Parties often begin a business together without thinking through all of the legal details that define their rights. When they eventually divorce, they need to resort to the language in agreements that they entered into and also rely on statutory and common-law principles. In one recent case, the court held
partnership
In A Trust Case, A Court Affirms Judgment Against A Beneficiary/Limited Partner’s Aiding-And-Abetting-Breach-Of-Fiduciary-Duty Claim For Distributions To A Trustee/Limited Partner
By David Fowler Johnson on
Posted in Cases Decided, Texas Court of Appeals
In Marshall v. Ribosome L.P., a beneficiary of a trust sued a limited partnership of which the trustee was a partner. No. 01-18-00108-CV, 2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 3787 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] May 9, 2019, no pet. history). The beneficiary asserted that the limited partnership aided and abetted a…
Court Affirmed Finding That An Oral Partnership Existed And That A Partner Breached Fiduciary Duties
By David Fowler Johnson on
Posted in Cases Decided, Texas Court of Appeals
In Harun v. Rashid, two individuals started a restaurant business; one operated the business and the other financed it. No. 05-16-00584-CV, 2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 231 (Tex. App.—Dallas January 9, 2018, no pet. history). After some disagreements, the operator froze the financier out of the business. The financier sued,…
Court Reversed A Finding Of Breach Of Fiduciary Duty (And $470,000,000 Judgment) Because No Partnership Ever Existed Due To The Failure Of Conditions Precedent
By David Fowler Johnson on
Posted in Cases Decided, Texas Court of Appeals
In Enterprise Prods. Partners, L.P. v. Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., the jury found Enterprise Products Partners, L.P. (“Enterprise”) was in a general partnership with Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (“ETP”) regarding a pipeline project and that Enterprise breached its duty of loyalty as a partner to ETP. No. 05-14-01383-CV, 2017 Tex.…
Court Finds That Breach Of Fiduciary Duty Claims Is Preempted By Trade Secrets Claim
By David Fowler Johnson on
Posted in Cases Decided, Texas Court of Appeals
In Super Starr Int’l, LLC v. Fresh Tex Produce, LLC, a Texas entity that distributes produce throughout the United States filed suit against another Texas entity that imports foreign grown produce into the United States and other related entities for a variety of claims arising from the defendants’ attempts…
Court Holds That An Officer Of A General Partner Does Not Individually Owe Fiduciary Duties To The Partnership
By David Fowler Johnson on
Posted in Cases Decided, Texas Court of Appeals
In Rainier Income Fund I v. Gans, two limited partnerships sued an individual, who was the president of the general partner of the partnerships and co-owner of the only other limited partner, for breaching fiduciary duties allegedly owed to the limited partnerships. No. 05-15-00460-CV, 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 6042…