Reeder v. Wood County Energy, LLC

This case involves the duties and standard of care of an oil and gas operator under an exculpatory clause in a joint operating agreement (JOA). The language of the exculpatory clause in the JOA exempts the operator from liability for activities under the agreement unless it arises from gross negligence or willful misconduct. Based on that language in the exculpatory clause, the trial court instructed the jury that to find a breach of the JOA the operator’s conduct must have risen to the level of gross negligence or willful misconduct. The jury found that the operator, Petitioner Wendell…