Appellate Practice

In 2025, Tillotson Patton was ranked by Chambers USA as a leading appellate firm in Texas and described as “an excellent firm,” “very responsive,” and “a fantastic team” with “deep knowledge of Texas appellate courts and the Texas Supreme Court.”

At Tillotson Patton, our appellate team handles critical legal motions and appeals in a broad array of substantive areas from commercial and fiduciary disputes to personal injury and products liability to family law.

Our appellate team also works collaboratively and seamlessly with trial lawyers at Tillotson, functioning as members of a fully integrated trial team and positioning our clients for success at every stage. Our appellate specialists guide strategy in the trial court by framing legal issues early on, protecting the record, and preserving error.

The appellate group’s recent wins include:

Fischer v. Fischer, 2025 WL 3055619 (Tex. App.—Dallas Oct. 31, 2025) (affirming take-nothing summary judgment in case involving claims for breach of fiduciary duty and fraud)
Wissel v. Rural Media Grp., Inc., 2025 WL 1824823 (5th Cir. July 2, 2025) (reversing sanctions order against lawyer for opposing request for extension of time)
Medallion Pipeline Co. v. ARM Energy Mgmt. LLC, 2025 WL 1436057 (Tex. App.—Dallas May 19, 2025) (reversing $40+ million judgment in breach of contract case against pipeline company and remanding for consideration of pipeline company’s affirmative claim for breach)
Davis v. Next Frontier Holdings, Inc., 2025 WL 1225614 (Tex. App.—Austin April 29, 2025) (affirming order denying opposing party’s special appearance in suit involving various business torts)
Oncor Elec. Delivery Co. LLC v. Hawkins, 2024 WL 4945313 (Tex. App.—Dallas Dec. 3, 2024) (reversing $11+ million jury verdict and rendering take-nothing judgment in Oncor’s favor in personal-injury suit)
Staub v. BBVA USA, 2024 WL 4647554 (Tex. App.—Dallas Nov. 1, 2024) (affirming summary judgment in favor of BBVA Bank (now PNC) on an issue of statutory interpretation involving home equity lines of credit under the Texas Constitution)
In re State, 698 S.W.3d 904 (Tex. Sept. 26, 2024) (Blacklock, J. joined by Hecht, C.J. and Young, J., concurring in the denial of the petition for writ of mandamus and motion for emergency relief) (denying mandamus and emergency relief sought by State of Texas against City of Dallas to overturn City’s trial-court injunction involving the State Fair of Texas)
Greystar Student Housing Growth & Income Fund OP, LP v. Nova, 2024 WL 3897470 (Tex. App.—Dallas Aug. 22, 2024) (reversing trial court’s denial of motion to transfer venue in personal-injury suit regarding construction site accident)
Hipps v. CBRE, Inc., 2024 WL 3823233 (Tex. App.—Dallas Aug. 15, 2024) (holding temporary injunction granted to CBRE in suit to enforce noncompetition covenant was enforceable, and remanding only to narrow the injunction’s geographical scope)
Moreno v. Halperin, 2024 WL 3040414 (Tex. App.—Dallas June 18, 2024) (reversing summary judgment for trustee of liquidation trust on claim seeking declaratory judgment for foreclosure on Tiffany Moreno’s home)
Canadian Breaks LLC v. JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, 2024 WL 1337868 (N.D. Tex. March 28, 2024) (sustaining Canadian Breaks’ objections to magistrate judge’s recommendation that summary judgment be granted to JPMorgan on Canadian Breaks’ claim for breach of contract in Winter Storm Uri dispute and denying summary judgment on same)
Megatel C90-2, Inc. v. Bank of Utah, 715 S.W.3d 789 (Tex. App.—Dallas Feb. 7, 2024) (reversing certain damage and prejudgment interest awards in contract dispute involving aircraft lease)
Ly v. Maya Walnut LLC, 2024 WL 260761 (Tex. App.—Dallas Jan. 24, 2024) (reversing $20 million judgment in fraud case against commercial landlord and remanding for entry of judgment in landlord’s favor)
Muslow v. Louisiana State University & Agricultural & Mechanical College, Board of Supervisors, 2023 WL 5498952 (5th Cir. Aug. 24, 2023) (reversing summary judgment on plaintiffs’ Title VII and Equal Pay Act retaliation claims against LSU)