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Mineral Leases Gas Royalties

McGuireWoods LLP

Interesting — Texas Court Rules Unpaid Royalty Payments not Subject to Compound Interest

McGuireWoods LLP on

Are unpaid royalty payments for oil-and-gas leases subject to simple or compound interest? Simple, the Texas Supreme Court said in Samson Exploration, LLC v. Bordages on June 7, 2024....more

Oliva Gibbs LLP

Muscled Out While “Muscling In”: The Role of Actual Drainage in MIPA

Oliva Gibbs LLP on

In Ammonite Oil & Gas Corp. v. R.R. Comm’n of Tex., the Texas Supreme Court held that the Railroad Commission (the “RRC”) did not abuse its discretion in denying a “muscle in” application under the Texas Mineral Interest...more

Gray Reed

No Compound Interest on Unpaid Royalties Under Texas Oil and Gas Lease

Gray Reed on

It’s not exactly Deuteronomy 23:19, but the Supreme Court of Texas has an opinion about interest. They don’t like it if it’s compounded. Samson Exploration LLC v. Bordages addressed interest to be charged on unpaid royalties...more

Porter Hedges LLP

Wellbore Transactions Update - Conveyances, Reservations And Related Lease Severance Issues

Porter Hedges LLP on

This article focuses on the state of Texas law regarding wellbore rights and various related issues raised by transactions involving such rights (and other similar lease severance issues) and provides some practical tips to...more

Gray Reed

How Courts Look at Fixed or Floating Royalty Disputes

Gray Reed on

Montgomery Trustee v. ES3 Minerals and Echo Minerals is another Texas fixed or floating royalty case. Before diving into the details, perhaps it’s best to describe the pattern the courts seem to fall into to resolve these...more

White & Case LLP

Implications of the Texas Supreme Court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Ruling on Fuel Gas Royalties

White & Case LLP on

On June 4, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of an "at the well" royalty holder's class action lawsuit after the Texas Supreme Court held that Hilcorp Energy Co. properly...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In its May 22, 2024 non-precedential memorandum decision in Frye v. Penn View Exploration, Inc., 919 WDA 2023 (Pa.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

Locke Lord LLP

The Texas Supreme Court Holds Interest Must Be Simple Absent an Express, Clear, and Specific Provision for Compounding

Locke Lord LLP on

The Texas Supreme Court has clarified Texas law concerning how to calculate interest that is being paid pursuant to an agreement or statute. Samson Exploration, LLC v. Bordages, No. 22-0215, 2024 WL 2869049 (Tex. June 7,...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Texas Supreme Court Addresses Fuel Gas Question

Many oil and gas leases across Pennsylvania allow the driller to divert and use volumes of raw gas to power and fuel production operations both on and off the leasehold. Is a driller obligated to pay a royalty on that volume...more

Gray Reed

Supreme Court of Texas Decides Another Post-Production Cost Dispute

Gray Reed on

In Carl v. Hillcorp Energy the Supreme Court of Texas addressed the relationship between the lessee’s use of gas off-premises under a free-use clause and the lessor’s burden to share post-production costs (PPCs) under the...more

Oliva Gibbs LLP

Navigating the New Frontier: Updates to Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Rules and Regulations

Oliva Gibbs LLP on

The Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process rule (FMLLP), which was announced by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on April 12, 2024, represents a significant update to the Federal onshore oil and gas leasing framework....more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Texas Supreme Court to Address the Obligation to Calculate Royalty on Gas Used to Fuel Off-Lease Operations

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

Let’s assume you own 165 acres in Tioga County. In 2019, you sign a new oil and gas lease with ABC Drilling. You negotiate an 18% net royalty. The royalty clause, however, requires ABC Drilling to calculate the royalty on...more

Oliva Gibbs LLP

Flipping the Switch on Disputed Gas Royalty Payments: On Lease v. Off Lease

Oliva Gibbs LLP on

I. Introduction - The dispute over a lessee’s obligation to pay royalty amounts for gas used off-premises continues as the Fifth Circuit certified two questions to the Texas Supreme Court last month. At issue, is whether...more

Oliva Gibbs LLP

Double Reservations and Double Fractions: Ohio Appellate Court Addresses Complex Fixed vs. Floating Royalty Interest Debate

Oliva Gibbs LLP on

The Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals recently came down on (yet another) dispute between fixed fractional and floating royalty reservations. The case of Min. Dev. Inc. v. SWN Prod. (OHIO), LLC, et al., overturned a...more

Gray Reed

Agreed Judgment and Division Order Don’t Avoid Double Royalty Payment

Gray Reed on

So, you found all the heirs and you have an agreed judgment stipulating title. Time to pay royslties? Maybe. And you have signed division orders. Surely, you can pay now? Maybe. These were the questions facing the parties in...more

Gray Reed

Texas Supreme Court Rules on Suspension of Proceeds of Oil and Gas Production

Gray Reed on

Freeeport-McMoRan Oil and Gas, LLC and Ovintiv USA Inc. v. 1776 Energy Partners LLC  presented a recurring question faced by Texas oil and gas producers:  When can proceeds of production be withheld by the operator without...more

Alston & Bird

Texas Legislature Creates Cause of Action for Bad-Faith Washout

Alston & Bird on

Our Oil & Gas Team reviews a new Texas law that changes the landscape for oil and gas operators that want to release leases subject to an overriding interest....more

Gray Reed

Reserved Royalty Interest is “Floating”

Gray Reed on

Texas courts continue to address the “fixed or floating” non-participating royalty interest question. The El Paso Court of Appeals’ answer in Bridges v. Uhl et al. was floating, based on the language in that particular...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Appeal In Royalty Dispute

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

On February 15, 2023, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal of PennEnergy Resources, LLC in the Dressler Family, LP v. PennEnergy Resources, LLC matter. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s review of this...more

Gray Reed

Louisiana Royalty Owner Survives Challenge to Demand For Payment

Gray Reed on

The question in Kim R. Smith Logging Inc. v. Indigo Minerals LLC  was whether a disgruntled Louisiana royalty owner sent its demand for unpaid royalties to the right party.  It turns out that it did....more

Gray Reed

Exxon’s Attempt to Create New Sale/Lease Tax Law Fails

Gray Reed on

The principal contention in the tax refund case of Exxon v. United States was whether certain mineral related transactions between Exxon and the countries of Qatar and Malaysia were sales or leases.  Originally Exxon treated...more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

What the Hedge? – The Impact of Price Hedging on Landowner Production Royalties

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

There is no way to avoid it. It seems like everything costs more now than it did last week, last month and last year. Energy is one area with very sensitive prices. You have likely experienced the significant changes in...more

Gray Reed

Market Value at the Well Trumps Free-Use Clause

Gray Reed on

The common thread throughout the myriad oil and gas royalty cases decided recently by Texas courts could be “harmony”, the reading of different, seemingly conflicting, contract provisions so as to give meaning to all....more

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Market Enhancement Clauses in Pennsylvania After Dressler Family, LP v. PennEnergy Resources, LLC

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

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

Houston Harbaugh, P.C.

Is Deducting Fuel Costs Authorized by Your Lease?

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on

Deducting fuel costs from landowner royalties continues to be an ongoing and widespread practice. Not only are landowners denied a royalty on the fuel gas volume, but they are also having that same “cost” deducted from their...more

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