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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.
Opinions by Judge Whitehill (2)
Discovery Rule and Inquiry Notice Bar Fraud Claims Against Healthcare Investment Defendants Despite Alleged Concealment
In Riverside Strategic Capital Fund I v. CLG Investments, 2025 Tex. Bus. 35, the Business Court of Texas granted traditional summary judgment on statute of limitations grounds, holding that inquiry notice more than four years before suit was filed barred fraud, money had and received, and conspiracy claims arising from a securities purchase agreement. The court found that summary judgment evidence conclusively established plaintiffs were aware of facts that would cause a reasonably prudent person to make an inquiry leading to discovery of their causes of action.
Personal Jurisdiction Requires More Than Investment in Texas-Based Company: Business Court Grants Special Appearance
In Riverside Strategic Capital Fund I v. CLG Investments, 2025 Tex. Bus. 33, Judge Whitehill granted a special appearance by nineteen out-of-state defendants, holding that plaintiffs failed to establish minimum contacts where defendants invested in a Delaware entity governed by Delaware law and made no purposeful contacts with Texas. The court rejected arguments that knowledge of the company's Texas operations, designation of a Texas-based agent, or participation in prior Texas litigation established specific jurisdiction over passive investors.