Hilliard sued the Houston Astros in 2019 over the sign-stealing scandal, and the Court denied the Astros' attempts to claim their tactics were entitled to First Amendment protection and dismissal under various Texas laws.[34] In response, Hilliard wrote, "In sum, the Astros’ position seems to be: 'Okay, so we may stoop to intentionally cheating just to win a World Series and title, but we would never stoop to using racist legal arguments just to win a case against our own fans.' Much like E.B. White's description of the nature of Templeton the rat, in Charlotte’s Web, the Astros, faced with their own proven nature, now make an argument that is both hollow and inconsistent. 'The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything.'