Lease offer paid so some family members but not others

I am curious to the legality of how a lease offer can be submitted from a Landman to the Mineral Rights owners of section 258, Block G, WTRR Co. Survey, Gaines County, Texas. And part of the family turned in a signed contract and others did not have time to get them submitted before the dead line.

Example. Contract was sent to some of the Family last September and the family that received it investigated the proposal and decided not to accept the first offer thinking that they could get more money later.

Shortly before that time my dad past away and Willed his interests to his 3 children and 2 grandchildren. I was made Executor until probate was completed. Court documents were filed Oct 1, 2018 splitting up my dads interest in the mineral right evenly between the 5 family members. The lawyer filed the document with the Gaines County Court House. Nothing else was said about the lease with me thinking the elder relatives were waiting for a better offer.

Then suddenly on Friday Dec 28th 2018 I get a call from one cousin and said the Landman was pulling the contract and we need to get it notorized and next day the contract so they could get it by Monday Dec 31st. I said there was no way with this time frame and holiday that I could coordinated with the other 2 brothers and 2 nieces and nephews to get the contract to them and them get it notarized and to the Landman in that short of time.

I called the Landman and told him I couldn’t get it done by then and he told me that the Oil Company was having meetings to settle budgets for 2019 and that My family did not need to do anything yet. No word from the Landman since.

So I asked a relative this week if they had heard anything from the Landman. They said those that filed the contracts got some money in December except for 2 other relatives and the 5 in my family. I was told the Oil Company pulled out because we did not sign the contracts and they would not pay more.

I relative even signed a contract saying they could drill on the property.

My question is how can oil company legaly give such a short deadline to get the contracts done. Then pay some money to part of the family and not the others. all based on part of the family signing the contracts and others left out. Should there not have to be authorization from all the owners of the Mineral Right and not just part of them. All get paid or none get paid?

Something smells here. Can you share name of company?

The Oil Company is Sabinal.

This happens all the time. Part of the mineral owners get leased and part don’t. There’s no requirement for a company to lease all or none. End of year is a tricky time as the oil companies generally re-evaluate their budgets for the coming year and make adjustments with little to no notice. There’s a decent chance you’ll have a competing company come along shortly that wants to pick up any remaining interest that the other company didn’t lease. If you’re in a rush to lease, you can always drop by the county courthouse and talk with some of the landmen in there about leasing your interest. If your property is in a competitive area, they’ll take your lease.

That is interesting. Thanks for the Info. I am new to Mineral Rights so I know nothing. J