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Paxton ally opposes unsealing depositions from securities fraud dispute

State Rep. Mitch Little, representing Ken Paxton's wealth manager Charles Loper III, asked a Collin County court to keep sealed the attorney general's depositions from a years-old securities fraud dispute. Talarico's U.S. Senate campaign had sought to unseal the depositions, arguing they are of public interest because Paxton is campaigning for U.S. Senate.

Where
Collin County
When
Sept. 21, 2026 (Little's filing); Aug. 2026 (Talarico campaign's initial request); Sept. 23, 2026 (Talarico campaign's r
Sources
One outlet

Counties: Collin

Taxes and money

None stated in sources.

Does this affect you?

Who's involved

  • Mitch LittleState Rep., Lewisville Republican; lawyer for Charles Loper III in the case
  • Charles Loper IIIKen Paxton's wealth manager; defendant in the case
  • Ken PaxtonAttorney General; gave depositions in 2019 and 2022
  • James TalaricoDemocrat; U.S. Senate candidate whose campaign sought to unseal depositions
  • Byron CookFormer state Rep.; former business associate of Paxton
  • Joel HochbergFormer business associate of Paxton
  • Cynthia WhelessCollin County district judge presiding over the case

The facts

  • Paxton sat for depositions in 2019 and 2022 in a securities fraud dispute involving his former business associates and wealth manager.1
  • In 2015, Paxton was indicted for securities fraud by former business associates Byron Cook and Joel Hochberg.1
  • Prosecutors dropped securities fraud charges against Paxton before trial in 2024 under a deal requiring restitution and legal ethics courses.1
  • The underlying civil case was settled in 2023 after the judge delayed ruling on whether to seal it for more than four years.1
  • According to Wall Street Journal reporting, Paxton acknowledged providing records from a former client, Unity Resources, which may have violated attorney-client privilege.1

Who said what

These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.

  • Mitch Little The depositions were submitted for private court review and fall outside scope of public 'court records.'1
  • Mitch Little Court does not have jurisdiction over the campaign's request to unseal depositions.1
  • James Talarico's campaign Depositions should never have been hidden and are of public interest because Paxton campaigns for U.S. Senate.1
  • James Talarico's campaign The depositions directly implicate Paxton's fitness for office.1
  • Ken Paxton campaign spokesperson Wall Street Journal reporting on Paxton's 2019 deposition was 'blatant lies' and a violation of court order.1

Where the sources disagree

  • Whether records Paxton shared from Unity Resources constituted a violation of attorney-client privilege Wall Street Journal reported possible violation [1]; Little told Journal there was no conflict of interest and records were not privileged [1]

Sources

Outlets: 1 left-leaning, 1 not rated Only left-leaning outlets reported this Who's covering Texas →

These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.

  1. Paxton ally opposes Talarico’s request to unseal AG’s depositions from investing dispute The Texas Tribune Lean Left, October 2, 2026
  2. Paxton ally opposes Talarico’s request to unseal AG’s depositions from investing dispute kvue.com Not rated, October 5, 2026

This sheet was written by AI from the sources above and adds nothing they don't state. Read the originals for full context.

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