Burtner-Morgan-Stephens Co. v. Wilson

The issue presented in this appeal is whether the royalties to the subject well should be paid in accordance with the terms of the 1949 oil and gas lease, or in accordance with the Revised Code sections and rules and regulations promulgated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil and Gas. For the reasons that follow, we agree with the court of appeals below that the 1949 lease governs the distribution of royalties under the particular facts of this case.

Research indicates that much legislation has been enacted during and since the 1960s in regulating the drilling of oil…