Author: Austin Brister

Austin represents oil and gas exploration and production companies and landowners in a wide variety of complex commercial litigation matters, including contract and property disputes, royalty disputes, breach of lease cases, lease termination/perpetuation disputes, and an array of other issues in the upstream oil and gas sector. Austin has prosecuted and defended claims in state courts and federal courts. Austin strives to find practical business solutions to complex issues, but if necessary, he works hard to implement effective strategies in the courthouse.
25Jun

Miscellaneous Case Updates

Seeligson v. Devon Energy: Gas Processing Fee Class Certified

Seeligson v. Devon Energy Prod. Co., L.P., Civil Action No. 3:16-CV-00082-K, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23166 (N.D. Tex. 2020).

In this royalty class action case, the class plaintiffs alleged that DEPCO improperly passed a 17.5% “gas processing fee” on to all class members by reducing their royalty payments by 17.5% thereby breaching the duty to market. In certifying the class, the court reasoned that because the gas is bought and sold under one contract and determining the rate a reasonably prudent operator would have received (“RPO Rate”) did not require proof of other sales, determining the RPO rate was subject to generalized proof and applicable to the class as a whole. The court also noted that the entire class was comprised of proceeds leases, making it distinguishable from the Texas Supreme Court’s decision in Union Pac. Res. Grp., Inc. v. Hankins, 111 S.W.3d 69 (Tex. 2003).

Read More »
22Jun

Strip and Gores Doctrine Extends Conveyance to Include Adjacent Severed Mineral Interest

Crawford v. XTO Energy, Inc., No. 02-18-00217-CV, 2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 11066 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth Dec. 19, 2019, pet. filed)

The Fort Worth Court of Appeals held that the “strip and gore doctrine” applied to a 1984 conveyance of 76 acres, causing the conveyance to also include a severed mineral interest underlying an adjacent 8.25-acre strip of land.

Read More »
18Jun

Can Emails Form a Purchase Contract? Texas Supreme Court Tackles the Issue in Two Recent Cases

Chalker Energy Partners III, LLC v. Le Norman Operating LLC, No. 18-0352, 2020 Tex. LEXIS 161 (Tex. Feb. 28, 2020);

Copano Energy, LLC v. Bujnoch, No. 18-0044, 63 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 348, 2020 Tex. LEXIS 49, (Jan. 31, 2020)

In response to COVID-19, many companies and their employees have quickly shifted to a “work from home” model. Even though email has been a large part of business for decades, the new “remote” reality has only increased our reliance on electronic communications. In a pair of recent cases, the Texas Supreme Court was tasked with deciding what role email plays in contract formation. As companies continue to conduct an extensive amount of business electronically, it is important to keep in mind what effect courts will give to agreements formed through email conversations.

Read More »
15Jun

Appellate Court Holds that “Shall Not Affect” and “Other Benefits” Language Reserved the Entirety of Royalty Interest

WTX Fund, LLC v. Brown, No. 08-17-00104-CV, 2020 Tex. App. LEXIS 94 (Tex. App.—El Paso Jan. 8, 2020, pet. filed)

In WTX Fund v. Brown, the El Paso Court of Appeals reviewed a dispute as to whether language in a 1951 mineral deed was sufficient to reserve a royalty interest in whole or in part. That issue turned largely on the meaning of the phrases “shall not affect” and “benefits.” Ultimately, the El Paso Court of Appeals held that, under the holistic four-corners approach, the proper interpretation was that the deed reserved the entirety of the grantor’s royalty interest.

Read More »
8Jun

Appellate Court Holds that “Blanket Easement” for Multiple Pipelines Did Not Require Single Route Across Property

Atmos Energy Corp. v. Paul, No. 02-19-00042-CV, 2020 Tex. App. LEXIS 1926 (Tex.App.-Ft. Worth, Mar. 5, 2020, no pet.)

