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Craig E. Zieminski
Craig E. Zieminski
Partner — Commercial & Business Litigation
Partner — Commercial & Business Litigation

Craig E. Zieminski

Craig E. Zieminski
Dallas

Trammell Crow Center
2001 Ross Avenue
Suite 3900
Dallas, Texas 75201

Craig E. Zieminski

M&A Litigation

  • Obtained post-trial opinion permitting Energy Transfer Equity, LP to terminate merger agreement with The Williams Companies based on failure of condition precedent relating to the provision of a tax opinion; the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the decision. The Williams Companies, Inc. v. Energy Transfer Equity, L.P., 2016 WL 3576682 (Del. Ch. June 24, 2016), aff’d, 159 A.3d 264 (Del. 2017)

  • Secured reversal of an injunction issued by the Delaware Court of Chancery against an oilfield services company and its directors in a fiduciary duty lawsuit; the Court of Chancery subsequently granted defendants’ motion to dismiss and denied plaintiff’s motion for fees, and the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal.  C&J Energy Services, Inc. v. City of Miami Retirement Trust, 107 A.3d 1049 (Del. 2014), on remand, 2016 WL 4464274 (Del. Ch. Aug. 24, 2016), aff’d, 158 A.3d 885 (Del. 2017)

  • Obtained take-nothing post-trial judgment in a class action lawsuit challenging a midstream energy company’s securities issuance in the Delaware Court of Chancery; the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the decision. In re Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. Unitholder Litig., 2018 WL 2254706 (Del. Ch. May 17, 2018), aff’d, 223 A.3d 97 (Del. 2019)

  • Obtained dismissal of securities fraud class-action filed after a pipeline leaked oil in the Pacific Ocean; Plaintiffs challenged the pipeline company’s disclosures regarding its operations and maintenance efforts; the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal. In re Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. Sec. Litig., 307 F.Supp.3d 583 (S.D. Tex. 2018), aff’d, 777 Fed. Appx. 726 (5th Cir. 2019)

  • Obtained dismissal of securities fraud claims arising after a sudden drop in an MLP’s stock price; the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal. Anderson v. StoneMor Partners, L.P., 296 F. Supp. 3d 693 (E.D. Pa. 2017), aff’d, 927 F.3d 710 (3d Cir. 2019)

  • Obtained post-trial judgment in favor of defendants in a class action lawsuit alleging that a midstream MLP’s general partner had breached its duties when agreeing to merge the MLP with an affiliated energy company.  Dieckman v. Regency GP LP, 2021 WL 537325 (Del. Ch. Feb. 15, 2021)

  • Obtained dismissal of class action challenging an upstream energy company’s disclosures in a merger proxy under the federal securities laws. Braun v. Eagle Rock Energy Partners, L.P., 223 F. Supp. 3d 644 (S.D. Tex. 2016)

  • Defeated a unitholder’s attempt to enjoin a merger between an MLP and its affiliate under federal securities laws. Greenthal v. Joyce, 2016 WL 362312 (S.D. Tex. Jan. 29, 2016)

  • After defeating an attempt to enjoin a merger, obtained a favorable settlement for an MLP and its directors in a breach-of-duty lawsuit; Plaintiffs sought approximately $500 million in damages but settled for minimal non-cash consideration on the eve of trial. In re Inergy L.P., 2010 WL 4273197 (Del. Ch. Oct. 29, 2010)

  • Obtained a favorable mid-trial settlement for a private equity firm in expedited litigation concerning the sale of its interests in an MLP AIM Midstream Holdings, LLC v. High Point Infrastructure Partners, LLC, et al., C.A. No. 8803-VCP (Del. Ch. 2014)

  • Obtained summary judgment for an MLP and its directors in a breach-of-duty derivative lawsuit under Delaware law in Texas state court

  • Defeated a shareholder’s attempt to enjoin a merger between a Delaware energy corporation and a midstream company in Texas state court

  • Obtained a favorable settlement for an MLP and certain of its employees in litigation brought by a joint venture partner in the Delaware Court of Chancery

  • Obtained dismissal of breach-of-contract claims brought by warrant-holders in connection with a merger in the Southern District of New York

Credentials

  • Stanford Law School, J.D. with distinction, 2008 (Editor in Chief, Stanford Journal of Law, Business, and Finance)
  • Southern Methodist University, B.S., Economics summa cum laude; B.B.A., Accounting summa cum laude, 2005 (Phi Beta Kappa)
  • Chambers USA, Litigation: Securities (Texas), 2019–2023; “Up and Coming” in Litigation: Securities (Texas), 2019 and 2021
  • Legal 500 U.S., M&A Litigation: Defense, 2017, 2018, and 2020; General Commercial Disputes, 2019 and 2020; Dispute Resolution: Securities Litigation: Defense, 2022 and 2023
  • Selected to the 500 Leading Litigators in America, Lawdragon, 2023 and 2024
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), Litigation–Securities (Dallas), 2023 and 2024
  • “Top Attorneys Under 40,” Law360’s Rising Stars2021
  • Chairman: Dallas Chapter of Stanford Law School
  • Member: Stanford Law School Board of Visitors
  • Texas
  • “M&A Insights: Key Updates in Delaware Litigation,” Energy Series, V&E Houston Office, January 9, 2019 (speaker)
  • “Texas General Counsel Forum: 4th Quarterly Event,” October 4, 2017 (speaker)
  • “Delaware Supreme Court Reverses a $171 Million Judgment in an MLP Unitholder Lawsuit On Standing Grounds,” V&E MLP Litigation Update E-communication, January 9, 2017 (co-author)
  • “Southern District of Texas Offers Guidance as to the Types of Representations That Are Actionable Under Rule 10(b),” V&E Securities Litigation and Enforcement Update E-communication, February 23, 2012 (author)
  • “Delaware Court of Chancery Awards $1.2 Billion Under Entire Fairness Standard in Shareholder Derivative Action,” V&E Securities Litigation and Enforcement Update E-communication, October 26, 2011 (co-author)
  • ABA Antitrust Section Intellectual Property E-Bulletin, May 2010–present (contributing author)