When Contract Language Costs Millions: Court Strikes Down Post-Closing Assignment 'Corrections'
Can one word in a contract cost millions? A Texas oil company just discovered what happens when 'may' doesn't mean 'must' in their royalty assignments.
Austin Brister
Austin represents Texas operators and non-operators in complex issues and disputes. He seeks practical solutions to avoid litigation, but adopts aggressive courtroom strategies when necessary.
Check out the latest posts
Who Owns the Empty Space? Texas Supreme Court Affirms Surface Ownership of Salt Caverns in Landmark Ruling
Who owns the void left behind after millions of tons of salt are mined - and can it be used for someone else’s storage business? The Texas Supreme Court just drew the line.
Easements Without a Specified Width Cannot Be Rewritten to Add a Fixed Width
What happens when your easement says nothing about width? A Texas court just weighed in after a landowner tried to set one.
Can "Free of Cost" Term Achieve Point-of-Sale Royalty Base?
Court Interprets “Free of Cost Forever” Royalty Language Broadly
When $180 Million Rides on an Expert's Supplementation Decision
$180M oil case lost when Apollo refused to fix expert's flawed damages model. Without expert testimony meant no damages recovery in technical fields.
"Void" Means Void: How Missing Consent Toppled a $2.5 Million Pipeline Judgment
Texas court: Pipeline assignment without written consent was 'void,' destroying entire chain of title and $2.5M judgment. One broken link meant all downstream transfers fail.