J. W. Bennett v. Sinclair Oil & Gas Company

AINSWORTH, Circuit Judge:

In this diversity suit plaintiffs (appellants) sued to cancel three Louisiana mineral leases on the ground that defendant (appellee), owner of the leases, failed to pay royalties or shut-in royalties in accordance with the terms of the lease, or failed to drill and produce the leased property within the primary term of the leases; further, that defendant failed to protect plaintiffs’ property from drainage. Alternatively, plaintiffs sought partial cancellation of the leases. The case was tried before the District Court without a jury and resulted in a judgment for…