I’m the co-owner with several relatives of mineral rights passed intestate. I recently received a check from EQT Production Company, alledgely for a lease on the said mineral rights. I didn’t ever sign any such lease so I called the said company and requested a copy of said lease. I’ve received no lease or anything else from the company. I live in Michigan. What can I do or who can I contact to help with contesting this claim to my rights?
Its likely the lease was already producing when you inherited it/came into title. What are you trying to contest? The acreage amount or royalty?
Contact the Division Order Department by certified letter return receipt. Use the owner number on your check to ask them what lease and who was it signed by to grant you the acreage. Ask for the net acres involved and the royalty amount and nicely ask for a copy of the lease. If they do not have a copy, ask it you were pooled and what address did they send the pooling information to.
West Virginia does have a pooling statute which is rather recent, so that is a possibility. Make sure that your address and description of the mineral property and intestate documents are filed in the county courthouse where the minerals are located.