La. R.S. » RS
Louisiana Revised Statutes & Codes

La. Rev. Stat. § 31:122 (2026)

PART 4. THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE LESSEE

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section LA-LEGlegis.la.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

PART 4. THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE LESSEE

§122. Lessee's obligation to act as reasonably prudent operator

A mineral lessee is not under a fiduciary obligation to his lessor, but he is bound to perform the contract in good faith and to develop and operate the property leased as a reasonably prudent operator for the mutual benefit of himself and his lessor. Parties may stipulate what shall constitute reasonably prudent conduct on the part of the lessee.

Acts 1974, No. 50, §122, eff. Jan. 1, 1975.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 85 cases (8 in the last 5 years), 1975–2026 · leading case: Marin v. Exxon Mobil Corp., 48 So. 3d 234 (La. 2010).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Marin v. Exxon Mobil Corp., 48 So. 3d 234 (La. 2010). · cites it 4× “R.S. 31:122 provides: A mineral lessee is not under a fiduciary obligation to his lessor, but he is bound to perform the contract in good faith and to develop and operate the property leased as a reasonably prudent operator for the mutual benefit of himself and his lessor.”
State v. Louisiana Land & Expl. Co., 110 So. 3d 1038 (La. 2013). · cites it 7× “R.S. 31:122. 12 La. R.S. 31:122 states: “A mineral lessee is not under a fiduciary obligation to his lessor, but he is bound to perform the contract in good faith and to develop and operate the property leased as a prudent operator for the mutual benefit of himself and his…”
Broussard v. Hilcorp Energy Co., 24 So. 3d 813 (La. 2009). · cites it 6× “R.S. 31:122 and Terrebonne Parish School Board v.”
Hayes Fund for the First United Methodist Church of Welsh, LLC v. Kerr-Mcgee Rocky Mountain, LLC, 193 So. 3d 1110 (La. 2015). · cites it 3× “La.Rev.Stat. § 31:122, Official Comments.”
Terrebonne Sch. Bd. v. Castex Energy, 893 So. 2d 789 (La. 2005). · cites it 5× “Article 122 of the Mineral Code, LSA-R.S. 31:122, provides: A mineral lessee is not under a fiduciary obligation to his lessor, but he is bound to perform the contract in good faith and to develop and operate the property leased as a reasonably prudent operator for the mutual…”
Wagoner v. Chevron USA Inc., 55 So. 3d 12 (La. Ct. App. 2010). · cites it 4× “R.S. 31:122. To the extent of the interest acquired, an assignee or sublessee acquires the rights and powers of the lessee and becomes responsible directly to the original lessor for performance of the lessee's obligations.”
Texas Gas Expl. Corp. v. Lafourche Realty Co., 79 So. 3d 1054 (La. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 3× “R.S. 31:122 of the mineral code, and the laws of Louisiana.”
Musser Davis Land Co. v. Union Pac. Resources, 201 F.3d 561 (5th Cir. 2000). · cites it 4× “See La.Rev.Stat. § 31:122. Id. at 172. Accordingly, the usages, words of art, and technical terms of the oil and gas industry should be taken into consideration in interpreting the lease exploration clause.”
Barasich v. Columbia Gulf Transmission Co., 467 F. Supp. 2d 676 (E.D. La. 2006). · cites it 4× “La.Rev.Stat. § 31:122. The Official Comment to Article 122 states that there appears to be no reason why an implied duty to restore the surface should be excluded “as being a specification of the prudent administrator standard.”
Grace Ranch, LLC v. BP Am. Prod. Co., 252 So. 3d 546 (La. Ct. App. 2018). · cites it 3× “R.S. 31:122, which provides: A mineral lessee is not under a fiduciary obligation to his lessor, but he is bound to perform the contract in good faith and to develop and operate the property leased as a reasonably prudent operator for the mutual benefit of himself and his lessor.”
LEJEUNE BROS. v. Goodrich Petroleum Co., 981 So. 2d 23 (La. Ct. App. 2007). · cites it 2× “1/19/05), Mineral Code Article 122, LSA-R.S. 31:122. While the Terrebonne Court addressed the obligations owed the lessor and/or assignee inherent in all mineral leases, applying the jurisprudence and Civil Code articles discussed, the Court held "in absence of an express lease…”
Hardee v. Atl. Richfield, 926 So. 2d 736 (La. Ct. App. 2006). · cites it 7× “R.S. 31:122; the Louisiana Civil Code articles dealing with leases, particularly La.”
Show all 85 citing cases →
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.