Houston, TX Admiralty and Maritime Lawyers Kean Miller LLP Home
David L. Pybus
Partner"Our team is committed to supporting our clients at a leading law firm, working relentlessly each day to help them achieve their goals and navigate challenges with confidence."
David Pybus practices in the casualty and mass tort, commercial litigation, and offshore energy and marine litigation groups.
David has represented clients in all types of lawsuits for more than 35 years. He has tried multiple cases to verdict or decision, both before judges and juries and in arbitration. He has also handled numerous marine and energy cases, including personal injury defense, subrogation claims resulting from well blow-outs and other oilfield accidents, chemical plant fires and explosions, disputes over plugging and abandonment costs, and OSHA investigations. He has strong expertise in the insurance, defense and indemnity issues that always accompany marine and energy claims.
David has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation and regularly represents companies in contractual disputes, including shareholder derivative claims and construction disputes with owners, subcontractors, and factoring companies.
- Obtained a $5.4 million jury verdict for a drilling contractor after a blowout during the drilling of a saltwater disposal well.
- Obtained summary judgments dismissing all claims against three annuity companies in a $10 million case brought by structured settlement annuity factoring companies and obtained a judgment for over $400,000 in attorneys' fees after a jury trial.
- Obtained an award for $3.7 million in a multi-party arbitration resulting from a dispute over estimated costs for plugging and abandonment of an offshore well.
- Obtained $1.5 million in a multi-defendant subrogation case involving an oil well blowout, representing approximately 90% of the deductible and amounts.
- Obtained an award of attorneys’ fees for two annuity companies in separate cases under the Texas Structured Settlement Protection Act, in the first two reported Texas cases permitting such awards.
- Obtained favorable settlements in connection with a fire at a gas processing plant which caused $15 million in damages.
- Represented an individual investor in a case involving a claim for a substantial real estate commission, obtaining a transfer of venue and a unanimous decision from the Texas Supreme Court.
- Successfully defended a shareholder derivative case seeking $3.8 million.
- Successfully prevented an arbitration demand by a hospital against a third-party administrator on a $3 million claim, resulting in a small settlement.
- Successfully resolved a suit by a Texas company member seeking $8 million in fees from a group of Louisiana companies.
- University of Texas at Austin, J.D., cum laude, 1986
- University of Texas at Austin, B.B.A., magna cum laude, 1982
- Member, Order of the Coif
- Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- Texas Supreme Court
- Member, Houston Bar Association
- Member, State Bar of Texas
- AV Preeminent- rated, Martindale-Hubbell
- "Top Lawyers," H Texas Magazine
