Burford Perry is closing out 2024 with a $33.2 million final judgment for Katy, Texas-based GETZ Transport Solutions, LLC, in a high-stakes contract dispute.
The multimillion-dollar victory is the latest example of the experienced attorneys at Burford Perry winning at multiple levels in complex business lawsuits.
Burford Perry partner Robert Burford led the GETZ legal team alongside partner Matt Parks and associate Erica Fauser. Houston attorney Gary E. Parks also represented GETZ.
The case centered around a 2020 agreement between GETZ and Irving, Texas-based Wynne Transportation to jointly bid on a state contract to provide emergency transportation management services. The companies won the bid, agreeing to split the profits, 55 percent to Wynne and 45 percent to GETZ.
A year later, Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in reaction to what he considered a disaster at the state’s southern border, and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) called on Wynne and GETZ to provide emergency bus transportation services under their existing agreement.
Wynne terminated its contract with GETZ without cause almost two years early. As a result, GETZ was left with nothing, while Wynne pocketed tens of millions of dollars in profits by busing more than 100,000 volunteer migrants to so-called sanctuary cities across the U.S.
The dispute played out in arbitration, which Burford Perry won convincingly in October with a $32.8 million award in favor of GETZ, including $700,000 to cover the company’s attorneys’ fees.
The trial judge in Harris County’s 234th Judicial District Court confirmed the arbitration decision before issuing a final judgment on December 12. Under the Court’s order, Wynne and its parent company must pay GETZ the full arbitration award plus over $423,000 in interest to be compounded at an 8.5 percent annual rate until the judgment is paid.
