Hunton Appellate Team Assists BGM Litigators in Securing First Jury Victory in Texas Business Court, Austin Division

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP appellate counsel assisted Boulette Golden & Marin (BGM) in securing a comprehensive jury verdict in favor of ES3 Minerals, LLC (ES3) in the first jury trial in the Texas Business Court, Third Division.

The jury found three former senior executives of ES3 and their competing entity, Liberty Mineral Partners (LMP), liable for willful and malicious misappropriation of ES3’s proprietary system for acquiring and selling mineral rights in Texas. The defendants, who held key positions at ES3, were found to have misappropriated ES3’s integrated trade secrets, determined to be worth over $40 million, to launch LMP and quickly generate substantial revenue. The jury unanimously awarded ES3 $9 million in exemplary damages, spread across multiple defendants.

Hunton appellate partner Ryan Clinton and associate Laine Weatherford supported the trial team throughout the proceedings. The BGM trial team was led by Michael Marin, with Steven Garrett, Tori Bell, and Taylor Graham serving as trial counsel and Jason Boulette as litigation advisor.

The case is among the first jury verdicts rendered in the Business Courts of Texas, which were established to provide specialized courts for complex commercial disputes. The Court is expected to enter a final judgment on the jury’s findings and address post-trial motions and potential injunctive relief in the coming weeks.

To read a full account of the case (ES3 Minerals, LLC v. Kreines, Ryan, LMP, et al., Cause No. 24-BC03B-0005), see BGM’s release here.