Archives: Property Law

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Texas Supreme Court Update: Boundary Dispute Between Leasehold Owner and Lessees of Adjacent Tract

By Jana Grauberger and Daniel E. Rodriguez on Posted in Appellate, Contracts, Energy, Energy & Natural Resources, Energy Litigation, Exploration and Production, Litigation, Oil & Gas, Oil & Gas Contracts, Property Law, Texas
Bringing to mind the infamous Hatfield-McCoy family feud, Concho Resources, Inc. v. Ellison is a classic boundary dispute between a leasehold owner and neighboring lessees with allegations of fraud and more than $1 million at stake.  See 2021 WL 1432222 (Tex. Apr. 16, 2021).  The plaintiff, Martha Ellison d/b/a Ellison Lease Operating, alleged that the … Continue Reading

FinCEN Seeking Comments on New Beneficial Owner Reporting Requirements

By William Bennett and Andrew Mahtook on Posted in Business, Business Law, Business Litigation, Contracts, Corporate, Environmental Business & Transactional, Finance, Property Law, Real Estate, Regulatory, Securities, Trade Secrets, Wills, Trusts & Estates
On April 5, 2021, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) released its advance notice of proposed rulemaking (“ANPRM”) to solicit public comments on questions pertinent to its implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act’s (“CTA”) beneficial owner reporting requirements. As discussed in a previous Energy Law Blog post, the CTA was adopted as part of the … Continue Reading

Western District Rejects Disgorgement of Profits Claim for Pipeline Trespass

By Paul M. Adkins on Posted in Appellate, Energy, Energy & Natural Resources, Energy Litigation, Exploration and Production, Litigation, Louisiana Law, Louisiana Mineral Law, Louisiana Oil & Gas Law, Mineral Servitudes, Oil & Gas, Oil & Gas Contracts, Pipeline, Property Law, Real Estate, Unleased Mineral Owners
In Mary v. QEP Energy Company, the Western District of Louisiana rejected, for the second time in this case, Plaintiffs’ claims seeking a disgorgement of QEP’s profits.  QEP was the lessee of a mineral lease covering Plaintiffs’ property, but because it wanted to transport off-site gas across their property, QEP also obtained a pipeline servitude … Continue Reading

Congress Passes the Corporate Transparency Act to Require Beneficial Ownership Disclosure

By Andrew Mahtook and William Bennett on Posted in Business, Business Law, Business Litigation, Contracts, Finance, Property Law, Real Estate, Regulatory, Securities, Trade Secrets
The Corporate Transparency Act, adopted as part of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (the “Act”), will require certain business entities (defined as “reporting companies”) to disclose to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) the identities of their beneficial owners and applicants. FinCEN will use these disclosures to create a … Continue Reading

The Meaning of “And” Determines Outcome of Oil and Gas Feud

By Jana Grauberger, James T. Kittrell and Daniel E. Rodriguez on Posted in Appellate, Contracts, Energy & Natural Resources, Energy Litigation, Exploration and Production, Litigation, Oil & Gas, Oil & Gas Contracts, Property Law, Texas
In Tier 1 Resources Partners et al. v. Delaware Basin Resources LLC, 08-20-00060-CV, the Court of Appeals for the Eighth District of Texas (El Paso) recently held oral argument on the proper construction of the word “and” used in a Delaware Basin oil and gas lease.  The meaning of the word is hotly contested, the … Continue Reading

Solar Leasing in Louisiana: Who to Lease?

By Jeffrey D. Lieberman and Caleb J. Madere on Posted in Contracts, Energy & Natural Resources, Environmental, Louisiana Law, Property Law, Real Estate
This blog post is the first in a series of blog posts that will discuss some of the nuances of Louisiana property law relating to solar leasing. With solar companies entering the Louisiana market, many of which having no prior experience in Louisiana, it is important to identify and avoid some pitfalls that may not … Continue Reading

Louisiana Third Circuit Decision Imposes Damages for Due Process Violation on Private Company

