It’s deju vu all over again in Chesapeake Operating, Inc. v. Sanchez Oil & Gas Corp. More accurately, it is a variation of Reeder v. Wood County Energy, LLC, et al. applied to Louisiana operations. For the impact of the exculpatory clause protecting the operator from liability in the 1989 Model Form JOA, see
Operator Not Liable for Breach of 1989 Model Form JOA
Co-authored by Marty Averill
If you are a non-operator under the 1989 Model Form Operating Agreement, pay close attention to Reeder v. Wood County Energy, LLC, et al. The Texas Supreme Court ruled that the operator is not liable to non-operators for breach of the agreement except in the cases of gross negligence or willful