Overview
Weston O’Black is a trial lawyer who has successfully represented plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts across the country. Originally from Houston, Weston joined Susman Godfrey in 2010 after a two-year federal clerkship. Weston has won victories on both sides of the docket. He regularly represents plaintiffs but has also successfully defended clients in cases where plaintiffs demanded millions. He has managed cases in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina to name a few.
Weston’s practice spans a wide variety of subject matters. He has considerable experience with contract disputes, the midstream industry, energy trading, exploration and production, large construction projects, mortgage lending, and products liability.
Whether representing plaintiffs or defendants, Weston’s focus is the same: preparing the case to win at trial. That focus creates efficiencies for clients and also provides benefits during pre-suit or pre-trial negotiations. Weston is regularly retained by clients to negotiate settlements of complex disputes before a lawsuit is filed. He also is regularly retained to take over pending cases headed to trial.
In a 2023 article in Texas Lawbook, CenterPoint discussed how Weston and his partners from Susman Godfrey resolved disputes worth hundreds of millions of dollars with the company’s gas suppliers after the winter storm that hit Texas in February 2021:
We hired Susman Godfrey to show suppliers that we were not fooling around when we demanded those contracts be enforced . . . . As a result, nearly every one of those suits was resolved before we even filed a lawsuit.
In January 2025, Weston won $22.6 million in an arbitration for an upstream oil and gas buyer against an insurance company that refused to honor a representations and warranties insurance policy issued when the buyer’s acquired significant oil and gas assets. After a trial on the merits, the arbitration panel awarded our client 100% of the damages sought plus millions in attorneys’ fees
Weston was previously named Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer for securing a landmark summary judgment for Vitol in a case valued at $4 billion, win. Read more in about the matter in Law360 and Texas Lawbook. Additionally, Weston’s work in nabbing a win for Vitol in a $4 billion dollar litigation with Puerto Rico Utility helped secure Susman Godfrey’s recognition by Benchmark Litigation as Texas Law Firm of the Year in 2023.
Weston encourages potential clients to contact him for references of current clients, former clients, former local counsel, and former opposing counsel.
Notable Representations
- 2021–2023: Represented CenterPoint against various natural gas suppliers and recouped hundreds of millions of dollars relating to the winter storm in February 2021. Weston’s work was mentioned in a 2023 article in Texas Lawbook.
- November 2024: Successfully secured a complete dismissal of a “multi-billion-dollar” lawsuit against a Texas gas utility for lack of jurisdiction in Multi-District Litigation. Weston wrote the briefs on behalf of his client and argued at the hearing before the MDL court. Multiple news outlets covered the case and quoted from Weston’s winning oral argument.
- 2024-2025 Arbitration: Won $22.6 million in an arbitration (100% of damages claimed, plus attorney’s fees) for an upstream oil and gas buyer against an insurance company that refused to honor a representations and warranties insurance policy issued when the buyer’s acquired significant oil and gas assets.
- David E. Cameron, et al. v. Hess Corporation, et al., No. 2:12-CV-00168 (S.D. Ohio) (2014) –represented Hess Ohio Resources in a suit brought by a mineral lessor in Jefferson County, Ohio, who claimed that the oil and gas lease he signed in 2008 terminated in 2010. After a bench trial in April 2014, the Court ruled for our client and held that the lease was still in effect and that the lease’s primary term was equitably tolled since the day that the plaintiff-lessor filed suit. It was a complete victory. Click here and go to page 9 to read my opening statement at trial.
- Kelich v. Hess Corp., No. 14-3411, 2014 WL 7331014 (6th Cir. Dec. 23, 2014) – represented Hess Ohio Resources in two suits brought by oil and gas lessors with property near St. Clairsville, Ohio. The lessors claimed that their oil and gas leases, which they signed in 2006, had terminated after a five-year primary term. Susman Godfrey was retained in 2013 to persuade the two federal district courts in Ohio to reconsider their rulings that the leases had terminated. Ultimately, the two federal district courts reached different conclusions, so we consolidated both cases for appeal to the Sixth Circuit. The Sixth Circuit agreed with our position that (1) the leases had two consecutive five-year primary terms and (2) the leases had not terminated at the end of the first five-year term.
- Pedro Santiago Mendez v. Authoridad de Energia Electrica de Puerto Rico (Aug. 2016) – I (along with Neal Manne, Alex Kaplan, and Michael Kelso) defended Vitol, Inc. and Vitol S.A. against antitrust claims in a class action filed in Puerto Rico state court. We removed the case to federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act, and, one week later, filed a motion to dismiss under Federal Rule 12(b)(6). The next week, the plaintiffs dismissed their claims against our clients with prejudice.
