I have just been named as a defendant as a royalty owner in the Miles A and B wells in Kingman Co, KS. case # 2020-cv-000013 The Plaintiffs (Conner oil and Gas and Keenan business group) are suing the board of county commissioners and all the royalty owners by reason that some owe personal property taxes to the board of county commissioners. They seek a partition between the depths of 3374 feet and 3736 feet be appraised and sold and the royalty owners bare the cost of the law suit.
The council for Kingman County has not returned my calls. Do I just let it unfold? Do I get my own lawyer?
the wells are in the SE 4 Section 19, township 27S range 10W
Without looking at the paperwork, nobody on this forum can possibly answer this question. And you shouldn’t rely on anybody’s off the cuff answer to this question either.
You should at least consult a Kansas atty to determine your next step.
Sandra: you really need have an attorney to file an answer and represent you in this litigation, or your rights may be adjudicated without any input from you. A lawsuit in which you are a party really cannot be ignored.
Sandra- I have a friend that received that letter as well. I’ve shared the advice from this post, but please let me know if you have any updates. You can reach me privately if you’d prefer.
I have still not heard back from the council for the commissioners but have been advised to call the prosecuting attorney to see what they have listed as our mineral acres so we can decide how much we should budget for this.
laymans terms for what seems to be happening in the Miles A and B lease. In 2014 the county told the operator that their records were such a mess that the operator (KC resources) was responsible for the taxes. Now a new operator is in charge (C&K operating) and it seems that they don’t want to tackle the curative issue or pay the taxes. Solution: force an auction of all minerals and get the owners that want to keep their minerals to pay court costs - problem solved. grrr