Posts By: Rachel

Closing Out the Holidays: Wrap-Up Your Transactions by the End of Year

Closing Out the Holidays: Wrap-Up Your Transactions by the End of Year written by Andrew Clinton As you’ve been making your due diligence checklist and checking it twice, RR&A has valuable recommendations to spruce up your end-of-year transactions and ensure a smooth closing process. As the year draws to a close, there is often a… Read more »

Tis the Season to Go for Broker

Tis the Season to Go for Broker written by Andrew Clinton When sourcing deals for oil and gas transactions, working with a broker can offer several, sometimes non-intuitive, benefits. These intermediaries are crucial in connecting buyers and sellers in the industry. In the spirit of the upcoming holidays, here are twelve key advantages of using… Read more »

Case Law Updates: Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Lease Act

Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Lease Act PA ST 58 P.S. § 33.2 On November 3, 2022, Pennsylvania approved revisions of the Oil and Gas Lease Act provisions on required disclosures accompanying payments made to royalty owners from unconventional oil and gas wells. Unconventional oil and gas operators must now provide production and sales information on… Read more »

Case Law Updates: Van Dyke v. Navigator Group

Van Dyke v. Navigator Group Texas Supreme Court Cause No. 21-0146 In 1924, George H. Mulkey and Frances E. Mulkey conveyed their ranch and its underlying mineral estate to G. R. White and G. W. Tom, reserving “1/2 of 1/8” of all minerals and mineral rights. At issue in this case – with the division… Read more »

Case Law Updates: Dellit v. Schleder

Dellit v. Schleder DA 21-0631 (2022 MT 196) Leonard Schleder and his sister, Irene Messer, both owned fractional interests in the surface and mineral estates of three tracts of land. By Warranty Deed, Leonard conveyed all interest in said land to Irene and her husband, subject to a reservation of “an undivided two-thirds of all… Read more »

Case Law Updates: Brown v. Cont’l Res., Inc.

Brown v. Cont’l Res., Inc. 58 F.4th 1023 (8th Cir. 2023) This Eighth Circuit case originated in South Dakota between a well operator, Continental Resources, Inc. (“Continental”), and two landowners (“the Browns”). In 2010, Continental drilled an oil production well on the Browns’ land, subject to drilling and pipeline agreements with the Browns. Continental later… Read more »

Case Law Updates: Apache Corp. v. Apollo Expl., LLC

Apache Corp. v. Apollo Expl., L.L.C. No. 21-0587, 66 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 744, (2023 Tex.) (Apr. 2023) This Texas Supreme Court case involves a dispute concerning the termination date of a particular oil and gas lease included in Purchase Sale Agreements (“PSAs”) between Apache Corporation, as buyer, and Apollo Exploration, L.L.C., et al. as… Read more »

Case Law Updates: Devon Energy Prod. Co., L.P. v. Sheppard

Devon Energy Prod. Co., L.P. v. Sheppard 643 S.W.3d. (Tex. App. 2020), aff’d, (Tex. Mar. 10, 2023) This Texas Supreme Court case involved a royalty calculation dispute between landowners and producers in the Eagle Ford Shale. The parties agree that the landowners’ royalty is free of costs and expenses between the wellhead and the point… Read more »

Helix Energy Sols. Grp., Inc. v. Hewitt

Helix Energy Sols. Grp., Inc. v. Hewitt 142 S. Ct. 2674 (2022) The United States Supreme Court has clarified that even highly compensated employees qualify for overtime pay if they charge a daily rate rather than a fixed salary. In this case, an offshore oil rig employee, Michael Hewitt, filed suit to collect overtime pay… Read more »

Antero Res. Corp. v. Airport Land Partners, Ltd.

Antero Res. Corp. v. Airport Land Partners, Ltd. 2023 CO 13 In this case, the Colorado Supreme Court analyzed the meaning of a “bona fide dispute over the interpretation of a contract.” After a dispute arose between Antero Resources Corporation (“Antero”) and royalty owners alleging underpaid royalties in violation of their lease contracts, the court considered whether the Colorado Oil… Read more »