Rick Houghton
rhoughton@mbssmartlaw.com
(412) 721-7482
Rick Houghton
Rick is a sharp, versatile, trusted litigator who thrives in high-stakes environments. Before becoming a lawyer, Rick served as a U.S. Army officer for six years in a variety of domestic and overseas assignments, including as the commander of an Air Defense Artillery training battery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. It's little wonder, then, that he has distinguished himself in each of MBS's core practice areas. He has deep experience and successful results in all phases of civil litigation and commercial arbitration, routinely writing and arguing to obtain or resist early dismissal or summary judgment, taking and defending depositions, going to trial, and handling appeals (whether in his own cases or in those tried by other firms). Rick has also represented white-collar criminal defendants in plea negotiations, cooperation trial testimony, and sentencing.
Rick’s generous spirit is obvious to all who know him. An active member of the Houston legal community, Rick has facilitated several legal services clinics for veterans in need. He is also an Eagle Scout.
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● Qui Tam Litigation: Defeated motion to dismiss in a False Claims Act case pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas seeking over $100 million from a large government contractor for improprieties during the U.S. War in Afghanistan
● Energy Litigation: Briefed summary-judgment motion in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas regarding the meaning and effect of a mineral lease’s severance-tax provision; secured $3 million ruling in client’s favor on summary judgment; then, successfully represented client in a bench trial and, after winning a multi-million dollar victory, in negotiations that resulted in a favorable global settlement
● Healthcare Litigation: Successfully represented healthcare insurance company in a multi-week jury trial, resulting in plaintiff award of only a small fraction of requested damages
● Confidential Commercial Arbitration: Successfully represented the nation’s largest railroad against one of the country’s largest electric power generation corporations that resulted in a favorable settlement
● Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act: As lead counsel, secured recognition of a Canadian final judgment in Texas state court
● Real Property Litigation: Won offensive summary judgment in a real property dispute in Texas state court; obtained final judgment and permanent injunction in client’s favor; successfully represented client in defending judgment on appeal
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“Jurisdictional Discovery,” The Advocate: Threshold Issues in Litigation, Vol. 97, 21-24 (2021)
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“Ones to Watch” by Best Lawyers in Commercial Litigation
Houston Bar Association President’s Award for Outstanding Service
Joseph H. Beale Prize for Excellence in Conflict of Laws, Harvard Law School
Dean’s Scholar Prizes in Conflicts of Laws and Property, Harvard Law School
Paul and Jean Elder Endowed Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to the University of Oxford
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State Bars of Texas and Pennsylvania
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Leadership Class, Institute for Energy Law
Trustee, Houston Young Lawyers Foundation
Fellow, Houston Bar Foundation
Former Co-Chair, Houston Bar Association’s Military & Veterans Committee
Former Director, Houston Young Lawyers Association (HYLA)
Former Co-Chair, HYLA Military & Veterans Committee
Former Member, HYLA Leadership Academy Committee
Associate, Smyser Kaplan & Veselka LLP
Law Clerk to the Hon. Gregg J. Costa, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Law Clerk to the Hon. Lee H. Rosenthal, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
J.D., cum laude, Harvard Law School
MSt in History, University of Oxford
B.S., with honors, United States Military Academy at West Point