On May 9, 2025, the Supreme Court of Texas sided with DGC client Roxo Energy Company in a high-dollar dispute over the signing of an oil-and-gas lease and mineral-sales agreement. In the case, the plaintiff alleged that Roxo had made oral promises that were...
In February 2025, the Amarillo Court of Appeals denied a petition for writ of mandamus challenging the finality of a judgment in favor of DGC client XTO Energy, Inc. XTO was represented by lead counsel Jacob Davidson, as well as Laine Weatherford Schmelzer and Ryan...
I.Introduction Van Dyke v. Navigator Group, 668 S.W.3d 353 (Tex. 2023) was likely the most consequential and controversial oil-and-gas-related opinion issued by the Supreme Court of Texas in 2023. The Court’s primary holding—which established a new rebuttable...
State Bar of Texas, Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law Section Report; March 3, 2022 by Ryan ClintonI. INTRODUCTION By now, Texas oil-and-gas lawyers are familiar with the Texas Supreme Court’s recent “fixed vs. floating” royalty opinions: U.S. Shale Energy II, LLC...
State Bar of Texas, Oil and Gas Disputes CLE, January 2020 by Ryan Clinton I. INTRODUCTION The law of trespass in Texas is simple in theory: was there an unauthorized entry on land belonging to another? If so, the plaintiff has a cause of action even if uninjured; if...
State Bar of Texas, Oil and Gas Disputes CLE, January 2019 by Ryan ClintonI. INTRODUCTION How do we know when a lease has ended? Surely the lack of production during the secondary term will end a lease, but is that always true? How do courts decide which requirements...
State Bar Of Texas, Advanced Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law Cle, September 2016 by Ryan Clinton & Jad DavisI. INTRODUCTION Retained-acreage clauses have been part of the fabric of Texas oil-and-gas law for quite some time. Loosely speaking, retained-acreage...
State Bar of Texas, Advanced Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law CLE, September 2017 by Ryan ClintonI. INTRODUCTION When a lessor challenges the validity of an existing oil-and-gas lease that is not currently being perpetuated by production, the lessee immediately...
State Bar of Texas, Damages in Civil Litigation Conference, February 2015 by Ryan Clinton & Jad DavisI. INTRODUCTION Oil-and-gas law covers a wide array of litigation topics—including condemnation, real-property rights, express and implied contract...
DGC appellate attorney Ryan Clinton presented at the 50th Annual Ernest E. Smith Oil, Gas and Mineral Law Institute on April 4, 2004. Ryan presented on the topic “Estate Misconception & Presumed Grant: Navigating Mineral-Ownership Disputes after Van Dyke.” Ryan...