Opinion ID: 1209639
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the anti-indemnity statute

Text: Section 30-1-131, W.S. 1977, provides as follows: (a) All agreements, covenants or promises contained in, collateral to or affecting any agreement pertaining to any well for oil, gas or water, or mine for any mineral, which purport to indemnify the indemnitee against loss or liability for damages for: (i) Death or bodily injury to persons; (ii) Injury to property; or (iii) Any other loss, damage, or expense arising under either (i) or (ii) from: (A) The sole or concurrent negligence of the indemnitee or the agents or employees of the indemnitee or any independent contractor who is directly responsible to such indemnitee; or (B) From any accident which occurs in operations carried on at the direction or under the supervision of the indemnitee or an employee or representative of the indemnitee or in accordance with methods and means specified by the indemnitee or employees or representatives of the indemnitee, are against public policy and are void and unenforceable to the extent that such contract of indemnity by its terms purports to relieve the indemnitee from loss or liability for his own negligence. This provision shall not affect the validity of any insurance contract or any benefit conferred by the Worker's Compensation Law [§§ 27-12-101 to XX-XX-XXX] of this state. (Emphasis added.) In their briefs and at oral argument, the parties have conceded that the indemnity clause in the Searle-Chevron contract is void and unenforceable if § 30-1-131, W.S. 1977, supra, applies to the contract. But, § 30-1-131 voids only those indemnity clauses which are part of any agreement pertaining to any well for oil, gas or water, or mine for any mineral. Reliance contends that the Searle-Chevron agreement pertains to a well for oil or gas while Chevron counters that it does not. [1] In order to discover which party is right, we must ascertain the scope of the agreement itself and then compare that agreement with § 30-1-132, W.S. 1977, supra, which specifies when an agreement pertains to an oil or gas well.