Last May, the San Antonio Court of Appeals issued an opinion in Texas Outfitters Limited v. Nicholson, No. 04-16-00392-CV, addressing the duty of holders of the mineral executive right to its non-executive mineral owner – a case now pending on application for writ of error in the Texas Supreme Court.…
Articles Posted in Recent Cases
Double-Pooling? Samson Exploration v. T.S. Reed Properties, Inc.
In a case of first impression, the Texas Supreme Court has held that the same land can be included in two pooled units, and that the lessee must pay royalties on the same well to the royalty owners in both pooled units. Samson Exploration v. T.S. Reed Properties, Inc., 2017…
Denbury-Texas Rice Fight Continues
Denbury Green Pipeline and Texas Rice Land Partners have now fought for ten years over Denbury’s right to condemn an easement across Texas Rice’s land for a CO2 pipeline. The fight is once again, for the third time, back before the Texas Supreme Court. The fight began in 2007, when…
End of the Road for DISH
The Texas Supreme Court has refused to allow DISH, a small town in Denton County north of Fort Worth, and several of its residents, to proceed with its suit against four companies who operate gas compressor stations near the town. The plaintiffs alleged that they were harmed by the noise,…
Beware the Blanket Conveyance Clause in a Mineral Deed
In March, the Texas Supreme Court decided James H. Davis, Individually and d/b/a JD Minerals, and JDMI, LLC v. Mark Mueller, No. 16-0155. (Davis v. Mueller) The Court construed a mineral deed to JD Minerals covering interests in Harrison County. The deed described particular interests owned by the grantor and…
BP America v. Red Deer Resources – the Shut-in Royalty Clause
On April 28, the Texas Supreme Court issued its opinion in BP America Production Company v. Red Deer Resources, LLC, No. 15-0569, a unanimous opinion written by Justice Green. The case concerns operation of a shut-in royalty clause in a lease granted in 1962 covering 2,113 acres in Lipscomb and…
Lightning Oil v. Anadarko – Supreme Court Rules on Subsurface Trespass Claim
Last week the Texas Supreme Court issued its opinion in Lightning Oil Company v. Anadarko E&P Onshore, LLC, No. 15-0910, denying Lightning Oil’s trespass claim against Anadarko. Lightning Oil lost in the trial court, the San Antonio Court of Appeals, and now the Supreme Court. To understand the case, it…
Judge Strikes Down Dimock Verdict
In March 2016, a jury awarded two families $4.2 million against Cabot Oil & Gas for contaminating their drinking water. On Friday, the judge set aside the verdict and said the case will have to be retried. The judge wrote that (T)he weaknesses in the plaintiffs’ case and proof, coupled…
Texas Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Three Cases of Interest to Land and Mineral Owners
Last week the Texas Supreme Court granted petitions to hear appeals of two cases that could significantly affect the rights of Texas land and mineral owners: Atmos Energy Corp v. Town of DISH, 15-0613, and Lightning Oil Co. v. Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC, 15-0910. Last month, the court agreed to…
Landowners Lose in Denbury v. Texas Rice Land Partners
Last week the Texas Supreme Court wrote the final chapter in Texas Rice Land Partners’ efforts to prevent Denbury Green Pipeline-Texas, LLC from condemning an easement across its land for a CO2 pipeline. The court held in Denbury Green Pipeline-Texas, LLC, v. Texas Rice Land Partners, Ltd., et al., No. 15-0225,…