United States Tenth Circuit

The six-year statute of limitations under 28 USC 2415(a) governs Mineral Management Service orders directing oil and gas lessees to pay additional royalties on production procured prior to September 1, 1996.

Appellate Information

• Decided 10/10/2001
• Published 10/10/2001

Judges

• Before TACHA, BRORBY,EBEL, KELLY, HENRY, BRISCOE, LUCERO, and MURPHY, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Tenth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• David L. Bryant, of Bryant Law Firm PLLC, Tulsa, OK, filed a brief for amicus curiae Union Oil Company of California., Michael E. Smith and Sharon Taylor Thomas of Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C., Oklahoma City, OK, filed a brief for amici curiae Independent Petroleum Association of America, and National Mining Association., Victor E. Schwartz, Timothy M. Biddle, Mark A. Behrens, and Donald J. Kochan, of Crowell & Moring LLP, Washington, D.C., filed a brief for amici curiae American Chemistry Council (David F. Zoll and Donald D. Evans, Arlington, Virginia, of counsel on the brief);  American Petroleum Institute, (G. William Frick, Washington, D.C., of counsel on the brief);  Chamber of Commerce of the United States, (Stephen A. Bokat of National Chamber Litigation Center, Inc., Washington, D.C., of counsel on the brief);  American Tort Reform Association (Sherman Joyce, Washington, D.C., of counsel on the brief);  National Association of Manufacturers, (Jan S. Amundson, Washington, D.C., of counsel on the brief);  and Lawyers for Civil Justice (Barry Bauman, Washington, D.C., of counsel on the brief)., L. Poe Leggette and Nancy L. Pell of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., Washington, D.C.;  David L. Bryant, Tulsa, OK;  and Michael E. Coney, Of Counsel, Shell Oil Company, New Orleans, LA, filed a brief for amicus curiae Shell Oil Company.


• For Appellees:
  
• Oliver S. Howard, (Teresa B. Adwan, Dennis C. Cameron and Amelia A. Fogleman of Gable & Gotwals, P.C.;  Patricia Dunmire Bragg and Stephen R. Ward, of Gardere & Wynne, L.L.P., Tulsa, OK, with him on the briefs) of Gable & Gotwals, P.C., Tulsa, OK, for Plaintiff-Appellee., Sean H. Donahue, (Lois J. Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General;  Peter Coppelman, Acting Assistant Attorney General;  William B. Lazarus, Donna S. Fitzgerald and Robert L. Klarquist, Department of Justice, with him on the briefs) of the Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for Defendants-Appellants.