Pan American Petroleum Corp. v. Candelaria

SETH, Circuit Judge.

The appellees commenced this action against the appellants asserting that they were the owners of a tract of land (and the minerals underlying it) located in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, and thereby challenging appellants’ claim to the minerals. Appellees obtained a judgment which decreed that their title to the minerals was quieted against appellants. Appellees also recovered a money judgment representing the value of natural gas produced by appellants and attributed to the tract in question.

The litigation has arisen by reason of the fact that the entire original tract,…