Jackson Walker recently secured an appellate victory for client First Tennessee Bank when the Fifth Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s grant of summary judgment in a case involving the estate of a high-profile Dallas family.

This case arose from more than a decade of legal battles that began when Albert G. Hill III sued several family members, trustees, and others for alleged wrongdoing in the management and administration of family trusts. Hill III settled the cases via a Global Settlement Agreement, provided his father, Albert G. Hill, Jr., pay approximately $30 million into the registry of the Federal Court. The rights to those funds were assigned to the grandchildren of Hill, Jr., and, in early 2016, the Federal Court ordered the disbursement of those funds to the grandchildren’s trusts. After the trustee of the grandchildren’s trusts accepted the disbursement from the Federal Court’s registry, PBL Multi-Strategy Fund, L.P. (which provided financing during the prior litigation), Campbell Harrison & Dagley, L.L.P., and Calloway, Norris, Burdette & Weber, PLLC, – law firms that were involved in the prior litigation – sued the trustee, seeking recovery of the funds that the Federal Court transferred to the grandchildren’s trusts.

Jackson Walker represented the trustee and filed a motion for summary judgment based on the affirmative defenses of claim preclusion and issue preclusion. The trial court granted that motion in all respects and dismissed PBL and the law firms’ claims. Plaintiffs appealed to the Dallas Court of Appeals, and in an opinion authored by Justice David Schenck, the Court affirmed the trial court’s granting of summary judgment. Read the full opinion here.

First Tennessee Bank was represented by Robert P. Latham, Christopher R. Bankler, and Eric Wong of Jackson Walker.

Meet Bob

Robert P. Latham represents clients a wide array of commercial litigation matters. His practice involves trust, probate, and fiduciary litigation, including will contests, disputes over removal or appointment of trustees, disputes over choice of representative, and disputes over trusts and estates. He has also developed nationally recognized experience in the areas of media law and intellectual property litigation and chairs both practice areas at Jackson Walker.

Meet Chris

Litigation partner Christopher R. Bankler focuses on the resolution of disputes for businesses and financial institutions. His practice consists of counseling clients through the process of complex business litigation, including general business disputes, fraud claims, breach of fiduciary duty cases, and breach of contract claims. An experienced litigator, Chris has served as litigation counsel in more than 100 cases in state and federal courts.

Meet JW

For more than 130 years, Jackson Walker has played a vital role in the growth and development of Texas business. Since our founding in 1887, our attorneys have represented some of the most influential companies in the state in key industries that shaped the course of Texas history, including railroads, the media, and oil and gas exploration. Today, we remain firmly rooted in Texas while serving clients around the globe. With more than 375 attorneys in our seven offices, we serve clients around the world in a broad range of practices and industries. Our clients know they can count on us to deliver personalized service, legal experience, and added value.