anyaberkut / iStock / Getty Images Plus Tiffany Dowell Lashmet discusses this topic and the Texas Supreme Court s decision in her recent Texas Ag Law Blog.
In 2020, the Texas Supreme Court decided two cases related to an important question: Can a series of emails constitute a legally binding, written contract as required by the Statute of Frauds? Today, we will look at one of these cases,
Copano Energy, LLC v. Bujnoch. Given the prevalence of email in today’s society, this case offers important lessons to keep in mind.
Background
Plaintiffs own land in Lavaca and Dewitt Counties. In 2011, they granted 30′ easements to Copano for the construction, operation, and maintenance of a 24-inch pipeline on their properties. In 2012, Copano approached the landowners again, seeking a second easement for another 24-inch pipeline. It is a series of emails related to this second easement that form the basis of the lawsuit. The landowners were re