Thirteenth Court Grants Mandamus on Venue Selection Clause in Eagle Ford Assignment Dispute

The Thirteenth Court of Appeals conditionally granted mandamus relief to INEOS, CNOOC, Jamestown, and Chesapeake entities, holding that a venue selection clause designating Nueces County was unenforceable because the assignment of fourteen oil and gas leases covering 633.22 acres in La Salle County did not constitute a "major transaction" under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 15.020. The dispute arose from Texas Lone Star Petroleum's claim that reversionary rights were triggered when wells drilled by assignees failed to satisfy production levels required in a Partial Assignment with an $850-per-acre purchase price totaling $538,237.