Appellate success in Fort Worth reduces judgment by millions

Ware Jackson partner Michelle R. Meriam Blair appealed a multi-million-dollar judgment entered against multiple clients in a complex business dispute. The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, Texas found in the clients’ favor on numerous issues, including by reversing certain awards for alleged contract damages, applying credits and offsets to other awards, forcing the defendant to elect between remaining awards, and reversing over $1 million in attorneys’ fees. Partner Tim Lee and of-counsel John E. Nelson, III also assisted in the appeal.

In an extraordinarily rare move, the court of appeals then granted Ware Jackson’s motion for rehearing and reduced the judgment by another $800,000. Altogether, Ware Jackson’s appeal reduced the original judgment by over 80 percent, or $5.5 million. The opinion on rehearing is Spicer, Tr. for Estate of Brady v. Maxus Healthcare Partners, LLC, No. 02-17-00449-CV, 2020 WL 7394223 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth Dec. 17, 2020).