A lessee under 16 non-standard leases resumed production after a brief pause without drilling or reworking. The court held the leases didn't terminate due to the continuous development clause and interpreted the habendum clause as allowing production to resume without new operations.
A landowner’s failure to provide consent for surface use related to oil and gas operations does not necessarily preclude the lessee from conducting activities if the lease agreements allow surface use.
The Texas Supreme Court clarified that when challenging a foreclosure judgment due to a due process violation, the party must provide evidence. In this case, the Gill parties failed to prove inadequate notice, so the court upheld the statute of limitations defense.
The Railroad Commission can’t determine property rights, so its operator records don’t establish whether a lessor holds a leasehold interest or is entitled to operate under an oil and gas lease. Ownership and operational rights are property-law issues.
For oil and gas operators, few things are more frustrating than discovering you may have been overpaying royalties to a person or entity in your paydeck.
The appellate court held that no extrinsic evidence was needed to interpret a will granting each beneficiary a 1/10 interest in the Dragon Unit mineral interest, limited to 21.26 acres within the 118.4-acre tract, not the entire tract.
