You might recall this post on Broadway National Bank, Trustee v. Yates Energy Corporation. We now have Yates Energy Corporation et al v. Broadway National Bank, Trustee, the court of appeals’ ruling after remand. Recall the result from the Supreme Court: Execution of the 2013 Amended Correction Mineral Deed by the parties to the original 2005 Mineral Deed and the 2006 Correction Mineral Deed, without joinder of the current owners of the minerals, complied with Texas Property Code §5.029. The question remaining was whether the current owners were bona fide purchases for value without notice. Skipping all sorts of rulings on side issues, the result is that current owner Yates was not a BFP.  Other appellants survived to fight another day.
Continue Reading Texas Correction Deed Statute Revisited … Again

speed limitToday’s “pay attention” edition begins with a quiz. What is the most important thing to read carefully:

a. Speed limit sign in small-town (insert name of Southern state).

b. Itinerary for that dream vacation, the one with multiple layovers of varying durations in airports and time zones far from your own.

c. Title documents to

A provision in a contract, no matter how unequivocal, does not always trump the law. The oil and gas lease allowed assignments, but no change or division in ownership of  the land or royalties would be binding on the lessee until the acquiring party had furnished lessee with the instruments constituting his chain of title