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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)

Securities Act Applicability ×
2026 Tex. Bus. 41 Summary Judgment July 01, 2026

Promissory Note Held Not a Security Under Texas Securities Act After Reves Analysis

In Thompson v. Anchor Capital GP, the Texas Business Court granted summary judgment to defendants, holding that a promissory note issued to finance a private equity partner buyout was a loan, not a security under the Texas Securities Act. Applying the four-factor Reves v. Ernst & Young test, Judge Whitehill concluded plaintiffs' TSA claims failed as a matter of law.

Mem. Op. Private Equity Summary Judgment Texas Securities Act Reves Test Promissory Note Opinion PDF ↓