Sec. 8. (a) The person seeking to create a trust for an interest in coal land for the purpose of leasing and developing the coal interest shall join as a defendant each person who has a legal interest in the coal land, except for any plaintiffs or persons having a legal interest in the coal land who at the time of the action are parties to a valid and existing lease granting to the plaintiff the mining rights sought by the plaintiff. A person who might have a contingent or future interest in the coal land is bound by the judgment entered in the proceedings.

     (b) The plaintiff shall file a verified petition that specifically sets forth the following:

(1) The request of each plaintiff that a trustee be appointed to execute a lease granting the plaintiff the right to mine and remove coal from the subject coal land.

(2) The legal description of the coal land.

(3) The interest of the plaintiff in the coal within the coal land.

(4) The apparent interest of each defendant in the coal within the coal land.

(5) A statement that the plaintiff is willing to purchase a mineral lease covering the interest of each defendant and that the existence of these unleased mineral interests is detrimental to and impairs the enjoyment of the interest of the plaintiff.

     (c) The Indiana rules of trial procedure govern an action under this chapter to make an unknown party a defendant.

     (d) The court shall appoint a guardian ad litem for any defendant to the proceeding who is a ward of the state or a ward to another person.

     (e) If it appears to the court that a person who is not in being, but upon coming into being, is or may be entitled to any interest in the property sought to be leased, the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem to appear for and represent the interest in the proceeding and to defend the proceeding on behalf of the person not in being. A judgment or order entered by the court in the proceeding is effective against the person not in being.

     (f) The court shall receive evidence and hear testimony concerning:

(1) the matters in the plaintiff’s petition; and

(2) the prevailing terms of similar coal leases obtained in the vicinity of the coal land in the petition, including the length of the lease term, bonus money, delay rentals, royalty rates, and other forms of lease payments.

If, upon taking evidence and hearing testimony, the court determines that the material allegations of the petition are true and that there has been compliance with the required notice provisions, the court shall enter an order determining the interest of each defendant in the coal land sought to be leased. The court shall also appoint a trustee for the purpose of executing in favor of the plaintiff a coal lease covering the interest of each defendant. The court’s judgment appointing the trustee and authorizing the execution of the lease must specify the minimum terms that may be accepted by the trustee. Those terms must be substantially consistent with the terms of other similar coal leases obtained in the vicinity as determined by the court. The terms of the coal lease also must be substantially consistent with the terms of other existing leases, if any, covering the remaining coal interests in the land described in the petition.

     (g) The coal land to be covered by a coal lease must be contiguous. To the extent that any of the coal land described in the petition is not contiguous to other coal land in the petition, that coal land must be subject to separate coal leases.

     (h) The court shall determine a reasonable fee to be paid to the trustee and the trustee’s reasonable attorney‘s fees and costs of the proceeding, which shall be paid by the plaintiff.

     (i) Each plaintiff shall promptly furnish to the court a report of proceedings of the evidence received and testimony taken at the hearing on the petition. The report of proceedings shall be filed and made a part of the case record.

     (j) In proceedings under this chapter, the circuit court, superior court, or probate court may:

(1) investigate and determine questions of conflicting or controverted titles;

(2) remove invalid and inapplicable encumbrances from the title to the coal land; and

(3) establish and confirm the title to the coal or the right to mine and remove coal from any of the coal land.

As added by P.L.94-2009, SEC.1. Amended by P.L.84-2016, SEC.142.