Steve Susman told us in a recent Am Law Lit Daily video chat that he makes money by settling cases — not trying them. But Susman will now have a welcome opportunity to test an exception to that rule.

On Friday a state court jury in Dallas awarded Susman Godfrey’s clients $178.7 million in a contracts case against NL Industries, its subsidiary NL Environmental Services and NL CEO Harold Simmons. Jurors concluded that the NL defendants had shortchanged the three companies (represented by Susman and co-counsel Tom Melsheimer of Fish & Richardson), which were minority shareholders in the subsidiary. The award included $33.7 million in actual damages, $140 million in punitive damages against NL Industries and $5 million in punitive damages against NL’s general counsel.

This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.

To view this content, please continue to their sites.

Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Why am I seeing this?

LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.

For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]