John Sullivan is a shareholder at GableGotwals. He has more than 35 years of litigation experience and has tried many types of cases in state and federal courts throughout the country. He focuses on civil trials and arbitration of cases dealing with complex energy issues, commercial disputes, wrongful death and catastrophic injuries, environmental contamination, and insurance claims and coverage disputes.
Prior to joining the Firm, he was in-house litigation counsel for two major energy companies, Texaco Inc. and Shell Oil Company, for more than 25 years. He was involved in a wide range of litigation matters and disputes covering all aspects of the energy business including onshore and offshore exploration and production, pipelines and terminals, refineries and chemical plants, service station and retail operations, lubricants, shipping, and trading.
- Representing an energy industry service company in insurance coverage litigation related to release of oil emulsion from a crude oil gathering line located in Canada.
- Trial counsel for a major energy company in a breach of contract action concerning counterparty’s failure to pay for seismic survey conducted on client’s mineral fee acreage in East Texas.
- Counsel for an energy industry service company in contractual indemnity dispute arising from a well site fatality and related wrongful death action filed in Oklahoma.
- Counsel for a major energy company in contractual indemnity and insurance coverage dispute arising from a well site fatality and wrongful death action filed in Texas.
- Representing a major energy company in litigation filed in East Texas involving claims by landowners that homes, buildings, and other structures were damaged by seismic activity and earthquakes allegedly caused by oil and gas drilling and production operations.
- Counsel for a major energy company in litigation against liability insurers for an oilfield service company related to defective cement job performed on oil and gas well.
- Trial counsel for a major energy company in action against an oil and gas company to recover unpaid royalty, indemnification for settlements, attorneys’ fees, and litigation expenses.
- Representing a major energy company in litigation commenced by landowner alleging property damage arising from earthquakes allegedly caused by oil and gas drilling and production activity.
- Counsel for a major energy company and its well control insurer in action against oilfield service company related to well control incident in South Texas.
- Represented an energy company in action against former officers and D&O insurers concerning defense and indemnity claims.*
- Representing an energy company in a class action litigation involving claims of securities fraud.*
- Defense counsel for a major energy company in litigation commenced by approximately 60 landowner plaintiffs arising from a well control incident in South Texas.*
- Counsel for a pipeline service and maintenance company on a claim against insurance carrier arising from employee theft.*
- Represented a pipeline service and maintenance company in litigation commenced by major refined products pipeline company alleging property damage, business interruption, and related claims arising from pipeline rupture and release of refined product near Birmingham, Alabama.*
- Represented a major energy company in litigation involving a dispute over ownership of mineral interests pertaining to several producing oil and gas wells located in East Texas.*
*matter handled prior to joining the firm