Overview
“That’s the best tried case I have ever seen,” Federal Judge Milton Pollack told our trial team after we successfully represented a certified class of investors in a three-week jury trial against an accounting firm, receiving a 70 million dollar verdict for our clients. (The case subsequently settled.) That’s what we do at Susman Godfrey. I have achieved verdicts for both plaintiffs and defendants in jury trials. In addition, I have prevailed multiple times for my clients through summary judgment, motions to dismiss, pleas to the jurisdiction and the like.
I represent both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of commercial matters, including securities litigation, breach of contract, fraud, and tortious interference with contract. After completing both college and law school at Yale University, I clerked for Judge Carolyn King on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, before coming to Susman Godfrey, where I am a partner.
Notable Representations
- Currently representing Castex Energy Inc. in dispute brought by MC Asset Recovery LL for tort claims. Case pending in Dallas federal court.
- Currently representing president of a company in litigation brought by a director against the company and its officers pending in Houston state court.
- In Re Terra Drill. Won federal jury verdict in favor of plaintiff class against accounting firm, Laventhol & Horvath.
- Huntsman Chemical Corp., Huntsman Styrene Corp., and Huntsman Corp. v. Sterling Chemicals, Inc., Court of Appeals of the First Supreme Judicial District, Houston, Texas, No. 01-96-218-CV. Successfully obtained summary judgment for client Sterling Chemicals, Inc. against Huntsman’s claim that the two companies had entered into a contract subsequently breached by Sterling Chemicals, Inc. Case settled while appeal pending.
- Marine Drilling. Represented Marine Drilling Corporation in antitrust case in Galveston federal court. Case settled.
- Texas Instruments v. Samsung. Represented Texas Instruments in jury trial in Texas state court. Case settled after trial.
- Oscar Wyatt v. El Paso Corporation. Part of team that represented El Paso in class action in federal district court in Houston as well as in related derivative cases and appeals.
- In re Worlds of Wonder Securities Litigation, 814 F. Supp. 850 (N.D. Cal. 1993), aff’d, 35 F.3d 1407 (9th Cir. 1994), cert. denied, 116 S. Ct. 185 (1995). Obtained and upheld summary judgment for former director and investors. Handled appeal through denial of cert at United States Supreme Court level.
- Tennessee Gas Pipeline. Represented defendant in jury trial involving claim under gas contract. Verdict for defendant.
Honors & Distinctions
Honors and Awards
- Phi Beta Kappa
Clerkships
- Honorable Carolyn D. King, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1985-1986
Education
Education
- Yale Law School (J.D., 1985)
- Yale University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1982)
Wins
- Won jury verdict in favor of plaintiff class in class action against Laventhol and Horwath.
- Part of a team that represented Tennessee Gas Pipeline to defense verdict in jury trial involving claim under gas contract.
- Obtained summary judgment for Sterling Chemicals (twice) in contract case against Huntsman Chemical Corp.
- Obtained summary judgment for director and investors in In Re Worlds of Wonder.
Admissions
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- Texas
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Publications
- “An Impermissible Punishment: The Decline of Consistency as a Constitutional Goal in Capital Sentencing,” 5 Pace L. Rev. 371 (Winter, 1985).
Leadership & Professional Memberships
Associations
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, organization that funds grants for legal and educational programs throughout Texas.
- Life member of Cattle Barons, organization raising money for cancer research.
