News & Analysis as of

Breach of Contract › Well Drilling

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Recent Federal District Court Decision Suggests New Approach for Oil and Gas Lease Termination

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania’s recent decision in Bootes v. PPP Future Development, Inc., C.A. No. 22-154 (W.D.Pa. March 21, 2023) denying a gas company’s request to dismiss oil...more

Gray Reed

A Day Made a Difference in This Purchase and Sale Agreement

Gray Reed on

And what a difference it was! In Apache Corp. v. Apollo Expl. LLC et al, Apache and others acquired an oil and gas lease on 100,000+ acres in the Texas Panhandle. The primary term was three years. The effective date was...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Pennsylvania Superior Court Rules that Royalty Clause Referencing Both ‘Gross Proceeds’ and ‘At the Well’ Was Ambiguous

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

Let’s assume that you own 125 acres in Tioga County. In 2017, you negotiate a new oil and gas lease with XYZ Drilling. During the negotiations, you insist on a “gross royalty” which prohibits the deduction of...more

Gray Reed

Coronavirus and the Energy Industry: Drilling into Force Majeure Clauses

Gray Reed on

Many oil and gas contracts – leases and JOAs for example – have force majeure clauses. The purpose is to allow contracting parties to suspend or terminate performance when certain circumstances arise that are beyond their...more

A&O Shearman

First No Contract by Ambush. Now No Contract by Email, Texas Supreme Court Says.

A&O Shearman on

On February 28, 2020, the Texas Supreme Court reversed a ruling from the First Court of Appeals in Houston in the case of Chalker Energy Partners III, LLC, et al. v. Le Norman Operating LLC, 547 S.W.3d 27 (Tex. App.—Houston,...more

Gray Reed

Industry Custom Does Not Supersede Contract Language

Gray Reed on

In Barrow-Shaver Resources Company v. Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc the Supreme Court of Texas has held again, here in a consent-to-assign dispute, that a contract means what the words say, even if in negotiations a landman said...more

Gray Reed

An Indemnity Agreement Means What it Says

Gray Reed on

We are reminded in Claybar v. Samson Exploration that a court will (if it’s doing its job) enforce an agreement according to what it actually says, not by that which one party or the other would have liked it to say or...more

Gray Reed

The Rule Against Perpetuities is Alive and Enforceable in Oklahoma

Gray Reed on

Today we venture into Oklahoma, to be instructed on the Supreme Court’s treatment of the Rule Against Perpetuities. First, the Rule: No property interest is good unless it must vest, if all, not later than 21 years after...more

Gray Reed

A Development in Trade-Secret Cases

Gray Reed on

The big trade-secret case, Southwestern Energy v. Berry-Helfand, has been worked over by the Texas Supreme Court. Highlights: - Lack of certainty in damages does not preclude recovery. - A “Flexible and...more

Gray Reed

Operator Can’t Recover Drilling Costs For Affiliate’s Expensive Rig

Gray Reed on

In Elm Ridge Exploration Co., LLC v. Engle we are reminded of a little-used provision in the 1989 Model Form Operating Agreement. Article VI.D.1 allows the operator to use its own equipment, but his charges may not exceed...more

10 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 1

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
Sign up Log in
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide