Q: How hard is it to prove you are the rightful owner of mineral estate when someone else has been receiving lease bonuses
The reservation is a 1/16 in deed but it’s because the land was under mineral lease when it was sold lessee held 15/16 interest in minerals. I can prove by one property owned at time and we still own had 1/16 conveyance from estates children to their mother because father died intestate and conveyed 1/16 of minerals to mother. Then it was purchased by my aunt and she has 100 % of minerals and get the lease bonuses on property. So what would be the easy way to use this information to establish that we do hold the royalty interest in the other property someone else has been receiving lease bonus on.
A: Whether the process is simple or more challenging depends on the state of your mineral title. If you have a deed for these minerals it may be a matter of sending a copy of the deed to the oil company with a certified letter and requesting that they correct the error. Keep in mind that the landman does not compute title, the oil company's title attorney does. Thus, if you are not being paid royalties, there may be a more complex problem, such as a missing deed from an estate in your chain of title. Contact the land or division order department of the oil company and find out exactly what the problem is. Keep in mind that if the issue is more complex than just needing a copy of your deed, you may need an oil and gas attorney who can take the steps you need to get your title in order. The process is generally referred to as curing title.
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