EOG Resources, Inc. v. Floyd C. Reno & Sons, Inc.
Annotate this Case
The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing EOG Resources, Inc.'s complaint under the Wyoming Eminent Domain Act seeking to condemn a seventy-acre pipeline easement on the grounds that EOG had not complied with the Act's good-faith negotiation requirement, holding that, under the facts and circumstances of this case, EOG did not satisfy the good-faith negotiation requirement.
After conducting oil and gas operations on the Floyd C. Reno & Sons, Inc.'s (Reno) ranch pursuant to a surface use agreement, EOG proposed an amended surface use agreement that would grant it additional rights over the property. Reno rejected EOG's offer. Thereafter, EOG filed an amended complaint seeking to condemn seventy acres. The district court held that EOG failed to satisfy the Act's good-faith negotiation requirement and dismissed the complaint. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) there must be a sufficient resemblance to the property sought to be condemned and the property described in the offer to allow a court to conclude that the subject of the negotiation was clear to both parties and that the offer might have been accepted as it related to the property ultimately sought to be condemned; and (2) the record supported the conclusion that EOG failed to meet that standard.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.