Press Release
Press Release
Press Contacts: Erik Cummins, Matt Hyams, Taina Rosa, Olivia Meyer
04.06.26
A team of Pillsbury lawyers led by Austin-based Litigation partner Casey Low prevailed in a five-day jury trial in favor of client Fred Schrader, the founder of the highly acclaimed Schrader Cellars winery, and the winery’s current owner. A final judgment in the case was handed down on March 12, 2026, by the 157th District Court of Harris County in Texas. During the trial, the jury found for Schrader and the winery’s current owner, confirming that the winery and its assets were properly acquired from Schrader and rejecting Houston lawyer Randy Roach’s claims that he had an ownership stake.
Schrader founded Schrader Cellars in 1998 to craft Cabernet Sauvignon with a single-minded focus on quality and provenance. After teaming up with renowned winemaker Thomas Brown in 2000, Schrader’s wines achieved historic critical acclaim from famed critics Robert Parker (Wine Advocate), James Laube (Wine Spectator) and James Suckling. Since then, Schrader Cellars has been widely regarded as the preeminent producer of world-class Cabernet Sauvignons.
When Schrader retired in 2016, he sold Schrader Cellars. Roach filed his lawsuit more than a year after the sale, claiming that he and Schrader made a “handshake deal” in 2000 which, according to Roach, entitled him to an ownership interest in a specific wine bottled by Schrader Cellars called “Schrader RBS.” After more than seven years of litigation, the Harris County jury deliberated for less than half a day before rejecting every one of Roach’s claims. While Roach subsequently filed several motions seeking to overturn the jury’s findings, the trial court entered judgment on the jury verdict in March.
“While defending against my former best friend and lawyer’s absurd claims of ownership has been a long, expensive and stressful ordeal, I am grateful that the jury saw through his fiction and rejected his claims,” Schrader said. “Finally, he will no longer be able to tarnish my legacy and I can enjoy retirement in peace.”
The Pillsbury trial team included Low, Dillon Ferguson, Sarah Goetz and Alex Guerin.
“It has been our honor to represent such good people and professionals in Fred and the Schrader Cellars team,” Low said. “While it is disconcerting that they had to endure years of litigation to defend against an attorney’s claim to ownership in his former client’s business based on an oral agreement, the jury’s verdict confirms that justice prevails in the end.”