By Randee Iles and Rebecca Guidry on Posted in Appellate, Civil Procedure, Constitutional, Expropriation, Litigation, Louisiana Law, Oil & Gas, Pipeline, Property Law
On July 15, 2020, The Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion awarding damages for a violation of due process rights against a private pipeline company.  Bayou Bridge Pipeline, LLC v. 38.00 Acres, More or Less, Located in St. Martin Parish, et al.[1] (“Bayou Bridge”) centers around the construction of a crude oil pipeline … Continue Reading

Commercial Lease Considerations in the Wake of Hurricane Laura

By C.J. Miller on Posted in Business, Business Law, Construction, Contracts, Insurance, Louisiana Law, Property Law, Real Estate
Commercial Lease Considerations in the Wake of Hurricane Laura Following disasters such as Hurricane Laura, business owners have a variety of concerns when beginning the recovery process. Chief among those concerns: what to do when your place of business has been damaged or destroyed? If you lease your place of business, or if you lease … Continue Reading

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Weighs in on Hydraulic Fracturing and Subsurface Trespass

By Jamie D. Rhymes, Jeffrey D. Lieberman and Caleb J. Madere on Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Energy Litigation, Exploration and Production, Oil & Gas, Property Law
In January of this year, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania tackled an issue that has been confronted by few other courts—whether the rule of capture precludes a claim for subsurface trespass due to hydraulic fracturing.[1]… Continue Reading

Louisiana and Texas COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders and Effects on State Courts

By Nena Eddy, Jillian Marullo, Cristian Soler and James Breaux on Posted in Business, Business Law, Civil Procedure, Finance, Litigation, Louisiana Law, Property Law, Real Estate, Texas
This article was updated on April 14, 2020. Day-to-day life has been dramatically impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and many courts in Louisiana and Texas have been forced to close or limit operations in conjunction with stay-at-home orders.  A brief discussion of how COVID-19 has affected Louisiana and Texas courts is discussed here.… Continue Reading

Louisiana’s Third Circuit (Again) Affirms the Applicability of the Subsequent Purchaser Doctrine to Mineral Leases

By Kelly Brechtel Becker, Katie Seegers Roth and Kathryn Zainey Gonski on Posted in Appellate, Contracts, Energy & Natural Resources, Energy Litigation, Environmental, Legacy Litigation, Litigation, Louisiana Law, Louisiana Mineral Law, Louisiana Oil & Gas Law, Oil & Gas, Oil & Gas Contracts, Property Law, Subsequent Purchaser Doctrine
While oil and gas company-defendants—and several courts alike—have deemed the applicability of the subsequent purchaser doctrine to mineral leases a settled issue of law, plaintiff-landowners have continued to argue otherwise.  In a unanimous opinion issued July 18, 2018 in Grace Ranch, LLC v. BP America Production Company, et al., the Third Circuit not only provides … Continue Reading

Federal Circuit Holds U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Not Liable for Hurricane Katrina Flood Damage

By Katie Seegers Roth on Posted in Appellate, Business Litigation, Constitutional, Construction, Energy Litigation, Litigation, Mass Tort & Class Action, Property Law
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently issued a significant opinion in a case in which a takings claim was asserted to redress Hurricane Katrina-related flood damage.  On April 20, 2018, it reversed a decision of the United States Court of Federal Claims (“Claims Court”), which had held the U.S. Army … Continue Reading

Louisiana Supreme Court Upholds Expropriation of Commercial Venture

By Cheryl M. Kornick and Matthew D. Simone on Posted in Appellate, Business Law, Business Litigation, Constitutional, Energy Litigation, Industry News, Litigation, Louisiana Law, Louisiana Mineral Law, Oil & Gas, Pipeline, Property Law
In a decision announced this week, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality and method of compensation for the expropriation by a governmental body of property owned by an ongoing commercial venture.   In St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District v. Violet Dock Port, Inc., LLC, the St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District … Continue Reading

The Dusky Gopher Frog is Heading to the United States Supreme Court

By Mark L. McNamara on Posted in Environmental, Litigation, Property Law
In July 2017, Weyerhaeuser Company, a Louisiana landowner and timber lessee, filed a Petition for a writ of certiorari asking the United States Supreme Court to overturn the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (“FWS”) designation of private land in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana as “critical habitat” for the endangered dusky gopher frog.  The FWS made … Continue Reading

