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First Amendment Cases & Legal Case Studies

1980: Miller v. TransAmerican Press Inc.—Established a precedent allowing reporters to protect confidential sources as part of their First Amendment privileges.

1998: Served as the lead attorney for Oprah Winfrey, successfully defending her when she was sued by a group of cattlemen from Amarillo, Texas who believed that an episode of her show about mad cow disease violated the False Disparagement of Perishable Food Products Act.

1999: Successfully defended Amway in a civil lawsuit filed by Procter & Gamble alleging that Amway violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

2003-2009: Represented the Providence, Rhode Island-based television station WPRI and their cameraman, when they were sued for wrongful death and injury after allegedly obstructing exits during a Rhode Island nightclub fire.

2006: Represented the now Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, the Honorable Nathan Hecht, in a First Amendment case involving the comments he made about a nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court.

2009: Represented The Dallas Morning News in a defamation lawsuit initiated by restaurant mogul, Phil Romano.

2011: Successfully defended the Chief Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in an effort to remove her from the bench.

2013: Represented Peteski Productions Inc. in a case against Gawker Media for copyright infringement, alleging that its website, Deadspin, published video from the Dr. Phil Show before it aired.

2015: Tried and won a case for a Texas state district judge regarding her Facebook posts.