judge said, because it hasn’t shown he misused confidential information in the new role even after he met with a client it’s looking to do business with. The semiconductor company’s arguments that GlobalFoundries US Inc. lured Kannan Soundrapandian to help it land mutual potential clients “ring hollow,” Judge Jerry Bullard of the Texas Business Court said.
Paxton Sidelined From Doctor’s Medical Board Ivermectin Lawsuit
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) must stand aside, a judge ruled Monday, in a case where he flipped sides and sought to intervene to support a medical doctor who attempted to give ivermectin to treat a patient with Covid-19. Paxton cannot involve himself in the lawsuit after his office briefly represented the defendant, the Texas Medical Board, before flipping to help the plaintiff, Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, who is challenging a public reprimand for her actions.
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