Dallas Morning News Reports on Wyly Win
June 8, 2013 – The Dallas Morning News reports today on a win for firm clients and Texas entrepreneurs Sam and Charles Wyly. The article, “Wyly Wins Rounds in SEC Dispute,” reports that “a federal judge in New York ruled Thursday that the Securities and Exchange Commission can seek only civil penalties in the case for violations that occurred from Feb. 1, 2001, to Feb. 1, 2006.
Bill Brewer, lead attorney for Sam Wyly, 78, called the ruling a “resounding victory,” according to the article. Brewer told the News, “The decision settles an issue at the heart of the SEC’s case and disposes of what the SEC claimed were potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties.”
Dallas Business Journal Reports on Settlement in American Cancer Society Lawsuit
June 4, 2013 — The Dallas Business Journal reports that the Bickel & Brewer Storefront, the community service affiliate of the Dallas law firm, has reached a settlement on behalf of the American Cancer Society in connection with weather-related losses during the 2012 Cattle Baron's Ball.
The American Cancer Society filed suit against an insurance agency and insurance brokerage firm alleging they "botched" an insurance policy that should have allowed for the collection of $300,000 due to storm-induced losses after heavy rains soaked the event venue.
The report states, "The suit claimed Cattle Baron's Ball organizers wanted and thought they had purchased coverage that would pay if it rained an inch or more between 4 p.m. and midnight on the day of the event at Southfork, which it did. Instead, the rainfall was measured at Collin County Regional Airport in McKinney, more than 12 miles away from the event site, where less than an inch fell."
Terms of the settlement with insurance agency Ragland Strother & Lafitte were not released.
Dallas Morning News: Grand Prairie ISD Sued Over At-Large Elections in Latest Voting Rights Act Suit
May 13, 2013 – The Dallas Morning News reports that a federal lawsuit was filed against the Grand Prairie Independent School District (GPISD) over its at-large school board elections.
The lawsuit, filed by Bickel & Brewer (now Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors) on behalf of plaintiff Victor Rodriguez, claimed that the at-large system was designed to protect the political power of the Anglo majority and deny representation to Hispanic citizens of voting age in the district. Hispanic students made up the majority of the district's enrollment, yet all seven school board members were white men.
The lawsuit argued that the election system prevented Hispanic voters from having the ability to participate effectively in local elections.
“The voting system is inappropriate in our view,” said William A. Brewer III, lead counsel for Rodriguez, a voter in the school district. “When you talk to the demographic experts about whether you can create Hispanic opportunity districts, this is another one of these cases where change is needed in order for the Hispanic electorate to have the ability to participate."
The article further details the history of similar lawsuits filed by Brewer in nearby cities, such as Farmers Branch and Irving, which led to changes in their voting systems.
Read more here.
Dallas Morning News Reports on Firm's Efforts to Support Future Leaders
January 5, 2013 — The Dallas Morning News reports on students taking part in the Bickel & Brewer Foundation Future Leaders Program (FLP), stating that the students are "part of an after-school program whose mission is to cross fault lines between rich and poor, between life south and north of the Trinity River. The program’s charge is to get selected Dallas ISD students into college."
The article, titled "Law firm helps propel needy Dallas ISD students into college as ‘the chosen,'" states that the program is "free for students and funded by a foundation operated by Bickel & Brewer, a 42-lawyer corporate firm where top attorneys earn $1,000 an hour, defending corporations or litigating for them."
“If we are not a country that ensures equal outcomes, how do we ensure equal opportunities?” said Bill Brewer, explaining his motivation for founding the program.
Students are selected by their teachers for the Dallas program based on grades, school attendance, civic involvement and leadership potential.
“What has been affirmed is that children and young people want to learn and become their very best selves,” said St. Mark’s School of Texas headmaster Arnold Holtberg, who has worked with the FLP since 2001.
To read the full article, click here.
Good News for 3M and Anglers
July 3, 2012 – The Pioneer Press reports on the Minnesota Department of Health finding that fish in the local area are safer to eat in an article titled “For 3M and for Anglers, Good News.” Prior findings had become an area of focus for local fishermen, state officials, and environmentalists.
3M is arguing against prior designations for local waterways that claim the water is “impaired.”
William. A. Brewer III said, “Based on this revised fish advisory for Pool 2, we believe the PCA will revise the drat Impaired Waters List.”
The article observes 3M has spent more than $100 million to clean the chemicals out of the water. It also installed filters for drinking water, among other things. The Press reports that “The efforts appear to be making a difference.”
Dallas Morning News: Farmers Branch Rent Law Rejected
March 22, 2012 – The Dallas Morning News reports that the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling that a Farmers Branch ordinance banning illegal immigrants from renting in the city was unconstitutional.
The decision on March 21, 2012, found that the power to control immigration rests with the federal government and not states or cities.
The appeals court judges found the ordinance was more than a housing regulation and was “designed to burden aliens, both documented and undocumented, in Farmers Branch. As such, the ordinance serves no legitimate city interest.”
Attorney William Brewer, who challenged the ordinance, said the opinion made it “clear that this ordinance was intended to discriminate against Hispanics.”
Brewer, a partner at Bickel & Brewer Storefront (now Brewer Storefront), stated that “The decision makes clear what we have contended all along – that the ordinance is unconstitutional, and that the city is attempting to interfere in an area that is clearly the province of the federal government.”
Read more here.
Dallas Morning News: OSU, Pickens Lose Key Round
March 12, 2012 – The Dallas Morning News reports on a high-profile dispute between firm client Larry Anders and the fundraising arm of Oklahoma State University over the school’s “Gift of a Lifetime” program that involved oilman T. Boone Pickens, among others. The article, titled “U.S. Judge Rules Oklahoma State Officials, Pickens weren’t Tricked into Life Insurance Deal,” reports that U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis rejected all claims by OSU officials and Pickens – siding with firm client Anders.
According to the article, OSU alumni “agreed to allow the university to purchase $10 million life insurance policies on them, policies that reportedly would have raised as much as $350 million in benefits.” The program reportedly ran into trouble, as “OSU had paid $33 million in premiums for two years and was facing a $16 million payment.”
“Cowboy Athletics ran into three problems,” said attorney Bill Brewer, who represented Mr. Anders, the general agent and broker who has been sued by Cowboy Athletics and Pickens. “The bad financial markets caused one of the school’s primary funding sources to dry up. Second, they had not arranged for premium financing because they depended on the funding sources. And, none of the 27 people died.”
Solis also rejected Pickens’ claim that he had been defrauded or misled by the “Gift of a Lifetime” effort, reported The News.
To read more, click here.
3M Wants Met Council to Share River Pollution Blame
January 9, 2012 – The Pioneer Press reports today on firm client 3M Company and its efforts to hold Met Council responsible for alleged contamination due to certain chemicals produced by the company. The article explains 3M filed a counterclaim against Met Council – alleging that the planning agency “dumps chemicals into the river form its even waste treatment plants.”
The article quotes firm partner William Brewer, who notes the chemicals must be coming from sources other than 3M. He observes 3M stopped making PFOS in 2002. So, 10 years later, why is the chemical still being found in the Mississippi River, the reporting asks. Brewer told the Press it must be that it is coming from other sources than 3M. The article notes that Minnesota AG Lori Swanson filed a lawsuit against 3M.
To read the article “3M Turns Tables on Met Council in Mississippi River Pollution Trial,” click here.