Need help to settle estate

My mother recently passed away and we found paperwork in her belongings indicating she has an oil and gas lease in Garfield County, OK that she inherited from her parents. We live in Washington State so this is not a subject known to anyone in our area and as successor trustee of her estate, I have no idea how to proceed and need information as to who to contact to help me settle her estate. Is there actual property that needs to be sold? Attorneys in this part of the country are not familiar with this kind of law. Any help to point us in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. Are there attorneys that specialize in these types of situations that I could contact?

My condolences. You will probably have to probate her estate in the county and state where she lived and then you will have to file a foreign probate in Oklahoma in Garfield County and any other county. Richard Winblad on the forum has quite a few comments on the steps. He is listed in the directory tab at the top. If you post the section, township and range, we can tell you if there is current production and who the operator is. You would have to contact them as well.

I notice that you replied to JanH about needing to settle an estate. I am in the same position. I have not had any luck in finding information out about this well. I have filed a probate here in Kansas but I am not getting anywhere with my lawyer on this part. The problem is we do not know the value of the well. I can give you specifics about where it is. I do not think it is producing at this time. No one I talk to can tell me specifically what I need to do to get this settled. Do you have any advice?

Thank you, merricope

I am not an attorney, so cannot help you with the legal part, but if you give a section, township and range and the expanded description, I can tell you if a well is producing on the acreage.

township 021n range 007w section 032, Campbell #1 Not sure what the expanded description is.

Thank you

Sorry for your the loss of your mother. It wasn’t clear whether this property was actually deeded into a trust. You can search here: Garfield County Search or Name Search. If it wasn’t you will probably need a probate. There is no need to actually travel to Oklahoma.
If the minerals were transferred to the trust, then you would file the instructions therein. It may require you to manage or it may say to distribute to the family.

I can tell from the well name which I looked up. It is in the NE quarter. The well has been off production since 2013. So not much value on the well. There is some value from leasing depending upon the date of death. Dry Creek Energy was leasing in August and September of 2018. You could call them and ask what they were leasing for at 3/16ths.

Thank you for the information. I will contact them. I know she had not been receiving any checks so this would be why. Do you know anything about a lawsuit between Strack and Continental?

Yes, there was a big lawsuit that was settled a while back. If you search on the forum, there are some links to it.