Pro Plus, Inc. v. Crosstex Energy Services, L.P.

388 S.W.3d 689, 2012 WL 404500, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 1061
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 9, 2012
Docket01-11-00025-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 388 S.W.3d 689 (Pro Plus, Inc. v. Crosstex Energy Services, L.P.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pro Plus, Inc. v. Crosstex Energy Services, L.P., 388 S.W.3d 689, 2012 WL 404500, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 1061 (Tex. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinions

OPINION

LAURA CARTER HIGLEY, Justice.

In the trial court, Pro Plus, Inc. filed a motion to dismiss the claims of Crosstex Energy Services, L.P. on the ground that Crosstex had failed to file a certificate of merit with its original petition, as required by Civil Practice and Remedies Code sec[692]*692tion 150.002.1 Identifying eleven issues, Pro Plus appeals the trial court’s order denying its motion to dismiss.

We reverse and remand.

Background

Crosstex Energy Services provides natural gas gathering and transmission pipeline services to energy producers and consumers. The Godley Compressor Station in Johnson County, Texas is part of Cros-stex’s operations. Gas comes to the God-ley Station through pipelines from wellheads in the field via gathering stations. The Godley Station compresses the gas, increasing the pressure, and then discharges the gas through a pipeline to the next downstream station.

On November 15, 2008, a gasket connection on a control valve on one of the compressors failed. Natural gas escaped the line and then ignited. A fire erupted at the station causing significant property damage.

On April 14, 2010, Crosstex sued Pro Plus and another defendant for damages arising from the fire. Pro Plus, a registered engineering firm, had been the principal contractor for the construction of the Godley Station. As stated in Crosstex’s Original Petition, Pro Plus had “designed, specified, assembled, and constructed” the station.

In its Original Petition, Crosstex asserted causes of action against Pro Plus for general and specific negligence, negligent misrepresentation, breach of implied and express warranty, and breach of contract. With respect to its general negligence claim, Pro Plus alleged the following:

Pro Plus owed a duty to Crosstex, and the general public, to exercise a high degree of care in designing, constructing and assembling the Godley Station as any reasonable prudent engineering and/or construction firm would do under the same or similar circumstances. Pro Plus knew a leak in a high pressure gas pipeline could cause a cataclysmic event. Pro Plus breached its duty of care by rushing the design and/or hurriedly constructing the Godley Station in a careless and reckless manner.

Crosstex alleged the following specific acts of negligence against Pro Plus:

a) Failing to provide appropriate and/or independent conceptual design, specification and/or engineering services specifically for the Godley Station;
b) Failing to follow industry standards in the design, specification and/or engineering of the Godley Station;
c) Failing to provide appropriate conceptual design, specification and/or engineering services by including the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve on the upstream side of compressor unit # 2 when such valve was completely unnecessary;
d) Failing to use appropriate and/or compatible materials in the component parts of the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve under the circumstances, including but not limited to the decision to use a spiral wound gasket;
e) Failing to properly install the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve, including but not limited to faulty installation of the spiral wound gasket;
f) Failing to properly install the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve, including but not limited to failure to properly align and/or connect the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve to the associated piping; [693]*693g) Failing to warn Crosstex about the appropriateness and/or incompatibility of materials that Pro Plus utilized as component parts of the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve, including but not limited to the decision to use a spiral wound gasket;
h) Failing to follow industry standards in the installation of the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve and/or its component parts;
i) Failing to follow good and workmanlike practices with respect to using appropriate and/or compatible materials in installing and/or connecting the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve;
j) Failing to follow good and workmanlike practices with respect to installing and/or connecting the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve;
k) Failing to design and/or engineer the Godley Station in the same or similar manner as a reasonably prudent company would or would not have done, under the same or similar circumstances, commensurate with the danger involved;
l) Failing to install and/or connect the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve in the same or similar manner as a reasonably prudent company would or would not have done, under the same or similar circumstances, commensurate with the danger involved.

In support of its negligent misrepresentation claim, Crosstex asserted as follows:

a) Pro Plus represented that as a full-service supplier of design, engineering, construction and project management services, installation of the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve was reasonable and necessary in order to properly and safely operate the God-ley Station;
b) Pro Plus represented the 8" flange-less Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve, after installation at Godley. Station, was safe for its intended use in a high pressure natural gas pipeline;
c) Pro Plus represented the 8" flange-less Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve, after installation at Godley Station, was not defective nor unreasonably dangerous;
d) Pro Plus represented that as ,a full-service supplier of design, engineering, construction and project management services, it had a complement of qualified professionals with extensive experience to provide complete, cost effective, and timely project services;
e) Pro Plus represented that as a full-service supplier of design, engineering, construction and project management services, it had knowledge of the appropriate and/or compatible materials which should be utilized in a compressor station control valve and/or natural gas high pressure pipeline;
f) Pro Plus represented it followed the manufacturer’s specifications and recommendations when installing the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve.

Crosstex made the following allegations to support its breach of implied warranty claim:

Pro Plus impliedly warranted that it designed, constructed and oversaw installation of the Godley Station in a good and workmanlike manner. Crosstex further alleges Pro Plus impliedly warranted that installing the 8" flangeless Dyna-Flo model DF560 control valve made it fit for an appropriate and particular purpose (i.e., for use in a high pressure natural gas pipeline) if used in a reasonable manner when, in fact, the control valve was in a manifestly detective condition at the time it left the Defendant’s possession, and was com[694]*694pletely unnecessary to the operation of the Godley Station.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
388 S.W.3d 689, 2012 WL 404500, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 1061, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pro-plus-inc-v-crosstex-energy-services-lp-texapp-2012.