On July 14, 2023, SDM secured a complete defense verdict for Covenant Management Systems, the management organization for one of the largest physician-owned health-care providers in Texas. After the owner of commercial property where Covenant hoped to open a large specialty clinic failed to deliver the property according to the parties’ lease agreement, Covenant filed suit in Travis County state court for declaratory judgment stating that the term of the lease never commenced. The landowner countersued seeking millions of dollars in purported damages, including all rent and expenses that would have been due under the twelve-year lease. After a week-long trial, the jury rendered a complete defense verdict for Covenant after deliberating for less than two hours.

SDM partners Paige Amstutz and David Shank tried the case to the jury, and SDM partner Sara Clark handled arguments to the court concerning the jury charge and other legal issues. Rounding out the team was paralegal Luis Garcia, litigation support analyst Brooke Davey, and case clerk Arnold Wade, each of whom played invaluable roles before and during trial.