Merit Energy Company, LLC v. Blake Horr

DAVIS, Justice.

[T1] Merit Energy Company, LLC, needed to clean out its oil and gas wells that had become clogged with debris over time. It hired an independent contractor, Basic Energy Services, Inc., to do the job. Unfortunately, Basic employee Blake Horr was seriously injured when a stripping rubber launched out of a wellhead due to a buildup of pressure. Horr sued Merit based on several exceptions to the general rule that the employer of an independent contractor is not liable for physical harm caused to another by an act or omission of the contractor or his servants. A jury returned a…