State courts in Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, and Denton counties all rendered large judgments in 2011. Perhaps not surprisingly, due to their smaller dockets, state courts in the outlying counties of the DFW area did not render any judgments over $1,000,000 in 2011.

While federal courts sit in four locations in the DFW area (Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, and Sherman), of these, only the Dallas federal courts rendered judgments over $1,000,000 in 2011.

At over $74.1 million, Art Midwest, Inc. v. Clapper was by far the largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge David Godbey’s federal district court in Dallas, involved a dispute among parties to the sale of eight apartment complexes. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

At over $11.2 million, Resort Development Latin America, Inc. v. Barton was the second-largest DFW-area judgment rendered 2011. It was the largest rendered in state court. The case, out of Judge Tonya Parker’s state district court in Dallas, involved allegations that an officer of a real estate development company left the company to form a competing company. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been appealed to the Dallas Court of Appeals.

At over $10.9 million, Cravens v. Myers was the third-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. It was the second largest rendered in state court and was the largest rendered in Tarrant County. The case, out of Judge Bonnie Sudderth’s state district court in Fort Worth, involved a dispute among partners who were working to develop a surgical hospital. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been appealed to the Fort Worth Court of Appeals.

At over $5.4 million, OurLink, LLC v. Goldberg was the fourth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. It was the second largest rendered in federal court. The case, in which judgment was rendered by Dallas federal magistrate Judge Jeff Kaplan, involved allegations that the owners of a company provided misleading information about the company’s profitability to induce a buyer to purchase the company. The judgment, which followed an arbitration award, was not appealed.

At over $4.6 million, RSS Rail Signal Systems Corp. v. Sky King Foundation, Inc. was the fifth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. It was the second largest rendered in the state courts of Dallas County. The case, out of Judge Carl Ginsberg’s state district court in Dallas, involved allegations that a company was provided money for the purchase of an airplane but instead used the money for other purposes. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, was not appealed.

At over $4.4 million, Abutahoun v. Dow Chemical Co. was the sixth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. It was the largest in which a personal injury was alleged. The case, out of Judge Jim Jordan’s state district court in Dallas, involved allegations that asbestos-containing products used at a chemical plant caused an individual to suffer from mesothelioma. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been appealed to the Dallas Court of Appeals.

At over $4.1 million, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. v. Alon, USA, LP was the seventh-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge David Godbey’s federal district court in Dallas, involved an explosion at a refinery, an insurance company’s payment to its insured for property damage, and the insurance company seeking to recover the amount of that payment from the refinery’s owners. The judgment, which followed a bench trial, has been appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

At over $4 million, Fritts v. McDowell was the eighth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge Martin Lowy’s state district court in Dallas, involved allegations that a company was not fulfilling contractual obligations to liquidate a former employee’s ownership interests. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, was not appealed.

At exactly $4 million, Knuff v. Gevisser was the ninth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge Martin Lowy’s state district court in Dallas, involved allegations that defamatory statements were posted on websites and were also sent via email. The judgment, which followed a bench trial, has been appealed to the Dallas Court of Appeals.

At over $3.8 million, Nationwide Recovery Systems, Ltd. v. HHT Ltd., LLC was the tenth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. It was the largest rendered in Collin County. The case, out of Judge Scott Becker’s state district court in McKinney, involved allegations that former employees were violating their confidentiality and non-solicitation agreements. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been appealed to the Dallas Court of Appeals.

At over $3.8 million, Chieftain International (U.S.), Inc. v. Endeavor Oil & Gas, Inc. was the eleventh-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge Martin Hoffman’s state district court in Dallas, involved allegations that an owner of an interest in mineral rights did not pay the owner’s share of costs related to work performed on wells. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, was not appealed.

At over $3.4 million, Monroe Shop Partners, Ltd. v. Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority was the twelfth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge Carlos Cortez’s state district court in Dallas, involved a dispute over the purchase of real estate. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been appealed to the Dallas Court of Appeals.

At over $3 million, Bell v. Freeman was the thirteenth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. It was the second largest rendered in Tarrant County. The case, out of Judge Dana Womack’s state district court in Fort Worth, involved allegations that a bar had served alcohol to a patron and that the patron’s intoxication-impaired driving caused several deaths. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been challenged by motion in the trial court.

At over $2.4 million, Goodwin v. Quiktrip Corp. was the fourteenth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. It was the largest rendered in Denton County. The case, out of Judge Doug Robison’s state district court in Denton, involved allegations that a woman was raped and murdered after leaving a convenience store. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been challenged by motion in the trial court.

At over $2.3 million, Worldwide Express Operations, LLC v. DHL Express (USA), Inc. was the fifteenth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge Craig Smith’s state district court in Dallas, involved a dispute between a shipping service provider and a company that had contracted with the provider to resell the provider’s services. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been appealed to the Dallas Court of Appeals.

At over $2.2 million, Courier Solutions, Inc. v. CSA Delivery, Inc. was the sixteenth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge David Godbey’s federal district court in Dallas, involved allegations that an officer of a corporation diverted business opportunities from the corporation to a completing corporation he had formed. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

At over $2.2 million, Barash Energy, Ltd. v. Ropa Exploration Corp. was the seventeenth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge Dana Womack’s state district court in Fort Worth, involved allegations of failure to repay money lent pursuant to a promissory note. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been appealed to the Fort Worth Court of Appeals.

At over $2.2 million, Bravo v. I.J.R., Inc. was the eighteenth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge David Godbey’s federal district court in Dallas, involved allegations that an employee was injured due to the negligence of his co-workers. The judgment, which followed a bench trial, was not appealed.

At over $2.1 million, J.G. Cooper Development, Inc. v. Lawyers Title Co. was the nineteenth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge Carl Ginsberg’s state district court in Dallas, involved allegations that a title company authorized disbursement of escrowed funds without authorization. The judgment, which followed the trial court granting a motion for summary judgment, has been appealed to the Dallas Court of Appeals.

At over $1.9 million, Phillips v. BNSF Railway Co. was the twentieth-largest DFW-area judgment rendered in 2011. The case, out of Judge Tom Lowe’s state district court in Fort Worth, involved allegations that an employee was injured due to cumulative trauma incurred during the course of his employment. The judgment, which followed a jury verdict, has been appealed to the Fort Worth Court of Appeals.