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Attorneys representing royalty owners in the explosion of litigation against energy companies are encouraged by a recent Texas Supreme Court ruling that interpreted a drilling lease as clearly excluding post-production costs from royalties. In a closely watched lease dispute, a sharply divided court agreed with the family that Chesapeake entities had improperly deducted post-production costs from royalties paid on gas wells located on 948 mineral acres in the Barnett Shale.

Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1455 which significantly affects construction defect or design claims by requiring condominium associations to fulfill certain preconditions prior to initiating a lawsuit. This article discusses this new law’s technical provisions of the pre-suit procedures, including the requirement for a third-party inspection and written report, opportunity for construction professionals to address potential defect or design claims and the requirements of notice to and approval of the unit owners prior to commencing litigation.

The Dallas private equity firm agreed Monday to purchase 41,917 apartment units in 121 different communities from East Coast-based Home Properties for $7.6 billion. Lone Star, which has an estimated $60 billion in assets under management, turned to Jeffrey Chapman, a corporate M&A partner in the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, to lead the transaction.

The Supreme Court of Texas issued a potentially precedent-setting decision that may have significant future implications for both workers at Texas businesses and the employers.