Builder defense
Summary judgment
Homeowners' evidence stricken, every claim dismissed with prejudice, judgment on our client's counterclaim, and a receiver appointed. Read the order
2026
Home · Practice areas · Civil litigation
A civil lawsuit, from the first filing to the judgment.
Most people meet civil litigation once, on the day they are served or the day they decide to sue. This is how a Texas civil case actually runs, and where it is usually won or lost. We represent plaintiffs and defendants in contract, business, property and construction cases in Williamson and Travis Counties and across Texas.
What we handle
- Filing suit, or answering one by the deadline
- Discovery: documents, written questions and depositions
- Summary judgment, which decides many cases without a trial
- Temporary restraining orders and injunctions
- Mediation and settlement
- Trial, and collecting the judgment
How we approach it
The first filing. A defendant served in a Texas district or county court must answer by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday after twenty days from service, and some objections are lost unless they come first. A plaintiff’s first filing decides the court, the claims and often the fees available. See the answer deadline.
Discovery. Each side must disclose its basic information and documents without being asked, then may serve written discovery and take depositions within limits set by the rules. A suit seeking only money, and no more than $250,000 excluding interest, penalties and fees, is generally an expedited action with tighter limits and an earlier trial.
Summary judgment. Many cases are decided here, on the documents and sworn declarations, without a trial. That is why we hold the other side’s evidence to the rules from the start: in Aramcor v. Tri Marsh Retail and Murphy v. Liberty Hill Construction, the opposing evidence was stricken and judgment followed. See the summary judgment deadlines.
Mediation and trial. Most Texas courts order mediation before trial, and most cases settle. The ones that do not are tried to a judge or a jury, and a judgment is only worth what can be collected on it.
The court’s rules on AI
Texas state courts. No statewide rule on AI is in force. In June 2026 the Supreme Court of Texas preliminarily approved a new Rule 13 under which signing a filing certifies that the signer verified it, including that its citations, quotations and holdings are not fabricated; no final order had issued. The Business Court’s Local Rule 10(c) permits AI but makes the filer independently responsible for every filing. The courts of appeals have no AI rules but sanction fabricated authority under their inherent power, as the Dallas court did in 2025, and Ethics Opinion 705 advises verifying every output, protecting confidences and supervising its use.
Checked against each court’s own rules and orders on 5 November 2026 for John Henry’s talk “AI in Modern Litigation” at the Eastern District of Texas Bankruptcy Bench Bar Conference. Rules change; the full reference, with every order cited, is on the AI in litigation page.
Related results
Contract
Summary judgment
Both of the defendant's declarations stricken, then judgment on the contract claim with attorney's fees. Read the order
2025
Defense
Take nothing
Judgment that the plaintiff recover nothing on a $4 million contract and tortious-interference claim.
2011
Defense
Directed verdict
Take-nothing directed verdict for our client in a real estate dispute.
2014
Past results depend on the facts of each case and do not predict a similar outcome. Confidential matters are described without their terms.
Questions people ask
How long does a civil lawsuit take in Texas?
A case decided on summary judgment can end in months. One that goes to trial usually takes a year or more, depending on the court’s docket and the amount of discovery.
I have been served with a lawsuit. What do I do first?
Note the date you were served and send us the petition the same day. The answer deadline runs from service, and some defenses must be raised in the first filing.
Do you represent plaintiffs or defendants?
Both. We bring suits for businesses and owners who are owed money or property, and defend those who have been sued.
What is an expedited action?
A Texas suit in which every claimant seeks only monetary relief of $250,000 or less, excluding interest, statutory or punitive damages, penalties, fees and costs, generally proceeds under Rule 169 with limited discovery and an earlier trial setting.