Renaissance Alaska, LLC, Appellant v. Rutter and Wilbanks Corporation, Appellee

Summary

The court affirmed the declaratory judgment holding that Rutter owned one-half of the retained overriding royalty interest. Renaissance's listing as the sole owner in lease documents and federal filings did not establish exclusive legal title because the parties' agreements treated them as equal partners and the filings were administrative. The court also held that no express or implied agreement conditioned Rutter's royalty interest on its contribution to development costs or required forfeiture when Rutter failed to fund its share.