There you go Virginia, if they were claiming the lease was still in effect, then the equipment still had some tenuous reason for being there. The lease ends when the lease says it ends. If you have to go to court to get the lease released, it didn’t end on the day the court gives the decision, it ended on the day it ended according to the lease. Virginia, I sure hope you recouped something from the suit.
I think people believe that the operator will come in, develop and extract the minerals and when they are done, leave. I think that is too frequently what does not happen. They will stay until you kick them out and they are not necessarily good guests. It might cost you more to kick them out than you ever received in royalty. I frequently have said that you should not put your name on any contract that does not have a certain dollar value. Make sure it’s worth your while.