Attorneys who work with oil and gas leases and real estate tax sales should pay close attention to three recent cases that influence real estate law in Pennsylvania.

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Lawsuit Doesn't Extend Lease Term

Harrison v. Cabot Oil & Gas, 2015 Pa. LEXIS 355 (2015).

In August 2007, Wayne Harrison signed a lease to allow Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. to drill for gas underneath his land. The primary term of the lease was five years.

Halfway through the term of the lease, Harrison and his wife sued Cabot, seeking to invalidate the lease. The Harrisons asserted that Cabot had fraudulently induced Harrison to enter into the lease by advising him that he wouldn't be able to get a higher bonus payment per acre than what Cabot was offering. Later, however, the Harrisons found out that other landowners received higher payments than Cabot offered.