Eastland Court Denies Disqualification in $534 Million Permian Basin Top Lease Dispute After Defense Counsel Contacted Former In-House Counsel

Pioneer Natural Resources sought mandamus relief after the trial court denied its motion to disqualify defense counsel who contacted Pioneer's former in-house counsel outside formal discovery channels in a $534 million tortious interference case involving top leases in the Permian Basin. The Eastland Court of Appeals denied the petition, affording great deference to the trial court's credibility determinations and factual findings regarding whether defense counsel's communications exceeded a narrow attorney-client privilege waiver.