Blanchard Refining Company LLC and Marathon Petroleum Company Lp v. Industrial Specialists, LLC
CourtTexas Supreme Court
Date FiledOctober 9, 2026
Docket26-0118
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
Supreme Court of Texas
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No. 26-0118
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Blanchard Refining Company LLC and Marathon Petroleum
Company LP,
Petitioners,
v.
Industrial Specialists, LLC,
Respondent
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On Petition for Review from the
Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas
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PER CURIAM
This appeal concerns a dispute about whether the partiesβ
contract creates an enforceable entitlement to comparative
indemnification. The court of appealsβ resolution of this case and the
resulting petition for review both preceded this Courtβs decision in S&B
Engineers & Constructors, Ltd. v. Scallon Controls, Inc., 734 S.W.3d 869
(Tex. 2026). The response to the petition and the reply, which both came
after S&B, reflect the partiesβ agreement that S&B is relevant to their
dispute. The parties differ sharply as to how, with each side forcefully
contending that S&B supports its respective position. Several amici
curiae have filed a detailed brief that likewise addresses S&B at length.
The court of appeals had neither S&B nor the views of the parties and
amici concerning how S&B might affect its consideration of the case.
This Court generally prefers for the lower courts to address legal
issues in the first instance. See, e.g., In re Troy S. Poe Tr., 646 S.W.3d
771, 780-81 (Tex. 2022). As in other cases where an intervening decision
of this Court may affect the partiesβ dispute, therefore, we remand this
case for the court of appeals to make that determination. See, e.g.,
Thomson v. Hoffman, 674 S.W.3d 927, 928-29 (Tex. 2023). We express
no view as to the proper outcome.
Accordingly, without hearing oral argument, we grant the
petition for review, vacate the court of appealsβ judgment, and remand
the case to that court for further proceedings in light of S&B. See TEX.
R. APP. P. 59.1.
OPINION DELIVERED: October 9, 2026
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