Ark. La. Gas Co. v. Evans

The basic question here is whether the lessee of an oil and gas lease is estopped to deny the title of the lessor, especially when the lease contains a clause requiring payment of royalties to the lessor only to the extent of his mineral ownership. The chancellor held that the ordinary rule of estoppel as between landlord and tenant is applicable to oil and gas leases. Upon that premise he required the appellants, as lessees, to pay royalties to the appellee, their lessor, who holds only a void tax title to the minerals within the 120 acres covered by the lease.

The facts are these: In 1935…