Federal Court Upholds 83-Year Old Lease Rights in Western Pa. Dispute

PITTSBURGH - A federal judge has resolved competing claims on oil and gas rights beneath a 97-acre parcel in southwestern Pennsylvania by upholding an 83-year-old deed that was disputed by later property owners who conveyed the same rights to others. Hoffman v. Arcelormittal Pristine Resources Inc., No. 11-cv-0322 (W.D. Pa.).

Judge Arthur J. Schwab of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania said in his May 10 ruling that to rule in the favor of the current landowners "would be tantamount to an eradication of countless oil and gas estates and leases recorded in the history of …