- British Arbitration of Business Interruption Insurance Claim (2011–2012) – I (along with Vineet Bhatia and Alex Kaplan) represented a petrochemical manufacturer and oil refining company in an ad hoc British arbitration arising from $450 million in business interruption losses caused by Hurricane Ike. I was involved in all aspects of the case relating to nine different chemical lines, each of which had individual coverage issues and complex accounting issues. The case settled on confidential terms the day before the final arbitration hearing in London.
- Houston Refining LP v. Deep South Crane & Rigging Co., No. 2008-59257 (113th Judicial District Court, Harris County, Texas) (2010–2011) – represented Houston Refining LP (HRO), a subsidiary of LyondellBasell Industries N.V., in a $48 million negligence suit against the owner and operator of one of the largest cranes in the world, whose crane collapsed on HRO’s refinery. Before Susman Godfrey was hired, the trial judge granted partial summary judgment for the crane company, holding that the economic loss rule barred our client from recovering lost profits or any other non-property damages—a ruling that eliminated over 95% of the damages our client sought. After we were hired, we persuaded the trial judge to overturn his prior summary judgment order on the economic loss rule, restoring our client’s right to seek 100% of its damages. The case settled on confidential terms.
- Total Petrochemicals USA, Inc. v. Team Industries, Inc., No. 4:10-CV-3213 (S.D. Tex.) (2010–2012) – represented French-based TOTAL Petrochemicals in a dispute against Wisconsin-based Team Industries, a subcontractor who fabricated pipe for TOTAL’s multi-billion dollar expansion of its petrochemical facility in Port Arthur, Texas. TOTAL accused Team of improper billing for pipe fabrication on a $120 million contract, and Team accused TOTAL of underpaying on the contract. The case involved novel issues about how prices for labor and materials should be calculated under a “list and discount” pricing structure. The case also involved the interpretation and application of a “most favored nation” clause in the parties’ contract. The case settled on confidential terms.
- In Re: RFC and ResCap Liquidating Trust Litigation – successfully represented a nationwide home mortgage lender in a dispute with RFC. RFC purchased loans from our client, “pooled” those loans with loans purchased from other mortgage originators, and sold the pools of loans to securitization trusts. The securitization trusts filed claims against RFC, which sought bankruptcy protection. RFC then filed dozens of lawsuits in federal district court in Minnesota against mortgage originators. The case settled on confidential terms.
- Thatcher v. Walmart Stores, Inc., et al. (Arkansas) – Won a take-nothing jury verdict in a products liability lawsuit in state court in Benton County, Arkansas, which was tried with Neal Manne, Katie Sammons, and Chanler Langham. During the two-week trial, I examined four witnesses and handled numerous oral arguments. The jury deliberated for a little over an hour before finding that Walmart was not liable for any claim.
- 2023-2024: Successfully represented the former President and General Counsel of a large privately held employer in a dispute regarding their employment, compensation, and equity in the enterprise. After multiple arbitration hearings, the disputes settled on confidential terms.
- 2023: Successfully represented a Chief Financial Officer in a dispute against a former employer regarding an employment contract and allegations about confidential information. The dispute settled on confidential terms.
Honors & Distinctions
Honors and Awards
- Future Star, Benchmark Litigation (2023 2024, 2025 Euromoney)
- Recommended Lawyer, Energy Litigation, Oil & Gas, The Legal 500 (2023, Legalease)
- Litigator of the Week, American Lawyer (2021, ALM)
- Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine (2019, 2020 Thomson Reuters)
- Rising Star, Super Lawyers Magazine (2016 – 2018, Thomson Reuters)
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation (2016)
- Articles Editor, Houston Law Review (2008)
- Beirne, Maynard & Parsons Award for Best Exemplifier of a Trial Lawyer (2007)
- Garland Walker Inn of Court Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy (2007)
- Order of the Barons
Clerkships
- Honorable Ewing Werlein, Jr., United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, 2008-2010
Education
Education
- The University of Houston Law Center (J.D., summa cum laude, 2008)
- The University of Texas (B.S.M.E., 2005)
Admissions
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- Texas
- Arkansas
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Leadership & Professional Memberships
Associations
- Board Member of the University of Houston Law Foundation, 2024 to present.
- Board Member of the University of Houston Law Alumni Board, 2024 to present.
- Director on the Board of Directors of the Houston Law Review, 2024 to present.
- Co-Chaired the 2025 University of Houston Law Gala with Mary O’Black and SG-Partner Brian Melton, which was one of the largest fundraisers in school history.
- Selected three different times (2017, 2018, 2021) by the District Judges of the Southern District of Texas to serve on the Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel to interview candidates to fill open federal Magistrate Judge positions.
- Member of the State Bar of Texas and State Bar of Arkansas.
- Fellow, Texas Bar Association
