Question about the $400k difference in our contract dispute after one scheduling order
Six months ago our outside counsel told us a breach of contract case against a supplier in Dallas was a slam dunk, but discovery dragged on for 14 months and fees hit $610k. Then a new judge took over in January and issued a scheduling order that capped depositions at 10 and set a firm trial date, and suddenly the other side settled for $1.2M instead of the $800k we'd been offered. The change was night and day. Same facts, same contracts, same lawyers, just a judge who actually moves cases. Has anyone else seen a single scheduling order flip a settlement that hard, or did we just get lucky with the draw?