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Dallas, Texas  ·  Complex Commercial Litigation

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Portrait of Hon. Bill Whitehill

Hon. Bill Whitehill

Judge · Seat 1B

Texas Business Court · First Business Court Division (Dallas)

Biography

Bill Whitehill is an inaugural Judge of the Texas Business Court First Division, Dallas. He came to the Court from Condon Tobin Sladek Thornton Nerenberg PLLC, where he was a member and led the firm’s Appellate Section. Before joining the Business Court, Bill served as a Justice on the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals, where he authored over 600 substantive opinions. Bill was an associate and partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP, now known as Foley & Lardner, LLP for thirty-three years. At Gardere, he handled commercial, antitrust, securities, intellectual property, and fiduciary trials and appeals. He is a sustaining life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and fellow of the Dallas Bar Foundation. He is a homeless kitchen volunteer for Cornerstone Baptist Church and is a former co-teacher and mentor at Cornerstone Crossroads Academy. Bill received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor with honors from the SMU Dedman School of Law and an Order of the Coif member.

Source: txcourts.gov

Opinions by Judge Whitehill (1)

Nonwaiver Clause ×
2026 Tex. Bus. 15 Summary Judgment April 02, 2026

Contract Construction and Location Commitments: Business Court Interprets Four Interrelated Agreements to Determine Redemption Rights in Arena Partnership Dispute

In Dallas Sports Group v. DSE Hockey Club, the Business Court granted summary judgment to the Mavericks, holding that the "Location Commitments" in franchise agreements required the Stars to maintain their Team's principal corporate and executive offices in Dallas—not merely the Owner's offices—and that the Stars' relocation to Frisco constituted a breach triggering redemption rights for $110. The court applied traditional contract construction principles to four separate but related agreements executed over a one-year period, rejecting the Stars' argument that their conduct had waived enforcement of the redemption provisions.

Summary Judgment Partnership Agreements Contract Construction Redemption Rights Defined Terms Opinion PDF ↓