Jarvis Christian College v. Exxon Corporation, Ivey Hugh Rutherford v. Exxon Corporation, C.M. Beckett, Jr. v. Exxon Corporation

JOHN R. BROWN, Circuit Judge:

This litigation arises out of a dispute between Exxon Corporation, appellant in this court, and a number of royalty interest owners, appellees, in the Hawkins Field Unit (HFU), a crude oil producing field, located in Wood County, Texas. Exxon is the operator of the HFU and the purchaser of much of the HFU crude oil owned by the appellees. This case initially raised the question whether Judge Robert Parker of the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division, erred in issuing an injunction prohibiting Exxon from proceeding in the District Court…