Opinion ID: 2523351
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Application of the Escrow Provision

Text: [¶ 47] In her final issue, Ms. Morris asserts the district court erred when it held CMS was not in violation of the WRPA once it escrowed the funds in April of 2002. She claims this ruling failed to take into account that there were some wells for which she never received payment or reports. In other words, Ms. Morris contends, the evidence showed that CMS was continuing to violate the WRPA after it escrowed the funds; therefore, the district court's calculation of the reporting penalty was incorrect. [¶ 48] Ms. Morris is correct that the district court found that CMS did not specifically pay her for three wells in which she had an interest, and that there were likely other wells for which she was not paid. However, the district court also found that Ms. Morris's expert witness testified that he estimated the amount remaining unpaid at the time of trial was less than $500. This testimony, together with evidence CMS presented, tended to show that upon paying Ms. Morris the total sum of $38,657.41 as of November 25, 2002, CMS had paid approximately $3,000 more than it owed. In light of the testimony of Ms. Morris's expert that $500 remained unpaid, the district court's ruling was supported by the evidence.