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Dallas, Texas  ·  Complex Commercial Litigation

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Portrait of Hon. Brian Stagner

Hon. Brian Stagner

Judge · Seat 8B

Texas Business Court · Eighth Business Court Division (Fort Worth)

Biography

Judge Brian Stagner serves on the Texas Business Court for the Eighth Division, located in Fort Worth, Texas. Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Stagner practiced law for 27 years at Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP, where he served as partner and co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. During this time, he handled complex business litigation in more than 40 states, representing clients on both sides of the docket. His practice included corporate governance disputes, unfair business practices, e-commerce, insurance coverage, taxation, consumer class actions, and intellectual property matters. Judge Stagner has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® annually since 2010. In addition to his judicial duties, Judge Stagner is an adjunct professor at Texas Christian University, where he teaches Business Law. He is a former Barrister of the American Inns of Court and is a sustaining Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, as well as a Fellow of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation. Judge Stagner earned his law degree, summa cum laude, from Texas Tech University School of Law, where he served on the Law Review and was named to the Order of the Coif. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Angelo State University. Judge Stagner and his wife, Amy, have been happily married for 30 years and are proud parents of two daughters, Claire and Katie.

Source: txcourts.gov

Opinions by Judge Stagner (1)

LLC Involuntary Winding Up ×
2025 Tex. Bus. 32 Motion to Dismiss August 14, 2025

Business Court Retains Jurisdiction Over LLC Winding-Up Despite Parallel District Court Litigation

In Martens v. Lamkin Land & Cattle Company, Judge Stagner rejected defendants' attempt to dismiss or abate a Business Court action seeking involuntary winding-up of an LLC under Section 11.314, holding that the claim was not compulsory in earlier-filed district court litigation over sale proceeds and that the two cases were not sufficiently interrelated to invoke dominant jurisdiction. The decision clarifies that Business Court jurisdiction over entity governance disputes is not defeated by parallel contract claims in traditional courts.

Plea to the Jurisdiction Section 11.314 Dominant Jurisdiction LLC Winding-Up Compulsory Counterclaim Opinion PDF ↓