SDM attorneys Rachel Stephenson and Anthony Arguijo secured an appellate victory at the Supreme Court of Texas, which resulted in the reversal of a $21.6 million judgment that had been rendered against SDM’s client.

SDM’s client did not have a lawyer in the underlying litigation and instead appeared pro se. After a bench trial, SDM’s client had a $21.6 million judgment rendered against him. He again appeared pro se in seeking to have the judgment reversed at the court of appeals but was unsuccessful.

After filing a petition for review at the Supreme Court of Texas, SDM’s client sought representation through the pro bono program run by the State Bar of Texas, Appellate Section. Upon learning of the case, SDM agreed to take on the representation at the Supreme Court of Texas and handled all briefing on the merits. Relying on the briefing alone and without the need for oral argument, the Supreme Court of Texas reversed the $21.6 million judgment and remanded the case for a new trial.

The case is Wade v. Valdetaro, 696 S.W.3d 673 (Tex. 2024). A copy of the Supreme Court of Texas’s opinion is available here.