Texas Court of Appeals, 15th District, 2025

In re AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP v. the State of Texas

Texas Court of Appeals, 15th District · Decided November 18, 2025

Opinion

ACCEPTED 15-25-00088-CV FIFTEENTH COURT OF APPEALS AUSTIN, TEXAS 11/18/2025 1:42 PM CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE CLERK Samuel F. Baxter 104 E. Houston Street, Suite 300 Telephone: (903) 923-9002 [email protected] Marshall, Texas 75670 FILED Facsimile: IN 923-9095 (903) 15th COURT OF APPEALS AUSTIN, TEXAS November 18, 2025 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM CHRISTOPHER A. PRINE Via ECF Clerk

Christopher R. Prine Clerk of Court Fifteenth Court of Appeals P.O. Box 12852 Austin, Texas 78711 Re: In re AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, No. 15-25-00088 Dear Mr. Prine: This responds to the correspondence sent by counsel for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP (“AstraZeneca”) on November 14, 2025, which, while characterized as a “status report,” attempts to nudge the Court to grant AstraZeneca’s mandamus petition.

First, AstraZeneca complains that it is facing imminent pre-trial deadlines. This is unremarkable given that this case has been pending for over three years. Indeed, but for a very recent request that the State of Texas and Relators accommodate a personal matter affecting one of AstraZeneca’s Harrison County-based trial counsel, jury selection was set to commence on December 1, 2025.1 Second, AstraZeneca complains about the “burdens of preparing for trial in a disputed venue.” But not one of AstraZeneca’s designated trial witnesses lives or works in Travis County; rather, they live in Delaware, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and various locations in Texas nowhere near Travis County. Nor does trial in Harrison County present a burden for AstraZeneca’s counsel, who are based in Marshall, TX, Washington, D.C., Houston, TX, and Philadelphia, PA. Finally, AstraZeneca asserts that a decision on its mandamus petition “will support the efficient administration of justice.” AstraZeneca overlooks that it hampered the efficient administration of justice when it filed a venue challenge that misstated its connections to the forum and, once it lost, purposefully waited 21 months to file a mandamus petition. See Resp. to Pet. for Writ of Mandamus at 10-13, 16-20. Nor is the goal of efficient administration of justice served when a busy trial court that has already ruled on special exceptions, a venue challenge, and motions to compel—and is now reviewing voluminous summary judgment and Robinson motions—is

To accommodate this issue, the Harrison County court is reworking its trial calendar, and the expectation is that trial will take place in January 2026.

4902-1163-6602 November 18, 2025 Page 2 relieved of duty just weeks before trial. But that is what AstraZeneca requests in its mandamus petition and November 14, 2025 correspondence.

We thank the Court for its attention to this matter.

Samuel F. Baxter

Cc: Counsel of Record, via ECF

4902-1163-6602 Automated Certificate of eService This automated certificate of service was created by the efiling system.

The filer served this document via email generated by the efiling system on the date and to the persons listed below. The rules governing certificates of service have not changed. Filers must still provide a certificate of service that complies with all applicable rules.

Envelope ID: 108182513 Filing Code Description: Letter Filing Description: S. Baxter letter to Court responding to Defendants' 11/14/2025 Status Report Status as of 11/18/2025 1:45 PM CST Case Contacts Name BarNumber Email TimestampSubmitted Status Kennon L.Wooten [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Angela Goldberg [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Jonathan Wilkerson 24050162 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Melissa Smith 24001351 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT William Peterson 24065901 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Samuel Baxter 1938000 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Brian McBride 24002554 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Zeke DeRose 24057421 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Jennifer Truelove 24012906 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Alex Brown 24026964 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Lynne Kurtz-Citrin 24081425 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Jonathan Bonilla 24073939 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT W. Mark Lanier 11934600 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Heidi Rasmussen 24090345 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Nadia Burns 24041176 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Ruth Adams [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Paige Cheung 24116193 [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Steve McConnico [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Jordan Kadjar [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT John Dodds [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Erica Jaffe [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT W. Mark Lanier [email protected] 11/18/2025 1:42:25 PM SENT Automated Certificate of eService This automated certificate of service was created by the efiling system.

Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.