Case Solutions Archive
Saunders Law Assists Clients with Enforcement of Oil & Gas Lease and Negotiates Retroactive Commercial Lease After Clients Discovered Gas Industry Squatters Using Land as Trailer Park
Clients owning several hundred acres that formerly served as a dairy farm hired Saunders Law initially to evaluate the terms of a lease they had previously entered into and the subsequent conduct of the lessee with regard to the development of their property for three separate well pads. We determined that the developer was not operating in compliance with the terms of its lease and was not seeking the clients’ approval its development plan and the timetable for completion and restoration. The clients maintained a primary residence elsewhere and were unaware of the extent of disturbance which threatened to alter their plans for building a house and a horse farm on the land. Eventually, Saunders Law was able to obtain all of the information required by the clients and negotiated the removal of equipment from the property opening channels of communication in order to prevent future problems.
The same clients subsequently contacted us when they found that their property was being used by drill riggers as a trailer park. Saunders Law negotiated a retroactive lease with the offending parties which insured that the land would be restored and that the clients would be indemnified for any damage to persons or property. The squatters offered $2,000 per month for the past and future use of the property, but Saunders Law secured a lease for monthly rent of $9,000 as well as payment of the clients’ legal fees. At the conclusion of the lease, the property was fully restored.