The Texas Renaissance Festival Has Been Ordered Sold: The Court Enters Judgment in Favor of Hanszen Laporte’s Client

August 27, 2025

Two years after a failed closing, on August 22, 2025, Hanszen Laporte’s client was awarded a judgment entitling him to purchase the fabled Texas Renaissance Festival from its owners. The dispute dates back to April of 2023, when Meril Rivard agreed to buy the festival and its operations from the now deceased George Coulam, the Texas Renaissance Festival’s then owner. The total agreement and associated properties called for payments in the tens of millions of dollars. But then, in August of 2023, Coulam backed out of the deal, refusing the sale. Unsurprisingly, litigation followed.

On May 7, 2025, after a week-long trial, Grimes County Judge Gary W. Chaney ordered Coulam to sell the festival to Rivard, and awarded an additional $22 million in damages and $1 million in attorney fees. Following post-trial briefing and motions, judgment in favor of Mr. Rivard and his companies was entered by the Court. Rivard plans to continue to operate and grow the Festival, which is arguably the longest-established and largest Renaissance festival in the country. “Our client is committed to the mission of the Texas Renaissance Festival,” said Hanszen Laporte attorney Anthony Laporte. “Like so many others, he loves the festival and wants to see it continue so that new generations can make memories there.”

The firm is proud of Hanszen Laporte attorneys Laporte, Zack Smith, and Terry Ford who came into the ongoing litigation in 2024 and guided the case to a successful outcome. At Hanszen Laporte, the goal is always to secure genuine verdicts and results for our client, even when confronted with the most challenging of circumstances.