Commercial & Business

Litigation and transactions, including:

• Breach of contract, fraud and other claims by major tire manufacturer against provider of enterprise resource planning services relating to new order-to-cash system for manufacturer’s North America operations
• Breach of contract, fiduciary duty, and fraud claims by truck dealer against heavy-duty and medium-duty truck manufacturers
• Antitrust claims by automotive parts wholesaler against dealer-owned parts wholesaler
• Antitrust claims by physician against hospital arising out of hospital’s exclusive services agreement with another physician
• Claims arising out of partnership, close corporation, and limited liability company disputes
• Litigation and arbitration of fee disputes among multiple attorneys and firms arising subsequent to substantial settlements of litigation
• Claims against United States for just compensation arising out of taking through flowage easement of mineral interests in Mississippi River batture and backwater.

Electric Utility

Operations, transactions, litigation, regulatory, and legislative matters for electric cooperatives, including, formation and governance, articles of incorporation, bylaws, policies and procedures, legislation, Mississippi Public Service Commission rules and regulations, Tennessee Valley Authority contracts and regulations, regulatory authority/jurisdiction disputes, easements, protection of certificated service areas, franchise fees, customer deposits, disconnections of service for non-payment, pole attachment/joint use and other contracts, indemnification agreements, property taxes, capital credits, director elections, member requests for information, underbilling issues, provision of broadband services, wrongful death claim arising out of power line electrocution, and various other topics.

Natural Resources & Environmental

Litigation and regulatory matters, including:

• Representation of State of Mississippi in original proceeding in United States Supreme Court against State of Tennessee, City of Memphis, and Memphis Light Gas and Water arising out of cross-border capture of groundwater located in Mississippi through pumping
• Defense of environmental engineering firm in personal injury lawsuits filed by multiple plaintiffs arising out of chemical spill and subsequent removal and remediation activities
• Defense of claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by contamination from leaking underground storage tanks
• Defense of claims for personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by PCB and TCE soil and groundwater contamination
• Insurance coverage disputes relating to environmental contamination, including pollution exclusion issues
• Defense of regulatory enforcement action commenced by Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality against petroleum refinery, including permitting and enforcement issues relating to air, water and hazardous waste
• Co-author, with Jackson H. Ables, Mississippi Environmental Law Handbook (Government Institutes, Inc.).

Oil & Gas

Litigation and transactions, including:

• Royalty underpayment claims pursued on a class basis in multiple states
• Claims arising out of natural gas shortages and curtailments, including breach of contract and antitrust claims against natural gas pipeline and parent company
• Take-or-pay (breach of contract) claims by working interest owners against pipeline companies
• Claims by fertilizer manufacturer against pipeline company for breach of gas supply contracts
• Oil and gas title disputes and related accounting actions
• Joint interest billing and gas balancing disputes among working interest owners
• Fraudulent drainage claims against oil and gas lessees
• Oil and gas partnership disputes
• Claims for petroleum engineer’s wrongful usurpation of oil and gas prospects
• Claims by operator against engineer arising out of workover of gas well
• Negotiation and drafting of oil and gas leases
• Antitrust claims arising out of oil and gas lease acquisitions
• Personal injury claims arising out of oil well fire
• Preparation and negotiation of transaction documents for manufacturing plant’s acquisition of 60-mile gas pipeline for fuel supply and for sale of propane business.