Oil & Gas Matters

WPX Energy Permian LLC v. The State of Texas, The Texas General Land Office, et. al.
Represents WPX Energy Permian LLC in an ultra vires suit against several officials of the Texas General Land Office and University Lands in the District Couret of Ward County, Texas.  WPX seeks title relief relating to a University Lands Development Unit Agreement covering 71 leases and more than 30,000 mineral acres in Ward and Winkler Counties.

Saltwater Injection Well Dispute (Loving Co., Tex.)
Represents an energy company in a trespass and property damage lawsuit brought by an exploration and production company. Plaintiffs allege that nearby saltwater disposal wells caused subsurface migration, resulting in the washout of reserves from which their wells produced. The case involves technical analysis, oilfield operations, and defense coordination in a venue central to Permian Basin activity.

Baxsto, LLC v. Roxo Energy Company et al. (Tex.); Buffy, LLC v. Roxo Energy Company et al. (Borden Co., TX)
Represented Roxo Energy, a Fort Worth-based oil and gas acquisition and development company, in a series of lawsuits filed in Howard and Borden Counties, Texas, collectively seeking more than $45 million in damages related to leasing and mineral purchase transactions. Prevailed in the Borden County lawsuit with a unanimous “take nothing” jury verdict following a March 2022 trial that was covered in Texas Lawyer. Subsequently prevailed in the Howard County litigation on a summary judgment, which was later affirmed by the Texas Supreme Court. The outcome of that case was featured in Law360.

Viper Energy Partners LLC v RSP Permian, LLC (Loving Co., Tex.)
Represented Viper (a subsidiary of Diamondback Energy) against RSP Permian (a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips) as lead counsel in two title disputes regarding valuable Delaware Basin lease rights. Viper prevailed on partial summary judgment on the key issue in the case.

Point Energy Partners, LLC v. MRC Permian Company (Tex.)
Represented Point Energy in a dispute over rightful ownership of 4,000 gross acres in the Permian Basin. The case hinged on whether MRC’s failure to timely drill was excused by the force majeure clause in the relevant lease. Now regarded as a seminal precedent for such disputes, Point prevailed before the Texas Supreme Court in a 2023 decision that was noted in The Texas Lawbook.

Urban Oil and Gas Partners v. Blackbeard Resource, LLC et al. (Tarrant Co., Tex.)
Represented the primary target of the plaintiffs in a multi-party indemnity dispute regarding the ultimate financial responsibility for claims related to Louisiana oil and gas properties. Blackbeard prevailed on summary judgement and was awarded attorney’s fees.

Todd Mehall v. Tug Hill Operating et al. (Tarrant Co., Tex.)
Represented Tug Hill, Quantum Energy Partners, and individual executives at Tug Hill in defense of claims brought by a former employee claiming to have a substantial profits interest stake in Tug Hill following its sale to EQT Corporation for $5 billion. Tug Hill prevailed in its motion for summary judgment, and the court ordered the plaintiff to pay Tug Hill’s attorney fees, an outcome that was reported by The Texas Lawbook.

Centralia Permian, LLC v. Pioneer Natural Resources (Midland Co., Tex.)
In a high-stakes lease termination dispute, secured a unanimous jury verdict supporting Centralia’s position that the Permian Basin leases were properly terminated for failure to produce in profitable quantities as well as a total cessation of production without timely qualifying operations. The “use it or lose it” trial and verdict were featured in The Texas Lawbook.

 Appellate Matters

Baxsto, LLC v. Roxo Energy Company et al. (Tex.); Buffy, LLC v. Roxo Energy Company et al. (Borden Co., Tex.)
Represented Roxo Energy, a Fort Worth-based oil and gas acquisition and development company, in a series of lawsuits filed in Howard and Borden Counties, Texas, collectively seeking more than $45 million in damages related to leasing and mineral purchase transactions. Prevailed in the Borden County lawsuit with a unanimous “take nothing” jury verdict following a March 2022 trial that was covered in Texas Lawyer. Subsequently prevailed in the Howard County litigation on a summary judgment. In 2023, the Eastland Court of Appeals reversed the trial court, finding fact issues potentially precluding summary judgment. Roxo and its affiliates filed a petition for review to the Supreme Court of Texas. The Court requested a response to the petition and then requested that the parties file full briefs-on-the-merits. In a May 2025 per curiam opinion, the Court reversed the Eastland Court of Appeals and reinstated the entire trial court’s judgment in Roxo’s favor. Roxo Energy Co., LLC v. Baxsto, LLC, 713 S.W.3d 404 (Tex. 2025).

BPX Operating Co. (Reeves Co., Tex.)
Represents BPX Operating Company (“BPX”) in a dispute regarding ownership of working (and related royalties) interest that was foreclosed on and sold through a tax foreclosure lawsuit. BPX is the leaseholder of the subject interest. Through summary judgment proceedings, the Court found that the tax foreclosure sale was valid, and that BPX owns leasehold title to the subject tract. The plaintiff appealed that decision to the El Paso Court of Appeals, No. 08-25-00037-CV. The matter is in the briefing stage at the Court of Appeals.

