Gibson Dunn Wins Resounding Victory for Free Speech and Attorney Immunity
Firm News | June 24, 2026
On June 22, 2026, Gibson Dunn scored a resounding victory in Texas state court when Judge Hawkins dismissed three cases with prejudice against our client, attorney Marcy Croft. The dismissals were a strong vindication of Croft’s free speech rights and a reinforcement of the principles animating the attorney immunity doctrine.
The cases came from litigation between Shawn Carter, a/k/a Jay Z, and Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee over false allegations that Buzbee had made against Carter. Croft has spent much of the past decade working pro bonowith Carter and his production company, Roc Nation, on prison reform litigation. After several of Buzbee’s former clients sued Buzbee for misconduct relating to settlement funds, Buzbee enlisted his firm and former clients to sue Croft and Roc Nation, as well as the law firm Quinn Emanuel.
Gibson Dunn moved for dismissal of the claims against Croft based on Texas’s Anti-SLAPP statute, which protects individuals who engage in protected speech and petitioning activity, and the attorney-immunity doctrine, which protects attorneys from liability for acts done on behalf of a client. The Court granted Gibson Dunn’s three motions in full, finding that the allegations implicated Croft’s right to free speech and protected attorney conduct.
Partner Sydney Scott argued the winning anti-SLAPP motions. Along with Sydney, our team was led by partners Gregg Costa and Reed Brodsky and featured critical assistance from Houston associates Kylie Calabrese, Johanna Smith, Tiffany Penner, Pleasant Garner, and Arjun Prakash.