J. R. Gilbert v. Union Oil Company of California

This appeal involves a summary judgment entered on behalf of appellee and ordering forfeited a group of oil and gas leases held by appellant. The forfeitures were based upon conduct by the appellant during the pendency of state litigation involving questions of title over property from which the mineral rights flowed. Jurisdiction is based upon diversity of citizenship and the case is controlled by Alabama law.

In ruling, the trial court applied the landlord-tenant law of Alabama and did not have before it the subsequent opinion of the Supreme Court of Alabama, dated September 25, 1981,…