Weston O’Black regularly secures multi-million-dollar awards for his plaintiff clients and also protects defendant clients from claims well in excess of that amount. Weston has considerable experience with contract disputes, the midstream industry, energy trading, exploration and production, construction, mortgage lending, and products liability. No matter the subject matter, Weston’s focus is always the same: prepare the case to win at trial.
Weston joined Susman Godfrey after a federal clerkship on the Southern District of Texas. Since then, the judges from the S.D. Tex. tapped him three different times to serve on merit selection panels to screen the applicants to become a U.S. Magistrate Judge.
Weston’s wins include:
- Serving as lead counsel to Concho (now ConocoPhillips) in a royalty dispute with one of the largest West Texas estates. In 2022, Weston used less than 50 minutes to depose the plaintiff ’s corporate representative after other defendants asked their questions. Almost immediately after the deposition, the plaintiff agreed to drop all its claims against Concho and release Concho from all damages.
- Successfully representing CenterPoint Energy to recoup money from gas suppliers who invoked force majeure to avoid their obligations to deliver gas during Winter Storm Uri. Because of Weston and his partners’ work, CenterPoint recouped sums totaling over nine figures.
- Turning a case that Targa Liquids Marketing & Trade was defending into a case where Targa was paid as a plaintiff. Plains Gas Solutions sued Targa in a multi-party Texas lawsuit involving gas supplies. In a critical deposition early in the case, Weston took the last turn questioning Plains’ witness and secured testimony negating Plains’ pleaded and threatened claims against Targa. Soon after, Plains confidentially settled with Targa; interestingly, Plains filed an amended petition against the remaining defendants alleging that the settlement “cause[d] Plains to owe millions in deficiency fees to Targa.”
- Securing a major victory for Vitol when a federal court in Puerto Rico rejected claims by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to void six fuel-oil supply contracts and recover $3.89 billion. The court also awarded Vitol $28.4 million, plus interest, on its counterclaim. The American Lawyer named Weston and his partners as “Litigators of the Week” for this win.
- Securing a complete trial victory in a bell weather case for Hess Ohio Resources in a dispute with a mineral lessor. At trial, Weston delivered the opening statement that set the tone for success throughout. After the win at trial, many similar cases quickly settled on confidential terms.
- Defending Walmart in a products liability trial where he examined fact and expert witnesses and handled numerous oral arguments. After the two-week trial, the jury found that Walmart was not liable for any claim.
Updated Sep 2023
