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Summary Judgment Appeals Oil & Gas

Gray Reed

A Lesson on How Not to Recover an NPRI in Texas

Gray Reed on

It seems to be fairly well settled that you can’t use trespass-to-try-title to recover a nonpossessory royalty interest in Texas. What if you call the interest a “mineral interest stripped of every attribute except the right...more

McGinnis Lochridge

Are Statute of Limitations Battles Becoming the New Frontline in Water Injection Cases?

McGinnis Lochridge on

When your neighbor's wastewater tanks your oil wells, when exactly can you sue? A Texas court wrestles with a timing question reshaping industry battles....more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Fifth Circuit Clouds Threshold Dose Analysis in Ruffin v. BP

Plaintiffs in toxic tort cases must prove both general and specific causation, generally through the testimony of experts. Experts must establish that a specific chemical exposure can (and did) cause the specific injury at...more

McGinnis Lochridge

Production Disputes and Estoppel Claims Cloud Lease Termination in Milam County

McGinnis Lochridge on

In this lease termination case (Pruett v. River Land Holdings, LLC, No. 03-22-00478-CV, 2024 WL 1745652, at *1 [Tex. App.—Austin Apr. 24, 2024, no pet.]), the Austin Court of Appeals was tasked with examining a cessation of...more

McGinnis Lochridge

Can "Free of Cost" Term Achieve Point-of-Sale Royalty Base?

McGinnis Lochridge on

A lessee who halts production for less than 40 days and resumes without drilling or reworking does not terminate the lease. The continuous development clause keeps the lease active, and the cessation clause allows resumed...more

Oliva Gibbs

Will the Ohio Supreme Court Clear up the Muddy Waters of the DMA?

Oliva Gibbs on

Within the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act (hereinafter, “DMA”), there is often a question of the diligence a surface owner should employ when seeking the mineral owner to declare the mineral interest abandoned. The oft-cited case...more

McGinnis Lochridge

Winter Storm Uri and Force Majeure: The Legal Battles Continue

McGinnis Lochridge on

Winter Storm Uri sent shockwaves through Texas, freezing gas supplies at a time of critical need and plunging the state into widespread power outages. In the aftermath, the courts have been flooded with force majeure claims,...more

Holland & Hart LLP

Eighth Circuit Affirms Producer's Royalty Calculations Under North Dakota Law

Holland & Hart LLP on

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has affirmed a district court’s ruling that overriding royalty owners generally must bear their share of post-production costs under North Dakota law. The Eighth...more

Gray Reed

Lease Perpetuated Beyond Primary Term Without Production in Paying Quantities

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If perpetuation of a mineral lease beyond the primary term is contingent upon continuous operations, do traditional notions of “production in paying quantities” always matter? Spoiler: No....more

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,...

Oil Contamination/Remediation: New York Court Considers Potential Liability of Insurance Company/Environmental Consultant

The New York Supreme Court – Appellate Division (Second Department) (“Court”) addressed in an October 20th Decision & Order (“Decision”) alleged damages associated with the remediation of oil contamination. See Bennett v....more

Holland & Knight LLP

Fifth Circuit's Seaman Status Realignment Brings New Considerations for Offshore Oil & Gas and Wind Industry Operators

Holland & Knight LLP on

Since the enactment of the Jones Act, courts have wrestled to define "seaman" and who is entitled to remedies under the Jones Act. The Jones Act grants a "seaman" a negligence cause of action against his employer and only a...more

Gray Reed

Wave Goodbye To Unenforcable Mineral Lien Waivers: The Houston Court Of Appeals Weighs In With Mesa V. Deep Energy

Gray Reed on

The Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston recently issued an opinion that will have profound impacts on mineral liens and contractual provisions purporting to waive mineral liens. The question of whether or not a pre-work...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Fifth Circuit Holds Directional Drillers Are Independent Contractors

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently held that a group of directional driller consultants were independent contractors, not employees, in large part due to their highly specialized skills, degree of...more

Verrill

Pipeline Appeals Grant of Summary Judgment to South Portland Regarding Its Ban on Marine Loading of Crude Oil

Verrill on

Judge Woodcock of the U.S. District Court in Portland, finding that the South Portland’s Clear Skies Ordinance (the Ordinance) was neither a “preempted pipeline facility safety standard or a discriminatory ordinance enacted...more

Jones Day

Illinois Motor Fuel Tax: Should You File a Refund Claim?

Jones Day on

The Decision: In Waste Management of Illinois, Inc. v. Illinois Department of Revenue, 2017 IL App (1st) 162830-U, the Illinois Appellate Court held that compressed natural gas ("CNG") is not a taxable motor fuel under the...more

Bricker Graydon LLP

Court rules in favor of Eclipse in oil and gas lease case

Bricker Graydon LLP on

On November 30, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit issued an opinion in Eclipse Resources - Ohio, LLC v. Madzia, affirming the lower court’s grant of summary judgment to Eclipse Resources in all respects. ...more

Cozen O'Connor

Forgery May Not Constitute “Theft” Under an Employee Dishonesty Coverage

Cozen O'Connor on

Ruling in favor of the insurer on a motion for summary judgment, on July 29, 2016 the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that under the terms of a commercial crime policy, proof of a forgery by the insured’s employee in...more

McDermott Will & Emery

When Distinguishing Statements May Be Considered Disclaimers of Claim Scope

Addressing disclaimer of claim scope, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the district court’s summary judgment of non-infringement, finding that the patentee clearly and unmistakably disclaimed...more

Gray Reed

Hydrocarbon Exposure Dismissal Affirmed

Gray Reed on

You might recall previous entries discussing Parr v. Aruba – a suit for personal injuries from oilfield pollution (and a $2.9MM verdict for the plaintiffs). Not all similar suits have the same result....more

BakerHostetler

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms Ruling That New York State’s Moratorium on Hydraulic Fracturing Did Not Extend the...

BakerHostetler on

New York’s 2010 moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, culminating in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s formal ban of the practice in his state on December 17, 2014, made many large waves in the political, legal, and public arenas, the...more

BakerHostetler

Third Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms That Pennsylvania Law Does Not Recognize Automatic “Equitable Extensions” of Oil and Gas...

BakerHostetler on

On June 25, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania’s prior entry of summary judgment in favor of the lessor plaintiffs on the...more

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