When Contract Language Costs Millions: Court Strikes Down Post-Closing Assignment 'Corrections'
Can one word in a contract cost millions? A Texas oil company just discovered what happens when 'may' doesn't mean 'must' in their royalty assignments.
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Supreme Court of Texas Washes Out the “Anadarko Washout”
If your co-tenant drills the well… does your lease still live? The Texas Supreme Court just tackled a high-stakes question that’s shaken up oil and gas titles across the state.
Who Owns the Empty Space? Texas Supreme Court Affirms Surface Ownership of Salt Caverns in Landmark Ruling
Who owns the void left behind after millions of tons of salt are mined - and can it be used for someone else’s storage business? The Texas Supreme Court just drew the line.
Easements Without a Specified Width Cannot Be Rewritten to Add a Fixed Width
What happens when your easement says nothing about width? A Texas court just weighed in after a landowner tried to set one.
All Depths or Just One Formation? Court Clarifies Royalty Conveyance in Rock River v. Pioneer
A Texas court held that an assignment of overriding royalty interests covering “all depths” was not limited to a specific formation, rejecting the argument that references to a unit agreement implied vertical limits on the conveyed interests.
Affirmative Defenses Are Insufficient to Rebut the Van Dyke Presumption
Under Van Dyke, deeds with double-fraction royalty reservations referencing “1/8” are presumed to reserve a floating royalty interest unless clearly contradicted. Defenses like waiver, ratification, and limitations cannot override the deed’s unambiguous language or its historical conduct.