Louisiana v. Buffco Production, Inc.

849 F. Supp. 2d 727, 2012 WL 1003761
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Texas
DecidedMarch 22, 2012
DocketCivil Action No. 2:10-CV-359 (JRG)
StatusPublished

This text of 849 F. Supp. 2d 727 (Louisiana v. Buffco Production, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Louisiana v. Buffco Production, Inc., 849 F. Supp. 2d 727, 2012 WL 1003761 (E.D. Tex. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

RODNEY GILSTRAP, District Judge.

Pending before the Court are the following motions for summary judgment: (1) Defendants and Counter-Plaintiffs Wayne E. Freeman, Freeman Resources, Ltd., FRM GP, LLC, and Freeman Capital, Ltd.’s Motion for Summary Judgment Against Chesapeake Louisiana, L.P. and Harleton Oil & Gas, Inc. (Dkt. No. 69); (2) Intervenor Harleton Oil & Gas, Inc.’s Motion for Summary Judgment Against Chesapeake Louisiana, L.P. (Dkt. No. 77); (3) Plaintiff Chesapeake Louisiana, L.P.’s Traditional and No Evidence Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. No. 78); and (4) Defendants Frank M. Bufkin III, Buffco Production, Inc. and Twin Resources, LLC’s Motion for Summary Judgment Against the Claims of Intervenor/Plaintiff Harleton Oil & Gas, Inc. (Dkt. No. 79). Upon consideration of the submitted briefing and the argument of counsel as to each of these motions, the Court holds that each is GRANTED-IN-PART and DENIED-IN-PART as follows:

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Chesapeake Louisiana, L.P. (“Chesapeake”) filed this lawsuit on September 13, 2010. The claims in this lawsuit arise out of a July 31, 2008 Letter Agreement (the “Letter Agreement”) entered into between Chesapeake and Buffco Production, Inc. and Twin Resources, LLC (collectively, “Buffco”). Pursuant to the Letter Agreement, Chesapeake would acquire the working interests of Buffco and its non-operating leasehold cotenants as to multiple oil and gas units in several counties in East Texas for a total consideration of $232,146,68o.1 Chesapeake would acquire [729]*729a three-year term assignment of Buffeo’s “right, title and interest” in the properties described in Exhibits A-l, A-2, and A-3 to the Letter Agreement (the “Exhibits”).

The Exhibits to the Letter Agreement describe various properties to be assigned to Chesapeake on three separate closing dates (the “Closing Dates”). Exhibit A-l describes properties located in Panola and Sabine Counties to be closed on August 29, 2008. Exhibit A-2 describes properties located in Harrison County, including the Geisler Unit, to be closed on September 18, 2008. Exhibit A-3 describes properties located in Panola County, including the Bowen, Hemby and Yow Units, to be closed on October 8, 2008.

The Letter Agreement expressly included a “Non-Ops Clause,” as the second full paragraph on Page 2 thereof, by which Chesapeake agreed to make the same offer under the same terms to the owners of non-operating working interests in the properties described in the three Exhibits. In the Court’s opinion, the Non-Ops Clause clearly means that Chesapeake intended to acquire all of the leasehold estate beneath the properties described in the Exhibits. This is further borne out by other provisions in the Letter Agreement which call for delivery of not less than a full 75% net revenue interest in each unit to be acquired by Chesapeake. Non-operating working interest owners included Defendants Freeman Capital, Ltd. (“Freeman Capital”), Wayne E. Freeman, Freeman Resources, Ltd., and FRM GP, LLC (collectively, “Freeman”), and Intervenor Harleton Oil & Gas, Inc. (“Harleton”). Both Buffco and the non-operators, as co-tenants in the leasehold estate, were subject to Chesapeake’s ability to conduct its own due diligence in determining who held record title to the working interest rights beneath the properties described in the three Exhibits.

Chesapeake contracted with Dwight Snell & Associates to conduct its due diligence regarding title to the properties in question. Don Parkins, a petroleum land-man, conducted the research on behalf of Dwight Snell & Associates. Mr. Parkins’ title report inaccurately reflected that one of the specific properties in question, the Geisler Unit in Harrison County, Texas, was owned 50% by Buffco and 50% by Freeman. It is undisputed that the correct tabulation of the working interests of record in the Geisler Unit (as of the closing with Chesapeake) was in fact: Buff-co — 25%, Freeman — 22%, Freeman Capital — 3%, and Harleton — 50%.

On the second Closing Date (September 18, 2008) and based upon the above inaccurate understanding of the ownership regarding the Geisler Unit, Chesapeake paid the full amount called for in the Letter Agreement ($13,600,000 for the 680-acre Geisler Unit — being a per net acre price of $20,000) to Buffco; in turn, Buffco delivered half of these funds to Freeman. Buffco and Freeman each received $6,800,000 based on Chesapeake’s mistaken belief that each owned a 50% interest in the leasehold estate beneath the Geisler Unit. It is undisputed that Harleton and Freeman Capital received none of these funds at the closing or subsequently. It is also undisputed that neither Buffco nor Freeman informed Chesapeake of the correct record ownership in the Geisler Unit at or prior to closing.

[730]*730Chesapeake and Buffco agreed to delay the third Closing Date, and subsequently, they mutually agreed not to close on those properties at all. Accordingly, working interests in the Bowen, Hemby and Yow Units, among others, were never purchased by Chesapeake. Neither did Chesapeake purchase any of the non-operators’ interests in these units.

Freeman Capital and Harleton have yet to receive payment for their 3% and 50% interest in the Geisler Unit, respectively, and each has yet to execute and deliver assignments of their leasehold rights to Chesapeake, though they profess that they are each ready, willing and able to do so upon receipt of the amounts due pursuant to the Letter Agreement for their respective interests. Chesapeake anticipated, by means of its entering into the Letter Agreement and funding the subsequent closing covering the Geisler Unit, that it would obtain all of the record title to the working interests beneath the 680-acre Geisler Unit for the total price of $13,600,000. However, in light of this subsequent litigation and the undisputed facts before the Court, it is now clear that Chesapeake only received a 47% interest in the Geisler Unit but paid the full purchase price for the same as called for and set forth in the Letter Agreement.

On December 31, 2011, Chesapeake and Buffco entered into a Confidential Settlement Agreement, settling all claims between those two parties, and each party’s affirmative claims against the other were dismissed. All other claims pending in this action survived and are now before the Court by means of the various motions for summary judgment cited above.

II. ISSUES PRESENTED

The competing motions for summary judgment noted above raise several disputes in which no genuine issues of material fact exist and which, in the Court’s view, are ripe for disposition and adjudication via summary judgment; to wit:

A. Whether Freeman, Freeman Capital and Harleton are third-party beneficiaries under the Letter Agreement, and as such, have standing to enforce the Letter Agreement’s terms.
B. Whether Buffco and Freeman have been unjustly enriched to the extent of $7, 208,000 by Chesapeake’s payment and their receipt of $13,600,000 for the Geisler Unit.
C. Whether Chesapeake is entitled to a refund from Freeman for amounts overpaid in relation to the purchase of the Geisler Unit.
D. Whether Freeman has valid and enforceable claims against Chesapeake for its failure to close with Freeman as to the Bowen, Hemby and Yow Units.
E.

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Bluebook (online)
849 F. Supp. 2d 727, 2012 WL 1003761, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/louisiana-v-buffco-production-inc-txed-2012.