Blog

The Supreme Court of Texas recently denied Spectraseis’ petition for review, rejecting Spectraseis’ demand that it could evade all responsibility for injuries sustained by a UK resident, Chris Mulgrew, while working on a Spectraseis project in Canada. Mr. Mulgrew was working on a Spectraseis-managed seismic survey project in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Spectraseis utilized a number of contractors to perform the work, but was responsible for management of the operation and provision of safe work gear. Unfortunately, as the weather reached -45 degrees Mr. Mulgrew sustained serious frostbite injuries due to the inadequate gear and work schedules in the extreme outdoor conditions. Spectraseis’ negligence in management of the Health Safety Environment (HSE) aspects of the project led to multiple amputations of Mr. Mulgrew’s fingers, impacting both his ability to earn a living and future abilities to carry on his life. After Mr. Mulgrew was injured working on Spectraseis’ project, Spectraseis told the government authorities in Canada, and Mr. Mulgrew, that he was not employed by Spectraseis and they were immune from all liability for his injuries. The Houston Court of Appeals had previously overturned a dismissal of the case at the trial court level based on an alleged lack of jurisdiction over Spectraseis, a company with global operations headquartered in Houston, Texas. The appellate court found that the claims of Spectraseis that it was immune from the jurisdiction of the Texas courts for its negligence in Canada were unfounded. With the Texas Supreme Court now refusing the last demand of Spectraseis that it be able to evade accountability in every jurisdiction, Doyle’s case for Mr. Mulgrew is headed back for trial in the district court of Harris County, Texas.