Heiman v. Atlantic Richfield Co.

OPALA, Chief Justice.

The two issues presented in this certiora-ri proceeding are: (1) Is the trial court’s dismissal order, which preceded the judgment from which the defendants appealed, facially void for want of constitutionally sufficient notice? and (2) Was the Court of Appeals correct in dismissing the appeal? We answer the first question in the affirmative, and the second in the negative.

I

THE ANATOMY OF LITIGATION

A group of working interest owners in a gas well (plaintiffs or owners) sued for an accounting and “cash balancing” to recover their pro rata shares of production sales…