On October 13, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rejected an attempt to apply Texas' $25 million supersedeas-bond cap in a commercial litigation dispute between Civelli v. Mulacek, ruling that the state law does not apply in federal court.

Munsch Hardt Shareholder Dick Schwartz served as co-lead counsel for businessman Carlo Civelli in the eight-year breach-of-contract dispute involving oil and gas interests in Papua New Guinea. The litigation resulted in a $138 million federal jury verdict and a subsequent judgment exceeding $210 million.

The ruling was featured in The Texas Lawbook's Litigation Roundup.