Tarush R. Anand

Mr. Anand is a Shareholder at Brown Sims in Houston, where he handles complex litigation and high-stakes disputes. With nearly two decades of courtroom experience, he has built a reputation as a strategic and versatile trial lawyer who represents clients across industries including construction, energy, healthcare and fitness, hospitality, insurance, manufacturing, retail, and transportation.

Throughout his career, Mr. Anand has developed deep expertise across the full spectrum of litigation. He has secured emergency injunctive relief in both state and federal courts, tried over a dozen cases to verdict, and successfully argued appeals before multiple U.S. Courts of Appeals. His work has shaped the law in several areas, establishing favorable precedent on issues of first impression. Over the years, he has handled disputes involving breach of contract, business fraud, commercial-leasing issues, construction defects and injuries, employment matters, manufacturer-distributor conflicts, mass torts, product liability and recalls, catastrophic personal injuries, and wrongful-death claims.

An important part of Mr. Anand’s practice involves stepping into critical situations when clients need experienced counsel quickly. He is often retained to provide second opinions on high-exposure matters, deliver behind-the-scenes strategic guidance to client leadership teams, and even step in as trial counsel on complex cases, sometimes with only months or even weeks left until trial.

Mr. Anand is deeply involved in every aspect of his cases, from early case strategy and key depositions through dispositive motions and trial. He doesn’t simply supervise from a distance. This hands-on involvement allows him to spot developing issues early, maintain strategic consistency, and pivot quickly when circumstances demand it. And it means his advice to clients is always based on direct knowledge and a deep understanding of the facts and circumstances of each matter.

Mr. Anand’s approach is both aggressive and practical. He understands that every client defines success differently—some need rapid resolution while others seek to establish lasting precedent. He tailors his litigation strategy to align with each client’s specific objectives and priorities. This customized approach, combined with his commitment to building genuine partnerships with clients, makes him an integral part of their legal team rather than just outside counsel.

Outside of work, Mr. Anand focuses on what matters most—his two young children and the equally rewarding joys and chaos of family life. He is an enthusiastic scuba diver who jumps (or backrolls) at any opportunity to explore underwater. His diving adventures thus far have taken him to Cozumel, the Cayman Islands, and the Maldives. He is married to a fellow lawyer and litigator, and they share a household where legal strategy and parenting are equally likely topics of conversation.

Representative Matters

• Obtained a unanimous defense jury verdict in federal court in South Texas as lead counsel for a product manufacturer and retailer in a products liability case involving a depressed skull fracture suffered by an eight-month-old child and allegations of a mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury with the risk of future developmental problems. The plaintiffs claimed strict products liability, negligence, and gross negligence. The jury found that the product was not defective and that the defendants were not negligent. This defense verdict was selected for inclusion in that year’s list of Top Texas Defense Verdicts as reported by VerdictSearch. Subsequently successfully defended the defense verdict, and the trial court’s grant of partial summary judgment, on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, including presented oral argument.
• Served as lead trial counsel in a commercial dispute in federal court in a breach-of-contract case related to the international trading of polymer products. Convinced the court to find for the client and award 100% of the claimed damages, plus $150,000 in punitive damages, another $150,000 in sanctions for discovery misconduct, attorney’s fees, court costs, and interest. The court also found that the counterclaims brought against the client lacked merit.
• Obtained a unanimous jury verdict in state court (Harris County) as lead trial counsel for a restaurant chain in a breach-of-contract case related to the sale of one of its restaurant locations.
• Obtained a full defense victory after a bench trial in state court (Harris County) in a case seeking to enforce a commercial lease guaranty against the clients.
• Obtained complete summary judgment as lead counsel in federal court in Utah on behalf of a leading international retailer and a children’s product manufacturer in a products liability case involving a serious brain injury sustained by an infant. The plaintiffs were seeking $13.6 million in actual damages and at least an additional $10 million in punitive damages. Succeeded in convincing the court that none of the claims had sufficient merit to proceed to trial, and further convinced the court to award over $31,000 in court costs to the defendants. Subsequently successfully defended the summary judgment decision on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, including presenting oral argument to an appellate panel that included Justice Neal Gorsuch shortly before his elevation to the Supreme Court.
• Served as national lead counsel for an international product manufacturer, managing its entire litigation docket across numerous states and helping the company successfully navigate a flood of lawsuits filed in the wake of two product recalls, ultimately leaving the company litigation-free.
• Won summary judgment and then prevailed before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in a wrongful-death case involving a legal issue of first impression—whether businesses have a duty under Texas law to use an available automatic external defibrillator (AED) on patrons who experience sudden cardiac arrest on the premises. Succeeded in convincing the court to affirm the district court’s decision that no such duty exists.
• Secured a full early dismissal with prejudice under Rule 12(b)(6) in a high-profile housing discrimination lawsuit against a national realty association. The case received national and local media attention in both television and print news.
• Argued and won a motion to strike the plaintiffs’ economic expert in a wrongful-death case in state court (Harris County), resulting in millions of dollars of claimed economic damages being excluded in the process.
• Obtained summary judgment in federal court in a premises-liability case with significant exposure and multiple past and future surgeries, where there was undisputed evidence that the plaintiff had notified the location’s manager about the alleged hazard before the accident. Successfully flipped that same fact to argue that the plaintiff had actual knowledge of the alleged hazard, resulting in summary judgment. Also argued against and defeated the plaintiff’s attempt to invoke the "necessary use" exception, creating favorable law in the process.
• Obtained summary judgment in state court in a premises-liability case and then secured a sanctions award against plaintiff’s counsel for approximately $20,000 after successfully arguing that they should have dismissed the client from the case after receiving evidence demonstrating no liability.
• Won a motion to dismiss in federal court for lack of personal jurisdiction in a case involving a cross-border trucking accident.
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a large international chain of fitness centers in a premises-liability case, successfully enforcing a pre-injury contractual waiver of liability. Subsequently convinced the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to affirm the decision.
• Obtained an injunction in federal court on behalf of an international product manufacturer against its U.S. distributor after the distributor threatened to disrupt supply to major retailers.
• Secured multiple emergency injunctions for an investor against a music festival organizer—including one obtained over a Labor Day weekend—freezing funds and ticket proceeds to protect the client's interests in an emerging dispute.

