ConocoPhillips, Youngblood and his family allege, ignored his family’s claims to the property and sided with another family, the Korths, to streamline royalty payments and drill as quickly as possible. ConocoPhillips acquired leases with the Korths and signed leases with some of the Eckford heirs, and drilling rigs soon dotted the land. The Eckford heirs say that despite the Korths’ investment in the land, the heirs never ceded their ownership of it. The Eckford heirs’ legal strategy has trod carefully on the subject of race, Youngblood said. The jury found Youngblood’s family and the Korths were co-owners of the land.

Source: Wall Street Journal November 22, 2023 04:44 UTC