Texas Gas Exploration Corp. v. Broughton Offshore Ltd.

790 S.W.2d 781, 114 Oil & Gas Rep. 379, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 1112, 1990 WL 60989
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 10, 1990
DocketC14-89-00522-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 790 S.W.2d 781 (Texas Gas Exploration Corp. v. Broughton Offshore Ltd.) 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
Texas Gas Exploration Corp. v. Broughton Offshore Ltd., 790 S.W.2d 781, 114 Oil & Gas Rep. 379, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 1112, 1990 WL 60989 (Tex. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION

ELLIS, Justice.

Texas Gas Exploration Corporation [Texas Gas] appeals from a judgment rendered in favor of Broughton Offshore Limited II [Broughton] in a breach of contract suit. In twenty-five points of error, Texas Gas primarily challenges the jury’s and the trial court’s interpretation of the drilling contract. It challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the damages awarded to Broughton. It also asserts that the trial court erred by refusing to submit issues on *784 waiver and estoppel, and by allowing an improper amount of prejudgment interest. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

In 1981, daily rental rates for jack-up offshore drilling rigs, such as those owned by Broughton, were high and rapidly escalating. To protect itself from those rapidly escalating rates, Texas Gas signed a long term drilling contract with Broughton that provided for an initial term beginning on March 10, 1981. Paragraph 2(a) of the contract provided as follows:

2.(a) Commencement Date and Term.
... Subject to provisions of Article 2(b) 1 below, this Agreement shall remain in effect for two years following such Commencement date and shall continue thereafter for the time required to complete operations on any well then drilling and demobilize the Rig to Galveston, Texas, or other mutually agreeable location as provided by Schedule A(2).

[Emphasis added].

By late 1982 and early 1983, when the initial term of the contract was about to expire, the oil industry had suffered a significant downturn and daily rates for rigs like the Broughton II were much lower. Texas Gas made it clear to Broughton, it wanted “relief from the contract”. Due to its own financial commitments, Broughton was not able to suspend the contract or to simply lower the contractual rate for the remaining term, as Texas Gas requested. Broughton did offer to negotiate a lower rate in exchange for an extended contract term, but Texas Gas was not interested. Broughton was informed that drilling was to begin on a final well in late 1982, or early 1983.

The contract had been negotiated by Carlos Broughton and C.J. Burleson, vice president of drilling and production for Texas Gas. Burleson was replaced by Brock Moore in late 1982. In December, Mr. Broughton met with Moore for a “get acquainted” lunch. Moore again asked Broughton to consider renegotiating a lower day rate as of March 10, and to let him know in mid-February. Mr. Broughton believed that if operation on this last well was still underway the contract would remain in effect. Mr. Broughton testified that, since he had just met Moore and Moore had not been involved in the original contract negotiations, he did not think it appropriate to get into a discussion of contract interpretation. Rather, he agreed to do as Moore suggested; he would take the proposal under advisement and they would talk further in February.

At that February meeting, Moore told Mr. Broughton that he did not agree with Broughton’s interpretation of the contract. Texas Gas took the position that the contract expired on March 10, and that only if Texas Gas elected to have Broughton complete the required drilling on the well would the contract continue. Moore told Mr. Broughton that if Broughton would not work for a lower than contract rate, Texas Gas would replace Broughton with another drilling contractor. The issue was not resolved that day, since both parties thought the well would likely be completed before March 10.

When Texas Gas had Broughton begin drilling the last well, it hoped to have the well completed before March 10, 1983, the expiration date for the initial term of the contract. However, one of Texas Gas’ other contractors improperly mixed some cement, which caused the cement to set prematurely and block the well. Before Broughton could continue drilling the well to a lower depth, it had to drill to remove the cement and pipe stuck in the well; thus, completion was delayed.

Broughton received a letter from Moore on March 8, 1983, in which Moore wrote: “[t]his is to advise that [Texas Gas] will allow the Broughton II Drilling Contract to terminate upon completion of operations on the well currently drilling in accordance with Section 2(a) of the Drilling Contract. We will advise you as soon as possible the *785 estimated completion date of current operations.” Since, Moore had not simply said Texas Gas was going to allow the contract to expire by its terms on March 10, 1983, Broughton believed Moore now shared his understanding that the contract would continue until this last well was completed.

However, on March 9, Texas Gas ordered Broughton to place a temporary cap on the well, shut down the rig and move off the property. When Mr. Broughton suggested that he was entitled to complete operations on the well at the contract rate, Moore replied that Broughton would not be permitted to bid to complete the well if it pressed its contractual rights.

Broughton complied with Texas Gas’ demand and moved the rig back to shore. Texas Gas contracted with a different rig at a lower daily rate. That rig moved onto the drilling site within two weeks; it finished drilling out the blockage in the well and continued drilling to a depth of approximately 16,500 feet, as Texas Gas’ originally planned. Operations continued on the well until May 11, when the well was permanently plugged and abandoned as a dry hole.

In points of error one, two, three and four, Texas Gas complains that the trial court erred by granting Broughton’s motion for a partially instructed verdict that, because of the undisputed facts and the clear and unambiguous contract language, Texas Gas had breached paragraph 2(a) of the contract. Additionally, Texas Gas’ tenth point of error asserts that the trial court erred by failing to grant its motion for judgment non obstante veridic-to, because as a matter of law Texas Gas had not breached paragraph 2(a).

The language of paragraph 2(a) is worded such that it can be given a certain or definite legal meaning or interpretation. Accordingly, it is not ambiguous and the trial court properly construed the contract as a matter of law. Coker v. Coker 650 S.W.2d 391, 393 (Tex.1983).

If the parties had intended that Texas Gas, once it had decided to complete the well in operation on March 10, 1983, would have the unilateral option to determine whether Broughton, or some alternate contractor, would complete the drilling, they could have expressed that intent by the contract language. They did not do so. In contrast, paragraph 2(b) expressly gives Texas Gas the unilateral option to extend the contract for an additional year. Unlike that language, 2(a) does not say the contract may continue at the operator’s option, the agreed language was that the contract shall continue thereafter for the time required to complete operations of any well then drilling.

The trial court correctly stated that to accept Texas Gas’ interpretation of the contract would be to render the mandatory language of paragraph 2(a) meaningless, which the law does not permit. Universal C.I.T. Credit Corp. v.

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Bluebook (online)
790 S.W.2d 781, 114 Oil & Gas Rep. 379, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 1112, 1990 WL 60989, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-gas-exploration-corp-v-broughton-offshore-ltd-texapp-1990.