• Litigation Counsel of America, Senior Fellow
• Houston Business Journal, 40 Under 40, 2021
• Texas Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, 2011–2022
• VerdictSearch, Top Texas Defense Verdicts list, 2013
• Martindale-Hubbell™, AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated Lawyer

Professional

• Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, Member
• Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court, Barrister
• Houston Bar Association, Member
• Indian-American Lawyers of Houston, Past President and Board Member
• Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston, Immediate Past President and Board Member
• Indo-American Charity Foundation, Past Board Member and Officer
• India House Legal Center, Past Chair
• National Retail & Restaurant Defense Association, Board Member

Firm News

• “The Use of a Courtesy Defense for Former Employee Depositions and Trial Testimony: An Arrow in the Quiver, an Ethical Trap, or Both?” Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC) Winter Meeting, St. Petersburg, FL, February 26, 2024 (part 1) and February 27, 2024 (part 2)
• Presentation on the impact of mental-health issues on productivity, work environment, and culture in the legal field, National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association (NRRDA) Lighthouse Seminar, Louisville, KY, October 25, 2023
• “Looking Ahead of the Curve: The Future of Commercial-Transportation Litigation,” Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) Annual Conference, Tampa, FL, March 30, 2023
• “Handling Difficult Removals with Success,” Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC) Winter Meeting, Nashville, TN, February 21, 2023
• “AEDs and the Related Legal Issues: The Shocking Truth,” National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association (NRRDA) Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, March 2022
• “Youth Injuries are not Child’s Play,” National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association (NRRDA) Lighthouse Seminar, Denver, CO, October 2019
• “Key Legal Issues in Claims Involving Minors,” Houston Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters (CPCU) Society, Houston, TX, August 2019
• Products liability CE course, Houston Claims Association, Houston, TX, June 2018
• “Major Issues that Arise when Handling Minors’ Claims,” Claims and Litigation Management Alliance’s 2017 Annual Conference, Nashville, TN, March 2017
• “Product Liability: Defense, Indemnity, and Tender Issues in Today’s Global Economy,” Claims and Litigation Management Alliance’s 2016 Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, April 2016
• Premises Liability CE course, Houston Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters (CPCU) Society, Houston, TX, February 2016
• CLE on changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure with former Judge Gregg Costa (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit) and Chief Judge Lee Rosenthal (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas), Houston, TX, January 2016
• CLE on changes to the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure regarding Rule 91a motions to dismiss and expedited actions, Houston Bar Association, Houston, TX, May 2013