News & Analysis as of

Oil & Gas Royalties Mineral Leases

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Federal District Court Sends Pennsylvania Royalty Dispute To Trial

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

On September 6, 2024, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania denied dueling summary judgment motions concerning the interpretation of a royalty provision in Chambers v. Equinor USA Onshore...more

Gray Reed

Louisiana Supreme Court Issues Major Post-Production Cost Opinion

Gray Reed on

In Self v. BPX Operating, a case with significant implications for Louisiana operators and royalty owners, the Supreme Court of Louisiana ruled that the doctrine of negotiorum gestio in La. Civil Code art. 2292 does not allow...more

Oliva Gibbs LLP

Bona Fide Victory: How a “Void” Deed Can Confer BFP Status in New Mexico

Oliva Gibbs LLP on

In Koch v. David Fam. Oil & Gas Ints. P’Ship, the Court of Appeals of New Mexico held that the grantee in a deed of distribution executed by the foreign personal representative of an estate can be a bona fide purchaser in the...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Pennsylvania Court Rules That Shut-In Royalty Provision Had No Connection to the Duration of an Oil and Gas Lease

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

In its May 22, 2024 non-precedential memorandum decision in Frye v. Penn View Exploration, Inc., 919 WDA 2023 (Pa. Super. Ct. May 22, 2024), the Pennsylvania Superior Court found that an oil and gas lease’s shut-in royalty...more

Oliva Gibbs LLP

Elections Have Consequences – Why Oklahoma’s Amended Horizontal Pooling Rule May Prove to be Difficult to Apply

Oliva Gibbs LLP on

t is well established that forced pooling under Oklahoma law is done on a “unit-wide basis rather than on an individual wellbore basis.” However, never has it been the case that an election made under one forced pooling order...more

Oliva Gibbs LLP

The Texas Division Order Statute: How It Works and Who It Serves to Protect

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A division order is a statement executed by all owners of interests in an oil and gas well.  The division order’s essential purpose is to “authorize and direct to whom and in what proportion to distribute” proceeds from the...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

The Neale Rule – Who Really Owns the Oil and Gas Under Railroads?

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

Since the early 1900’s, your family has owned a 105 acre farm in Greene County, Pennsylvania. In 2024, you and your siblings sign an oil and gas lease with XYZ Drilling Company. The language in the lease states that it...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

The Centerline Presumption – Who Really Owns the Oil and Gas Under Roads and Highways? (Part II)

A troubling and confusing issue here in Pennsylvania concerns the ownership of oil and gas rights under roads and highways. For example, let’s assume Farmer Joe owned 115 acres in Greene County. In 1981, Farmer Joe sells...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Take Nothing: Delivering a Courtroom Masterclass

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Two months in court, 1,700 miles from home, $100 million at stake. In this edition of V&E+, Vinson & Elkins partners Jim Thompson, Nick Shum, and Stephanie Noble share their story of a marathon trial — and how they emerged...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Who Owns the Produced Water From Oil & Gas Operations?

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

Although historically viewed as a waste, produced water that comes to the surface as part of the oil and gas production stream now potentially has value. Produced water can be recycled and reused as part of hydraulic...more

Oliva Gibbs LLP

The Suspense is Killing Me! – When Formal Notice May be Required Under North Dakota’s Suspense Statute

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In Powell v. Statoil Oil & Gas LP, the North Dakota Supreme Court found that failure to properly notify a suspended royalty owner of an alleged title defect may allow for statutory interest under North Dakota’s “Suspense...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

West Virginia Appellate Court Rules That Estate Misconception Theory Did Not Apply To 1902 Deed

The calculation of production royalties and the deduction of post-production costs remains a troubling issue for Pennsylvania landowners. But there is another frustrating and often confusing royalty-related issue which can,...more

BCLP

2023 Recap: Important US Oil and Gas Decisions

BCLP on

In 2023, the US oil and gas industry witnessed significant legal developments that highlight the importance of careful drafting. This recap, together with my prior analysis, captures some of the pivotal case law that defined...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

The Colorado Supreme Court Declines to Adopt Commercial Discovery Rule

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

Let’s assume you own 136 acres in Tioga County. In 2011, you signed a new oil and gas lease with ABC Production (the “2011 Lease”). The 2011 Lease had a five-year primary term which expired in October 2016. In 2014, ABC...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Pennsylvania Federal Court Dismisses Gas Driller’s Declaratory Judgment Lawsuit Involving Oil & Gas Lease

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

In an October 10, 2023, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania dismissed a gas driller’s declaratory judgment lawsuit involving an oil and gas lease in the SWN Production Company, LLC v. Blue...more

Gray Reed

“Floating” Beats “Fixed ” in Texas Royalty Reservation

Gray Reed on

If you are scoring at home, count Permico Royalties LLC v. Barron Properties, Ltd., as a win for “floating” in the fixed-or-floating royalty battles. Permico, successor to grantors in a 1937 Deed for a tract in Ward County,...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Can Cryptocurrency Mining Maintain an Oil and Gas Lease Beyond Primary Term?

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

The recently filed Hobe Minerals Limited Liability Company v. Bonanza Creek Energy Operating Company, LLC, et al lawsuit in a Colorado trial court challenges whether intermittent cryptocurrency mining can maintain an oil and...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Federal Court In Ohio Rules That Driller Must Establish Marketability of Each Gas Product Under Market Enhancement Clause

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

Let’s assume you own 95 acres in Greene County, Pennsylvania. In 2019, you signed an oil and gas lease with ABC Exploration. During the negotiations, you agreed that only those post-production costs which actually...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Pennsylvania Superior Court Clarifies Nature of Oil and Gas Lease Under Pennsylvania Law

Let’s assume you own a 160-acre farm in Washington County. Your father purchased the farm in 1992 from a local farmer named Jones. (the “1992 Deed”). At the time your father purchased the farm, there was an oil and gas lease...more

Gray Reed

Will the Fixed or Floating Suits Ever End?

Gray Reed on

Rhetorical Question: When will Texas be done with fixed/floating royalty cases such as Johnson et al v. Clifton et al? Rhetorical Answer: When scriveners of deeds that are open to eight conceivably plausible meanings...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Landowners Should Be Careful Before Making Representations About Prior Oil and Gas Development on their Property

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

Before signing oil and gas leases, landowners should pay close attention to lease provisions asking for warranties and representations about prior oil and gas development on the land. These provisions are often buried in a...more

Gray Reed

Federal Court Distinguishes Devon v. Sheppard

Gray Reed on

Producers disappointed by the Supreme Court’s holding in Devon Energy Production v. Sheppard might have reason to feel vindicated. The question in HL Hawkins Jr., Inc. v. Capitan Energy Inc. et al. was whether producer...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

The Strip and Gore Doctrine - Who Really Owns The Oil and Gas Under Roads and Highways?

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

Let’s assume your grandfather owned 99 acres in Washington County. In 1955, he sells a small portion of the farm to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in order to facilitate the construction of new State Route 39. This acreage...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Recent Federal District Court Decision Suggests New Approach for Oil and Gas Lease Termination

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania’s recent decision in Bootes v. PPP Future Development, Inc., C.A. No. 22-154 (W.D.Pa. March 21, 2023) denying a gas company’s request to dismiss oil...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Can Owners of Severed Oil and Gas Estates in Pennsylvania Lease Gas Storage Rights?

A dual purpose oil and gas lease transitions into its secondary term, and remains in its secondary term, if oil and gas is produced from the leasehold or if the leasehold is used for oil and gas storage. See, Smith v....more

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