Tyler Court of Appeals Reverses Summary Judgment on Pipeline Easement Liability After Unauthorized Assignment Voided Transfer

The Tyler Court of Appeals reversed a trial court judgment against successive pipeline easement owners, holding that an assignment made without consent under a Purchase and Sale Agreement's anti-assignment clause was void and could not transfer environmental remediation liability for a 1944 Humble Pipe Line easement. ExxonMobil had argued that successive owners of the Sand Flat Pipeline assumed liability for crude oil contamination from a demolished flowline and tank battery that had been sold separately in 1974.