My mother received a declaration of interest letter from Plains Marketing LP, dated 2008, stamped URGENT and postmarked January 17, 2023. How urgent can it be? The letter was dated 15 years ago. The letter states that they don’t have a signed royalty agreement. My mother never signed a royalty agreement because she wasn’t aware of her royalty ownership. The company has extracted oil and gas from her property for over a decade, potentially without a signed lease and royalty agreement.
My mother learned of her royalty ownership when she received the letter in January 2023. After some digging, I discovered she is the royalty owner of 40(+) acres of minerals in CADDO Parish, Louisianna, specifically CADDO Pine Island.
The letter states that Plains Marketing LP acquired access to her oil and gas through Shell. My mother is unaware of any lease with Shell for land in Louisiana. Shell may have had a lease agreement with the previous royalty owner.
I’m trying to track down the original lease and determine if there are any unpaid royalties my mother can claim or if there is a statute of limitations on unclaimed royalties. I am unsure if I should contact Plains Marketing before I have sufficient knowledge of the situation to navigate it properly. I am trying to figure out if I should hire an auditor or get an attorney.
Advise, and referrals are welcomed - thanks!