Force Majeure

Mieco LLC v. Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc. involved a dispute over a natural gas supply contract affected by Winter Storm Uri.

Pioneer Natural Resources invoked the contract’s force majeure clause to excuse its failure to deliver gas during the storm. The clause defined force majeure as an “event or circumstance which prevents one party from performing its obligations,” and specified that the event must be beyond the party’s reasonable control and not due to its negligence. The clause further required the party to be “unable to overcome or avoid” the event “by the exercise of due diligence.”

The Fifth Circuit upheld the district court’s conclusion that “prevent” does not mean performance must be impossible, but can also include a significant hindrance or impediment. That said, the Court reversed summary judgment on whether Pioneer exercised the necessary “due diligence” to mitigate the storm’s effects. The clause required Pioneer to make reasonable efforts, and the Court identified  factual disputes about whether Pioneer could have purchased spot market gas to fulfill its obligations, leading to a remand for further proceedings. No. 23-10575 (July 16, 2024).