A Bradley team of energy lawyers led by Oil & Gas Law team Co-Chair Jeff Davis had a busy 2021 winning summary judgment in four different cases in which the aggregate claims or demands exceeded $280 million. Here is a brief summary of those cases:
- An E&P company contracted with a drilling contractor to drill a well. After drilling the well and during the process of disassembling the drilling rig, a pin was knocked out of an unsupported piece of the rig floor causing it to fall and strike a drilling contractor employee, resulting in a shattered pelvis and back injuries. The employee sued the client E&P company alleging negligence and gross negligence. Bradley’s Oil & Gas Law team won summary judgment on behalf of the client. The lowest settlement demand issued before summary judgment was $7.5 million.
- An E&P company contracted with a mud logging company to perform logging work on a well. While the mud logging company employee was disassembling his equipment, he stepped into an open hole on the mud tank fracturing his shoulder and allegedly causing back, neck and head injuries. The injured employee sued the E&P company, as well as the wellsite supervisor and the drilling company. Bradley’s Oil & Gas Law team represented the E&P company and wellsite consulting firm. Bradley won summary judgment on behalf of both clients. The lowest demand issued before summary judgment was $7.5 million.
- An E&P company contracted with a drilling company to drill a well. After the well was drilled and while the drilling contractor’s crew was disassembling the rig, a winch cable became dislodged from its spool. While trying to fix the problem, a rig hand placed his hand on the winch cable for balance, which caused the cable to move downward and severed several fingers and resulted in the amputation of his right foot. The employee sued the E&P company alleging negligent design, breach of warranty, negligence, and gross negligence, pleading for $250 million in damages. Bradley won summary judgment on behalf of the client E&P company on all claims.
- An E&P company contracted with a workover company to perform repair services on a well. The workover crew raised the rig floor so that they could change out the rig’s well control equipment. However, the rig floor was not properly secured and fell onto the head of one of the employees of the workover crew, resulting in an alleged traumatic brain injury. The employee sued the client E&P company for negligence and gross negligence. Bradley won summary judgment for the client. The settlement demand prior to the summary judgment was $15 million.
Bradley’s team included Jeff Davis, Mary Frazier, Phil Morgan, Andrew Bell, and Charmaine Brim.
