McGinnis Lochridge secured a significant appellate victory on behalf of clients Dignity Gold, LLC and Dignity Corp. on June 24, 2026, when the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas reversed a trial court order and rendered judgment dismissing all claims against the companies for lack of personal jurisdiction, setting aside default judgments totaling $147.5 million.
The underlying dispute arose from transactions involving DIGau electronic tokens, gold-backed securities offered by the Dignity entities. The Dignity entities engaged McGinnis Lochridge to file a special appearance objecting to a Texas court’s exercise of personal jurisdiction over them after that court had entered interlocutory default judgments against them. After the trial court denied the special appearance in January 2025, McGinnis Lochridge pursued an accelerated interlocutory appeal.
The Fifth Court of Appeals agreed with McGinnis’s arguments that the plaintiffs failed to plead facts bringing the Delaware-based Dignity entities within the reach of the Texas long-arm statute, and that the plaintiffs' jurisdictional evidence would not support personal jurisdiction, and it wiped out the $147.5 million in default judgments.
Dallas partner James T. Phillips and Austin partner April E. Lucas represented the Dignity entities.