Sabine Oil & Gas and its Effect on Oil and Gas Gatherers: Existential Threat or Flash in the Pan?

One of the most discussed rulings to emerge from the many oil and gas producer bankruptcies that have been filed in the United States over the last two years is a ruling in In re Sabine Oil & Gas. Many commentators initially viewed the ruling as a potential threat to oil and gas gatherers, a critical link in the nationwide oil and gas transportation network. But an examination of the legal issues at the heart of the Sabine dispute, and newly filed cases involving similar disputes, indicate that the Sabine ruling may have less influence than once feared.