Any owner or owners of the surface of real estate from which a mineral interest has been severed, on behalf of himself and any other owners of such interest in the surface, may sue in equity in the county where such real estate, or some part thereof, is located, praying for the termination and extinguishment of such severed mineral interest and cancellation of the same of record, naming as parties defendant therein all persons having or appearing to have any interest in such severed mineral interest, and if such parties defendant are not known and cannot be ascertained, they may be proceeded against as unknown defendants under the provisions of Chapter 25, article 3.

Annotations

Sections 57-228 to 57-231 which declared that mineral rights were abandoned unless the record owner had exercised ownership rights within twenty-three years immediately prior to the filing of an action to cancel the severed mineral interest, are unconstitutional insofar as the statutory provisions could be interpreted to be retroactive in their operation. Monahan Cattle Co. v. Goodwin, 201 Neb. 845, 272 N.W.2d 774 (1978); Wheelock & Manning 00 Ranches, Inc. v. Heath, 201 Neb. 835, 272 N.W.2d 768 (1978).