Brasfield v. Burnwell Coal Co.

60 So. 382, 180 Ala. 185, 1912 Ala. LEXIS 323
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedNovember 19, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 60 So. 382 (Brasfield v. Burnwell Coal Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brasfield v. Burnwell Coal Co., 60 So. 382, 180 Ala. 185, 1912 Ala. LEXIS 323 (Ala. 1912).

Opinion

MAYFIELD, J.

This appeal involves the question of the right of a lessor to enjoin the lessee from using the surface rights and privileges, acquired by virtue of a lease, in mining and marketing coal from lands other than those embraced in the lease.

The appellant, on January 9, 1904, leased certain lands to one Francis, for a period of 20 years, “or until the coal and minerals Avere Avorked out.” Francis shortly thereafter transferred and assigned his interest in the lease and lands to the appellee, the Burnwell Coal Company, Avhick company commenced mining and transporting coal from the lands in accordance Avith the terms of the lease, paying appellant, the lessor, therefor, five cents royalty per ton. This condition continued until the spring of 1909. During the greater part of this time an average of nearly 5,000 tons per month was taken from the lands. In February, 1909, the appellee, lessee, leased other (adjoining) lands, knoAvn as the “Bryan lands,” from other parties, and began mining coal therefrom, using the openings, tipples, tracks, houses, commissaries, etc., which were constructed upon appellant’s lands; and this suit was filed to enjoin such use of the surface rights of appellant’s [188]*188lands. The chancellor enjoined the lessee from dumping slate and other refuse matter, taken from the Bryan lands, upon the lands of appellant, although the lease provided for so dumping such refuse matter taken from the lands leased; but the court declined to enjoin the lessee from using the surface rights acquired by the lease, in mining, transporting, and marketing the coal taken from the Bryan land. In other words, the trial court allowed the mining from the Bryan lands to proceed, except that the lessee was denied the right to dump slate and other refuse matter, taken from the Bryan lands, upon the lands of the appellant. The lands leased from appellant were not in one compact body, but were in three bodies, on one of which the mining was begun, the openings were made, the tracks laid, and the tipples, houses, commissaries, etc., erected; this tract consisting of 13 forties, or about 520 acres. Another body of appellant’s land, consisting of about 120 acres, was south and west of that being mined; and was from three-fourths of a mile to two miles from the tract being mined. A part of the lands intervening, between these two tracts was the Bryan land, consisting of 10 or 11 forties, leased by appellee, and from this was being mined the coal, the cause of this suit.

The reporter will make a diagram of these three tracts of land, showing their locations with regard to each other, and to the river.

The bill alleges that, before the mining operations were begun on the Bryan lands, the complainant was receiving from $300 to more than $600 per month, royalty from his lands, and that, after the lessee began to mine from the Bryan lands, the complainant received only a very small or nominal amount per month; it sometimes not exceeding $5 or $6.

[189]*189

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Bluebook (online)
60 So. 382, 180 Ala. 185, 1912 Ala. LEXIS 323, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brasfield-v-burnwell-coal-co-ala-1912.