Opinion

Sagebrush Resources, LLC v. Peterson

  • 841 N.W.2d 705
  • 180 Oil & Gas Rep. 794
  • 2014 ND 3
  • 2014 N.D. LEXIS 9
  • 2014 WL 116667
Court
North Dakota Supreme Court
Filed
Jan 14, 2014
Status
Published
Author
Vandewalle
On the bench
Vandewalle, Maring, Kapsner, Crothers, Sandstrom, McEvers, Vande Walle
Cited by
18 cases
Authority
More cited than 11.4%

The opinion

VANDEWALLE, Chief Justice,

concurring specially.

[¶ 34] I concur in the result reached in the opinion of the Court. I agree the oil and gas lessee has a limited right to use the surface to produce the oil and gas and the surface owner does not lose all right to use that surface even though the mineral interest is the dominant estate. Hunt Oil Co. v. Kerbaugh, 283 N.W.2d 131, 135 (N.D.1979). I write specially to note my belief that the oil and gas lessee does have the right and perhaps the responsibility to keep people, including the surface owner, off of dangerous property the lessee is *716 using to produce the oil and gas, such as tank batteries, open pits, pumps, etc. Here the evidence supports the trial court’s determination that, for retaliatory-reasons, Sagebrush attempted to restrict the defendants beyond what was necessary to accomplish safety purposes.

[¶ 35] GERALD W. VANDE WALLE, C.J.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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