Key Lease Work Letter Issues When the Landlord Is Doing the Work
Real Estate Leasing Tips for Nonprofits
SDNY Chooses “Time Approach” to Calculating Lease Termination Damages Collectible Against a Bankrupt Estate
Effective Lease Negotiations for Healthcare Practices
ASC 842: Private Companies On The Clock After Delay
Lease Negotiations – Interview with Jeff Moerdler, Member, Mintz Levin
Taking it Seriously: Unusual Lease Violations in Virginia
Let’s assume that you purchase a 105 acre farm in Greene County in 2022. You purchase only the surface estate while the seller, Farmer Jones, retains the underlying oil and gas rights. You intend to grow corn and winter...more
The real takeaway from Pruett v. River Land Holdings LLC is the reminder that the Texas Railroad Commission cannot adjudicate questions of title. ...more
For a decade, the U.S. Department of the Interior has wrestled with financial assurance (or bonding) requirements for offshore oil and gas companies. Over the last 10 years, the Interior Department has released – and later...more
A stream of judicial decisions in the pipeline will have important implications for the energy industry. The three cases discussed below are among those that energy litigators and industry professionals are watching in 2024....more
The Pennsylvania Act 85 of 2019 amended the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Lease Act to add a section permitting cross-unit drilling. On Jan. 24, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania upheld Act 85...more
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
The Colorado Supreme Court on November 20, 2023, issued a long-awaited decision that reversed a 2021 panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals by rejecting the universal application of the “commercial discovery rule” to Colorado...more
After months of delay, the U.S. Department of the Interior auctioned off 1.7 million acres for offshore oil and gas leases during Lease Sale 261 on Dec. 20, 2023. (See Holland & Knight's previous alert, "Interior Department...more
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
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
On June 29, 2023, the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a proposed rule that, if adopted, would substantially revise the financial assurance requirements applicable to offshore oil...more
This is a familiar yet troubling question. Imagine you own 135 acres in Washington County. You have received offers from several oil and gas drillers but have not yet signed a lease. Your neighbor, however, did sign a lease...more
Two recent insolvencies have resulted in the number of orphaned wells and facilities in Saskatchewan ballooning to over 4000. To reduce the burden on the Saskatchewan orphan fund, The Oil and Gas Tenure Registry Regulations...more
As we have written about before, a troubling issue facing landowners in the Marcellus Shale region is the practice of retroactive pooling and unitization. Retroactive pooling and unitization occurs when a driller records an...more
Let’s assume you own 125 acres in Greene County, Pennsylvania. A landman from XYZ Gas Co. approaches you about a new oil and gas lease. The lease purports to grant XYZ Gas Co. exclusive drilling rights to the Marcellus...more
Many Pennsylvania oil and gas leases have what is commonly known as a “market enhancement” royalty clause (“MEC”). These MEC leases typically prohibit the deduction of any post-production costs that are incurred transforming...more
On November 3, 2022, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 153 of 2022, which revises the Oil and Gas Lease Act’s provisions on required disclosures accompanying payments made to royalty owners from unconventional oil and...more
Many Pennsylvania landowners have leases with “market enhancement” royalty clauses. These clauses typically prohibit the deduction of any post-production costs that are incurred transforming the gas into marketable form. Once...more
Let’s assume you own a 93-acre farm in Tioga County. In 1986 your grandfather sold the oil and gas rights to his neighbor, John Mize. In the early 1990’s, Mr. Mize signed an oil and gas lease with XYZ Drilling. Several years...more
Ark Sand Co., Inc. v. Bradley Demolition & Constr., LLC, et al has the appearance of a Hatfield and McCoy-grade grudge match. As often happens when litigation gets personal, the Texas Citizens Participation Act was invoked....more
Let’s assume that you own 125 acres in Tioga County. In 2017, you negotiate a new oil and gas lease with XYZ Drilling. During the negotiations, you insist on a “gross royalty” which prohibits the deduction of...more
Ohio- Substantially compliant acknowledgment clause WWSD, LLC v. Woods, 10th Dist. Franklin No. 20AP-403, 2022-Ohio-952- In this appeal, the Tenth Appellate District affirmed the trial court’s decision, agreeing that...more
Let’s assume you own 114 acres in Tioga County Pennsylvania. In 2012, you signed an oil and gas lease with XYZ Drilling. Two years later they drill and complete the MUSKIE #1H Well. The royalty clause in the 2012 lease...more
Dave Loucks, Director in Opportune LLP's Complex Financial Reporting practice, discusses why private companies need to prepare now in order to comply with the impending ASC 842 lease accounting standard slated to go into...more
As greenfield development continues to grow, the title industry is facing increasing demand resulting in higher price tags and longer turnaround time for early stage title work. While it may have been common practice to wait...more