Also, aren’t there laws in Texas that prevent people from having to give their house up to satisfy the courts?
Yes. Texas has some of the strongest homestead protections in the country. Until about ~10 years ago, rich people who were in financial problems would buy a Texas mansion and live in it, which made the mansion (at the time) entirely off-limits to creditors. Once the formerly-rich people had been through bankruptcy court (usually a semi-fast process), they'd sell the mansion and live off the savings.
The law has since changed, and is now a little more complicated. A house is still entirely off limits to creditors (not counting a bank mortgage or tax collector) under Texas state law. There was nothing that JSL or anyone else can do to get Vic's house in a Texas
state court.
Federal bankruptcy court is different though. About 10 years ago, there was "bankruptcy reform," which was really "make it harder to dodge your credit cards using bankruptcy" reform, but whatever. Bankruptcy reform set a new requirement that a person own their house for 1215 days (40 months) before the house gets protection the unlimited Texas state-law protection. (11 U.S.C. 522(p)). A bankruptcy court, unlike a Texas state court, COULD foreclose on Vic's house that he's owned for less than 40-months.
Back to Vic: if he was worried about his house, he probably shouldn't be. He bought his house in September 2018, so 14 months have already passed. Even though his case is going up on an expedited appeal, I'd expect both sides to request additional briefing time, and so it's going to be 6-12 months before there is a decision. After that, Vic could file a motion for rehearing (another 3-9 months to resolve, if denied. Longer if granted), and a petition for review to the Texas Supreme Court (another 3-9 months to resolve, if the petition is denied. Years if granted).
By the time that the appeals in this case are all over, Vic was probably going to have met the 40-month requirement or gotten really close, assuming Vic lost everything (longer if he has any wins). Once the appeals are exhausted, Vic would just have to fight JSL's collection attempts for a brief period (if at all), and then declare bankruptcy once he hit 40-months. Basically, Vic would just have to stay out of bankruptcy court until 40 months after September 2018 (which is January 2022), and the house would be permanently off-limits to everyone but the government or a mortgage lender.
By placing the house in trust, Vic probably hasn't changed the analysis above. The people who are talking about fraudulent transfers just don't understand Texas' version of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act. Under Texas law, a fraudulent transfer is the "Transfer" of an "Asset" to dodge creditors. Tex. Bus. & Comm. Code 24.005. However, a person's house isn't an "Asset." An Asset is something that can be seized by creditors. Tex. Bus. & Comm. Code 24.002(2)(B). A house is exempt from seizure by creditors, and is therefore not an "Asset," and cannot possibly be fraudulently conveyed.
It's also legal to hold a house in trust and have it receive homestead protection, assuming the trust is drafted correctly.
This all raises the question: Why did Vic put his house in trust? 1) Vic is planning on moving (most likely); or 2) Vic is doing tax planning for his mom's death (less likely). If Vic moves away from his DFW house, it loses its Texas-law protection and can be seized. Vic may be protecting his house because of relocation plans.
Alternatively, Vic is putting the house in a Trust held by his mom in order to have it avoid capital gains taxes when she dies. This would be a complicated and unusual tax-avoidance strategy. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think the house isn't worth enough to bother ($500k-ish), and I don't think Vic is rich enough to need a elaborate tax reduction plan.
