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Environmental Law

St. Mary's Law Journal

2002

St. Mary’s School of Law

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Full-Text Articles in Law

Making Sense Of Pretext: An Analysis Of Evidentiary Requirements For Summary Judgment Litigants In The Fifth Circuit In Light Of Reeves V. Sanderson Plumbing Prodcuts, And A Proposal For Clarification., Eric S. Riester Jan 2002

Making Sense Of Pretext: An Analysis Of Evidentiary Requirements For Summary Judgment Litigants In The Fifth Circuit In Light Of Reeves V. Sanderson Plumbing Prodcuts, And A Proposal For Clarification., Eric S. Riester

St. Mary's Law Journal

Although the United States Supreme Court in Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc. attempted to clarify the summary judgment landscape of Title VII employment discrimination cases, lower courts in the Fifth Circuit are still without guidance. Under Reeves, direct proof of discrimination is not required to defeat a motion for summary judgment as long as the circumstantial evidence allows a reasonable inference of discrimination. The required strength of the circumstantial evidence, however, remains a major issue in the Fifth Circuit. Since Reeves, the Fifth Circuit has not stated a uniform summary judgment standard, nor has it answered how much circumstantial …


Browning Oil Co. V. Luecke: Has Texas Illuminated A Dark Distinction Between Vertical And Horizontal Drilling., Stephen Taylor Dennis Jan 2002

Browning Oil Co. V. Luecke: Has Texas Illuminated A Dark Distinction Between Vertical And Horizontal Drilling., Stephen Taylor Dennis

St. Mary's Law Journal

Horizontal drilling technology continues to revitalize the oil and gas industry, however, many of the legal concepts governing oil and gas law have failed to keep pace. Recently, in Browning Oil Co. v. Luecke, the Third Court of Appeals of Texas dealt with the issue of whether an antidilution clause applied to both horizontal and vertical wells. The agreement between the parties did not contemplate the use of horizontal technology, however, the express language did not exclude horizontal technology. Because the agreement did not expressly exclude horizontal drilling, the court looked at the intent of the parties and ruled that …