United States Fifth Circuit

In a dispute involving production sharing contracts and petroleum exploration and development at a bay in China, a judgment confirming an arbitration award in favor of Texaco China is affirmed where: 1) an arbitration clause granted the arbitrator sufficient authority to consider the validity of an exculpatory clause in the parties' agreement; and 2) the arbitrator did not ignore any plainly governing principles of applicable law in awarding consequential and cost-of-drilling damages and by failing to apply mitigation principles to reduce the award.

Appellate Information

• Decided 02/27/2007
• Published 02/28/2007

Judges

• JERRY E. SMITH, Circuit Judge:, Before JONES, Chief Judge, and SMITH and STEWART, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fifth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Joseph D. Jamail (argued), Frank M. Staggs, Jr., Jamail & Kolius, Joy M. Soloway, Fulbright & Jaworski, Harry M. Reasoner (argued), Gwendolyn Johnson Samora, James L. Loftis, Brandon Edmund Roach, Vinson & Elkins, Houston, TX, John D. Taurman, Vinson & Elkins, Washington, DC, W. Wendell Hall, Fulbright & Jaworski, San Antonio, TX, Marcy Hogan Greer, Fulbright & Jaworski, Austin, TX, for Plaintiffs-Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Adam P. Schiffer (argued), H. Victor Thomas, Jr., King & Spalding, Houston, TX, for Defendant-Appellee.