A group of oil and gas lessors/royalty owners — who won more than $21 million on fraud and breach of lease claims at trial but lost in the court of appeals — prevailed today in the Supreme Court of Texas.

A rarity for the producer-leaning Court, the 9-0 decision in Hooks v. Samson Lone Star, Ltd. P'ship, No. 12-0920 (Tex. Jan. 30, 2015), addresses several important oil and gas issues. They include:

• whether false information in the public record can defeat a limitations defense;
• the effect of a most-favored-nations clause on royalty obligations;
• waiver of a claim for breach of a promise to drill an offset well;
• calculation of post-judgment interest.

Blawgletter will provide specifics as time permits.