ALABAMA VERMICULITE CORPORATION v. Patterson

149 F. Supp. 534, 1955 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2136
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. South Carolina
DecidedDecember 15, 1955
DocketCiv. A. 1313, 1747
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 149 F. Supp. 534 (ALABAMA VERMICULITE CORPORATION v. Patterson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
ALABAMA VERMICULITE CORPORATION v. Patterson, 149 F. Supp. 534, 1955 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2136 (southcarolinawd 1955).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, District Judge.

As more fully appears herein, Civil Action No. 1747 is being consolidated with Civil Action No. 1313, and this Order is entered for the purpose of disposing of the issues presently pending before this Court in both actions.

This matter was heard before the Court at Greenville, S. C. on June 22, 1955 on the following motions or pleadings:

1. Motion of plaintiff in Civil Action No. 1747 for an order remanding said case to the Court of Common Pleas for Laurens County.

2. Rule to show cause issued by this Court on May 5, 1955 in Civil Action 1747 why the temporary restraining order issued by Honorable E. H. Henderson on March 17, 1955 should not be vacated or set aside, or, in the alternative, why plaintiff should not be required to-post bond.

3. Motion by Alabama Vermiculite-Corporation in both causes (Civil Action. 1313 and Civil Action 1747) for an order under Rule 42 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A. consolidating said actions for trial.

4. Rule to show cause issued by this; Court on June 14, 1955 upon petition of' plaintiff in Civil Action 1313, why Vivian-Campbell Patterson should not be made a party-defendant to Civil Action 1313;. why J. T. Patterson, W. A. Patterson, T. M. Patterson and Vivian Campbell: Patterson should not be required to answer or otherwise plead to the petition;, why this Court should not take jurisdiction of the issues raised by said petition, i. e., whether or not petitioner has committed waste on the property involved as; to all of said parties and, if so, whether or not said acts of waste constitute a breach of the lease which would entitle any of said parties to an injunction or cancellation of the lease; why all said parties should not be enjoined from prosecuting any cause of action in any other jurisdiction for alleged waste, and’ for impounding a sum out of the share of rents of T. M. Patterson, husband of Vivian Campbell Patterson, for protection of her inchoate right of dower.

In this order, Alabama Vermiculite Corporation will be hereafter referred to-as Alabama; J. T. Patterson, W. A. Patterson and T. M. Patterson as the Patter-sons; Mrs. Vivian Campbell Patterson, the wife of T. M. Patterson, as Mrs. Patterson; W. J. Theo, Joe Theo and Olin Theo, partners d/b/a Theo Bros. Construction Co., as Theo Bros.; and the proceedings instituted in the Court of Common Pleas for Laurens County, South Carolina will be hereinafter referred to as the State Court proceedings.

Issues

The various pleadings and motions made by the parties raise the following issues, which have been supported by affi *537 •davits on both sides, oral argument and supporting briefs:

(a) Was the action instituted by Mrs. Patterson, a citizen of the State of South ■Carolina, properly removed from the State Court in view of the fact that the Theo Bros., also citizens of South Carolina, were named as additional parties •defendant?

(b) If properly removed, should that action be consolidated with Civil Action No. 1313 — the original action brought in this Court by Alabama?

(c) Should a percentage of the royalties accruing to T. M. Patterson, one of the lessors, be impounded with the Clerk ■of this Court for the protection of his wife’s inchoate right of dower in that property, pending final determination of this issue?

(d) On the showing made, is Mrs. Patterson entitled to a temporary injunction ■or restraining order enjoining Alabama from committing alleged acts of waste •on the premises involved, including the mining or removal of vermiculite ore from said premises?

(e) Should Mrs. Patterson be made a party-defendant to Civil Action 1313 ?

(f) Should the Pattersons and Mrs. Patterson be required to litigate in the proceedings now before this Court the issue of whether or not Alabama has committed waste on the property involved as to all of said parties and enjoined from prosecuting any cause of action for alleged waste in any state or federal court other than the pending Civil Action No. 1313 now before this Court?

Facts

This case has been before this Court on two previous occasions, the disposition of the issues previously presented being covered by orders entered by this Court on April 20, 1954 and on April 21, 1955.

In the order of April 20, 1954, this Court found that there was a validly existing lease between Alabama and the Pattersons; that said lease had not been breached by Alabama (lessee), but had been breached by the Pattersons (lessors); that Alabama was entitled to exclusive possession of the leased premises for the purpose of mining vermiculite ore therefrom.

In the order of April 21, 1955, this Court construed certain provisions of the lease that had been questioned by the Pattersons and also disposed of a contempt citation brought by Alabama against the Pattersons for unwarranted interference with exclusive possession granted to Alabama under the provisions of the lease. Both orders retained jurisdiction to enforce compliance with the provisions of the orders.

No useful purpose would be served in this order in reviewing in detail the facts that were marshalled in connection with the two previous hearings, other than to point out that the issue of waste was submitted to this Court in the second hearing and was withdrawn by the Patter-sons at a time when Mrs. Patterson, wife of T. M. Patterson, had a suit pending in the State Court, in which suit she sought to adjudicate the same question of waste that was withdrawn from the proceeding in this Court.

In originally injecting the issue of waste in Civil Action 1313, the Patter-sons presented to this Court affidavits of the following persons: R. M. Biddle, James B. Stribling, J. L. Bishop, C. L. Robertson and T. M. Patterson. Further comment will be made on the affidavit of R. M. Biddle, but it is worthy of note here that the same is dated February 25, 1955, and is taken before Robert Gray, Notary Public for South Carolina, on February 25, 1955. Mr. Gray is one of the attorneys of record for the Patter-sons in the issues now before this Court.

The action brought by Mrs. Patterson in the State Court made Alabama a party defendant and also named Theo Bros, as party defendants. Theo Bros, were employed by Alabama in the mining of the leased premises and are all citizens and residents of the State of South Carolina. The State Court action alleged in substance that Mrs. Patterson was the wife of T. M. Patterson who was the owner of an undivided one-third interest in the *538 leased premises; that her husband with the other joint tenants executed the lease in controversy and that she had not relinquished her dower rights in the premises. The gist of the complaint is contained in the following paragraphs:

“7. That the defendant, Alabama Vermiculite Corporation, acting by and through its agents and particularly, its agents, the defendants, W. J. Theo, Joe Theo and Olin Theo, d/b/a Theo Bros.

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Related

Koehring Co. v. Hyde Construction Co.
178 So. 2d 838 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1965)
Patterson v. Alabama Vermiculite Corp.
149 F. Supp. 548 (W.D. South Carolina, 1957)

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Bluebook (online)
149 F. Supp. 534, 1955 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2136, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alabama-vermiculite-corporation-v-patterson-southcarolinawd-1955.