Fifth Circuit Holds Life Rafts on Offshore Platforms Constitute 'Mining Equipment' Under Texas Fair Practices Act

The Fifth Circuit reversed a district court's judgment on partial findings, holding that life rafts deployed on offshore oil platforms qualify as equipment used in connection with "mining activities" under the Texas Fair Practices of Equipment Manufacturers, Distributors, Wholesalers, and Dealers Act. The court predicted that the Texas Supreme Court would interpret "mining activities" to include oil and gas exploration and production, potentially expanding the Act's protections to non-exclusive dealers of safety equipment in the offshore sector.