(Plaintiffs Claiming) Trespass Beware

By Elizabeth S. Wheeler and Erin Bambrick on Posted in Energy Litigation, Pipeline, Property Law
In Chauvin v. Shell Oil Company, the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment of the trial court granting summary judgment to defendants on Plaintiffs’ trespass action.  In doing so, the Fifth Circuit made clear that to succeed on a trespass claim when the contracts at issue are ambiguous, parole evidence from the … Continue Reading

Federal Court Finds A Continuing Duty Under Louisiana Law To Prevent The Erosion of Pipeline Canals

By Laura Springer Brown and Kelly Brechtel Becker on Posted in Environmental, Legacy Litigation, Louisiana Oil & Gas Law, Oil & Gas Contracts, Pipeline, Property Law
A recent decision from the Eastern District of Louisiana provides a mixed bag for pipeline companies or others whose operations involve canals.  Significantly, the decision from Judge Milazzo holds that during the existence of a right-of-way/servitude, Louisiana servitude law imposes a continuing duty to prevent canals from expanding and widening over time, unless unambiguous contractual … Continue Reading

Thinking About Improving Your Louisiana Facility? Follow These Steps or Risk Unlimited Lien Liability Under Louisiana’s Private Works Act

By Shannon S. Holtzman on Posted in Construction, Louisiana Law, Property Law
If a subcontractor or supplier on a Louisiana construction project is not paid in full, it can file a lien against the owner’s property and sue the owner for payment even though it did not contract with the owner and even if the owner has fully paid the general contractor.  This can occur on any … Continue Reading

Louisiana Second Circuit Addresses: (1) Creation of Mineral Servitudes Via Notarial Acts of Correction; (2) Obstacles Suspending the Prescription of Nonuse from Running Against Mineral Servitudes; and (3) Payment of Court Costs in Concursus Actions

By Brittan J. Bush on Posted in Exploration and Production, Litigation, Louisiana Mineral Law, Louisiana Oil & Gas Law, Mineral Servitudes, Oil & Gas, Oil & Gas Contracts, Property Law
In Petro-Chem Operating Co., Inc. v. Flat River Farms, L.L.C., the Louisiana Second Circuit addressed issues affecting the creation and preservation of mineral servitudes and payment of court costs in a concursus action.[1] In the case, an operator initiated a concursus action seeking to resolve ownership interest in minerals underlying property on which it was … Continue Reading

The Dusky Gopher Frog Lives to Fight Another Day: Fifth Circuit Denies Rehearing

By Liskow & Lewis on Posted in Environmental, Property Law
On February 13, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit denied Defendants’ Petition for Rehearing En Banc in the case titled Markle Interests, L.L.C., et al. v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, et al. The Defendants, who are timber and commercial developers, requested that the Court rehear the June 30, 2016 panel … Continue Reading

Expropriated Servitudes: They Aren’t Going Away Anytime Soon

By Cheryl M. Kornick on Posted in Litigation, Louisiana Oil & Gas Law, Pipeline, Property Law
The Third Circuit recently released an unpublished opinion making clear that when a pipeline company expropriates a servitude, the servitude is “perpetual,” and a Court cannot impose a term on that servitude.  The Third Circuit also held that a landowner must prove any damages over and above the fair market value of the property, and … Continue Reading

Servitudes: Didn’t They Get the Memo?

By Cheryl M. Kornick, John Wilson and Matthew D. Simone on Posted in Oil & Gas, Oil & Gas Contracts, Pipeline, Property Law
The question often arises whether, in Louisiana, a party can file in the public record a “memorandum of servitude” rather than the full servitude.  If the parties do that, any unrecorded provisions may not be binding on third parties. Other states’ laws may provide that recordation of such a memorandum of easement, the common law … Continue Reading

Louisiana Flooding – Legal Update

By Jackie E. Hickman and Cheryl M. Kornick on Posted in Environmental, Exploration and Production, Industry News, Insurance, Litigation, Oil & Gas, Oil & Gas Contracts, Pipeline, Property Law, Regulatory
The Liskow & Lewis family stands by our friends and neighbors throughout the unprecedented flooding in our community. As we begin the long process of recovery, here is a brief legal update on the response of various courts and state agencies: State courts: Governor John Bel Edwards has issued an executive order which purports to suspend … Continue Reading
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