Transitus Capital, LLC (Tex.)
Represents Transitus Capital, LLC, Jared R. Behnke, and Victor G. Bloede (“Transitus”) in a dispute seeking to set aside an arbitration award for evident partiality. After the district court set aside the arbitration award worth over $1.15 million, the Dallas Court of Appeals reversed and remanded for further proceedings. VHH was then engaged by Transitus to file a petition for review to the Texas Supreme Court, No. 24-0849. The Court requested a response to Transitus’s petition, and the matter remains pending at the Texas Supreme Court.

Point Energy Partners, LLC v. MRC Permian Company (Tex.)
Represented Point Energy in a dispute over rightful ownership of 4,000 gross acres in the Permian Basin. The case hinged on whether MRC’s failure to timely drill was excused by the force majeure clause in the relevant lease. Now regarded as a seminal precedent for such disputes, Point prevailed before the Texas Supreme Court in a 2023 decision that was noted in The Texas Lawbook.

Martin Water Midstream, LLC (Loving Co., Tex.)
Obtained summary judgment for Point Energy Partners Permian, LLC on lease termination and tortious interference. This ruling was appealed up to the Texas Supreme Court, who determined that Matador failed to meet their drilling requirements as detailed in the lease due to a calendaring error, not an event of force majeure. Point Energy Partners Permian, LLC v. MRC Permian Co., 669 S.W.3d 796 (Tex. 2023). The Texas Supreme Court remanded the El Paso Court of Appeals for additional proceedings on remaining issues, No. 08-19-00124-CV. The parties have completed multiple rounds of supplemental briefing on the remaining issues and await the Court of Appeals’ decision.

BPX Properties (N.A.) LP
Represents BPX Properties (N.A.) LP (“BPX”), in a “washout” dispute alleging that BPX conspired to “washout” the plaintiffs’ overriding royalty interests in a Permian Basin oil and gas lease. The plaintiffs advanced a novel common-law claim—a “bad faith washout.” Under this theory, a lessor and lessee commit a tort by terminating a lease—which destroys any overriding royalty interests—and then re-leasing the same acreage, now free and clear of the prior royalty burdens. The plaintiffs also alleged that BPX breached the terms of the lease, committed fraud, and conspired with a third party to cover up its actions. BPX moved for summary judgment, arguing that (1) BPX did not breach the lease, (2) BPX did not commit a “bad faith washout” because no such cause of action exists under Texas law, and (3) the plaintiffs’ claims were barred by the statute of limitations. The trial court rejected BPX’s arguments regarding the statute of limitations but agreed with all of BPX’s arguments on the merits and dismissed plaintiffs’ case in its entirety. The plaintiffs appealed to the El Paso Court of Appeals. The matter has been fully briefed and argued to the Court, Case No. 08-24-00010-CV, and the parties await the Court’s decision.

Admissions

• Texas
• Kentucky
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit  
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas  
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas  

Clerkships/Judicial Internships

• Judicial intern for the Hon. Robert Bacharach, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
• Judicial intern for the Hon. Patrick Wyrick, Oklahoma Supreme Court

Education  

• University of Oklahoma (J.D., 2018)
  • With Highest Honors
  • Order of the Coif  
  • Order of the Barristers
  • National Order of the Scribes
  • American College of Bankruptcy’s Distinguished Law Student for the Tenth Circuit
  • Research Editor of the Oklahoma Law Review
  • Moot Court National Championship
• University of Oklahoma (B.F.A., 2015)

Memberships

• North Texas Performing Arts Board
• Texas Bar College
• State Bar of Texas Appellate Section
• The Federalist Society
• Dallas Bar Association
• Dallas Association of Young Lawyers
• Dallas Young Professionals in Energy

• Texas High Court Says Writing Trumps Verbal Drilling Deal,” Law 360, May 9, 2025
• “Fort Worth Court of Appeals Upholds $180M Mineral Rights Deal,” Texas Lawyer, November 14, 2023.
• “Litigator of the Week Runners-Up and Shout Outs,” The AmLaw Litigation Daily, April 28, 2023.
• “Texas Supreme Court Decides ‘Force Majeure’ Dispute in Oil and Gas Law,” Texas Lawyer, April 24, 2023.
• “SCOTX Wrestles with Force Majeure Clause in Drilling Delay,” The Texas Lawbook, October 25, 2022.
• “5th Circ. Backs Nuke Co.’s Win in Fire Captain’s Bias Suit,” Law360, August 15, 2022.
• “Texas Justices to Hear Permian Basin Drilling Deadline Suit,” Law360, May 31, 2022.
• “West Texas Jury Says ‘Take Nothing’ in $22.5 Million Mineral Rights Lawsuit,” Texas Lawyer, April 6, 2022.

• Thomson Reuters, Texas Super Lawyers, “Rising Stars,” 2022-2025.
• D Magazine, 40 under 40, 2026.
• BL Rankings, Oil and Gas Law, “Ones to Watch in America,” 2026.