Force majeure clauses address events beyond the parties' control that may excuse performance, such as natural disasters or government actions.
The cases below are organized by outcome and significance. Flagship cases represent the most-cited opinions that have shaped how force majeure clauses are interpreted in Texas courts.
The Government's contractual promises regarding supervisory goodwill accounting treatment are enforceable despite subsequent regulatory changes, and the Government is liable for breach when Congress eliminated those accounting benefits.
Section 2.306 of the UCC does not apply to take-or-pay gas contracts where parties have specified quantity as a determinable amount (85% of delivery capacity), and good faith obligations remain applicable to increases in delivery capacity.
A no-damages-for-delay provision cannot shield an owner from liability for deliberately and wrongfully interfering with a contractor's work, even if the contract broadly purports to exclude all delay damages.
33 opinions sorted by most cited
| CASE | CITATION | OUTCOME | CITES |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States v. Winstar Corp. Supreme Court of the United States | 135 L. Ed. 2d 964 (1996) | enforced | 932 |
| Lenape Resources Corp. v. Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. Texas Supreme Court | 925 S.W.2d 565 (1996) | enforced | 252 |
| Zachry Construction Corporation v. Port of Houston Authority of Harris County, Texas Texas Supreme Court | 449 S.W.3d 98 (2014) | remanded | 151 |
| M.J. Paquet, Inc. v. New Jersey Department of Transportation Supreme Court of New Jersey | 794 A.2d 141 (2002) | remanded | 102 |
| HECI Exploration Co. v. Clajon Gas Co. Court of Appeals of Texas | 843 S.W.2d 622 (1993) | remanded | 90 |
| Estate of Wallace v. Commissioner United States Tax Court | 95 T.C. 525 (1990) | remanded | 85 |
| Zavanna v. Gadeco North Dakota Supreme Court | 994 N.W.2d 133 (2023) | enforced | 66 |
| Krabbe v. Anadarko Petroleum Corp. Texas Court of Appeals, 7th District (Amarillo) | 46 S.W.3d 308 (2001) | enforced | 54 |
| Searcy v. Knostman District Court, S.D. Mississippi | 155 B.R. 699 (1993) | remanded | 47 |
| INEOS Group Ltd. v. Chevron Phillips Chemical Co., LP Texas Court of Appeals, 1st District (Houston) | 312 S.W.3d 843 (2009) | enforced | 44 |
| Caperton v. AT Massey Coal Co., Inc. West Virginia Supreme Court | 690 S.E.2d 322 (2009) | remanded | 43 |
| Watson Laboratories, Inc. v. Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Inc. District Court, C.D. California | 178 F. Supp. 2d 1099 (2001) | enforced | 40 |
| Kittay v. Landegger (In Re Hagerstown Fiber Ltd. Partnership) United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York | 277 B.R. 181 (2002) | modified | 33 |
| Kashani v. TSANN KUEN CHINA ENTERPRISE CO. California Court of Appeal | 13 Cal. Rptr. 3d 174 (2004) | enforced | 33 |
| Paulus v. Beck Energy Corp. Court of Appeals of Ohio, Seventh District, Monroe County | 94 N.E.3d 73 (2017) | modified | 30 |
| Lummus Global Amazonas, S.A. v. Aguaytia Energy Del Peru, S.R. Ltda. District Court, S.D. Texas | 256 F. Supp. 2d 594 (2002) | remanded | 26 |
| Sea Byte, Inc. v. Hudson Marine Management Services, Inc. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | 565 F.3d 1293 (2009) | modified | 24 |
| Hutton Contracting Co. v. City of Coffeyville Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit | 487 F.3d 772 (2007) | enforced | 23 |
| Dirty Boyz Sanitation Serv., Inc. v. City of Rawlins Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit | 889 F.3d 1189 (2018) | enforced | 21 |
| TEC Olmos, LLC v. ConocoPhillips Co. Court of Appeals of Texas | 555 S.W.3d 176 (2018) | enforced | 17 |