In this case the Fort Worth Court of Appeals held that a “blanket easement” for multiple pipelines did not require the grantee to lay the additional pipelines along the same route as the initial pipeline, but rather the grantee was permitted to lay the additional pipeline anywhere upon the entire tract so long as its location does not unreasonably interfere with grantor’s property rights.

Read More »
18May

Twelve Lessor/Lessee Issues to Consider When Navigating the “New Normal”

Operators across the nation are scrutinizing their leases in a wide-spread effort to navigate historic low oil prices, takeaway curtailment, storage shortages, issues introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a host of associated issues.

These circumstances present a variety of complex lease maintenance issues. Most leases obtained during the shale boom are in their secondary terms, held either by production in paying quantities, shut-in provisions, an operations clause, or continuous development provisions. Each of these introduce a unique analysis, and each is susceptible to significant strategic challenges in the face of low commodity prices along with transportation and storage issues.

Below, we briefly explore twelve issues that may be encountered by lessees in Texas while navigating these unique challenges.

Read More »
13May

INTRODUCING PRODUCER’S EDGE VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2

McGinnis Lochridge’s Oil & Gas Newsletter: Producer’s Edge keeps clients informed about Texas oil and gas case law, regulatory updates, and insightful articles relevant to the oil and gas community. 

In this edition, we present several insightful articles, including articles covering lessor/lessee issues to consider when navigating the “new normal,” surviving oilfield economic turmoil amidst COVID-19, and many more updates. 

Download the fourth issue of Producer’s Edge here.

25Mar

Acknowledgment of Record Title Held Not to Defeat Adverse Possession Claim

Scribner v. Wineinger, No. 02-19-00208-CV, 2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 9170 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth Oct. 17, 2019, no pet.)

In this leasehold adverse possession case, the Fort Worth Court of Appeals held that an acknowledgement of the record title holder’s title by an adverse possessor will not defeat an adverse possession claim if the limitations clock had already run out before the acknowledgement occurred. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of the oil and gas company on their affirmative defense of adverse possession and limitations title under the five-year statute.

Read More »
20Mar

Heirs Estopped From Claiming Interests Reserved in 1989 Warranty Deed

Wagenschein v. Ehlinger, 2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 5949 (Tex. App—Corpus Chisti July 11, 2019, pet. filed)

In this case, the Corpus Christi Court of Appeals held that, when grantors of a 1989 warranty deed signed division orders and accepted royalty payments consistent with treatment of the reservation as creating a joint tenancy with right of survivorship, that established an affirmative defense of quasi-estoppel, subsequently estopping those grantors’ heirs from claiming the reservation created a tenancy in common.

Read More »
© Copyright 2012-2018, McGinnis Lochridge LLP. All Rights Reserved. DISCLAIMER: The information in this article is for general information purposes only. This article should not be substituted for legal advice and should not be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or reading this article does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. You are encouraged to contact an attorney for legal advice concerning the information provided in this article.
OR
ARE YOU KEEPING UP TO DATE?
We keep clients and subscribers updated on case law alerts and insightful articles. Join more than 2,000+ in-house attorneys and landmen who receive our occasional alerts and summaries. All for free!
Note: When choosing facebook or google, alerts will be sent to the email listed in that account.
close
OR
ARE YOU KEEPING UP TO DATE?
We keep clients and subscribers updated on case law alerts and insightful articles. Join more than 2,000+ in-house attorneys and landmen who receive our occasional alerts and summaries. All for free!
OR
ARE YOU KEEPING UP TO DATE?
We keep clients and subscribers updated on case law alerts and insightful articles. Join more than 2,000+ in-house attorneys and landmen who receive our occasional alerts and summaries. All for free!
Note: When choosing facebook or google, alerts will be sent to the email listed in that account.
ARE YOU KEEPING UP TO DATE?
We keep clients and subscribers updated on case law alerts and insightful articles. Join more than 2,000+ in-house attorneys and landmen who receive our occasional alerts and summaries. All for free!