HOUSTON – One of the nation’s largest oil and natural gas companies, Black Stone Minerals, is leading a group of mineral rights holders in suing Chesapeake Exploration, Chesapeake Louisiana, Chesapeake Operating, and several working interest owners based on claims of royalty underpayments and excessive fees from gas wells in both the Haynesville and Barnett Shale regions of Louisiana and Texas.

“The clients have contractual rights, which we intend to enforce,” says attorney Daniel Charest of Burns Charest LLP in Dallas, who represents Black Stone and the other plaintiffs. “The terms of the leases protect the mineral owners from the deductions and post production costs we’ve seen.”

The oil and gas leases from the Haynesville Shale region include properties in Bienville, Caddo, DeSoto, Red River, and Sabine parishes in Louisiana. And the Barnett Shale oil and gas leases are located in Johnson County, Texas.

The case involving the Haynesville properties is Black Stone Minerals Company, L.P. et al. v. Chesapeake Louisiana, L.L.C. et al., No. 77645-A, in the 42nd Judicial District Court in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana. And the case involving the Barnett properties is Black Stone Minerals Company, L.P. v. Chesapeake Operating, L.L.C. et al., No. DC-C201600447, in the 249th District Court in Johnson County, Texas.