Corbello v. Iowa Production

The Heyd heirs' (plaintiffs) oil-and-gas lease with Shell (defendant) required Shell to reasonably restore the property when the lease ended, with no stated financial cap on that obligation; when the plaintiffs sued for breach after the lease terminated, a jury awarded $33 million for restoration even though the property's entire market value was only $108,000, and the court of appeal affirmed. Shell appealed, arguing the award was excessive relative to the property's value.