On March 4, 2016, the Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals in Summitcrest, Inc. v. Eric Petroleum Corp., et al., addressed several issues concerning oil and gas leases in Ohio. In its decision, the Court held that: (1) a Pugh clause in an oil and gas lease did not operate to terminate the lease prior to the expiration of its primary term; (2) defendant-lessee was entitled to equitable tolling of the lease during the pendency of the suit; and (3) an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing could not be used to negate the express language of the lease, which authorized the lessee to expand an existing drilling unit. The Seventh District is one of the first Ohio appellate courts to address the interpretation and effect of a Pugh clause under Ohio law.
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