Candela v. Steidle

457 S.W.2d 461, 37 Oil & Gas Rep. 135, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 1909
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 9, 1970
DocketNo. 517
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 457 S.W.2d 461 (Candela v. Steidle) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Candela v. Steidle, 457 S.W.2d 461, 37 Oil & Gas Rep. 135, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 1909 (Tex. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

OPINION

NYE, Justice.

This case is a declaratory judgment action brought to construe a series of agreements as they relate to an oil and gas transaction. All of the parties involved stipulated that the instruments in question were unambiguous. Plaintiff and defendants filed motions for summary judgment. The trial court granted the defendants’ motion and entered judgment that plaintiff take nothing. Plaintiff Alvin Candela has appealed.

In March 1968 the plaintiff and defendants entered into an agreement for the pur[462]*462chase, development, operation and resale of two oil and gas leasehold estates in San Patricio County. Catherine A. Steidle, defendant, furnished the entire purchase price of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.-00) and received from plaintiff a conveyance of an undivided working interest in the leases. The plaintiff retained the other ½⅛ interest of the total ⅝ths working interest. The agreement between the parties was set out in a written contract. After the leases were acquired the plaintiff and defendants began to use their efforts to either sell or borrow funds against the leases as contemplated by the agreement. In May of 1968 it became necessary to borrow $25,000.00 from the First State Bank on a short term basis in order to operate the leases. On May 13, 1968 the parties entered into a second written agreement. As a part of this agreement, the parties agreed to pledge their respective interests in the leasehold estates to the Bank and assign the income from production under the lease to further secure the $25,000.00 note. Continuing the agreement provided that:

“2. Both Parties agree to make diligent efforts to borrow additional funds from other sources by pleding (sic) an interest or interests in order to repay the money advanced by CATHERINE A. STEI-DLE.
3. In the event an additional loan cannot be obtained, both Parties agree that they will make their best efforts to sell a one-half ((4) of seven-eighths, (⅞) Working Interest owned by CATHERINE A. STEIDLE for a sum of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ($100,000.00) and that all of those proceeds shall be paid over to CATHERINE A. STEIDLE.
4. If no funds have been obtained by either sale or by borrowing on or before July 15, 1968, then and in that event, both Parties agree to sell the entire seven-eighths (Yz) Working Interest to any interested Party on the best possible basis, but for not less than a total of SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($75,000.00). The first SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($75,000.00) derived from any such sale shall go to CATHERINE A. STEIDLE in repayment of funds advanced and risks assumed. The remaining proceeds, if sold for more than SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($75,000.00), shall be shared equally by ALVIN CAN-DELA and J. A. KUSH individually for their efforts.
5. If no sale can be effected, and no loan can be obtained, as contemplated by Paragraph 2 herein, on or before July 15, 1968, then, and in that event, ALVIN CANDELA agrees to convey his undivided interest in the above described leases and leasehold estates to CATHERINE A. STEIDLE without further consideration and shall be released of his obligation to the First State Bank.
6. Not withstanding anything herein to the contrary, no Party shall receive any portion of the income of either lease until CATHERINE A. STEIDLE has been reimbursed for the FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($50,000.00) she has advanced and paid.”

On May 16 the parties amended the May 13th agreement which included the following paragraph:

“5. If no sale can be executed and no loan obtained, as contemplated by Paragraph 2 herein, on or before July 15, 1968, then, and in that event, ALVIN CANDELA agrees to convey his undivided interest in the above described leases and leasehold estates to CATHERINE A. STEIDLE without further consideration. In such case CATHERINE A. STEIDLE agrees to assume the remaining indebtedness, if any, owed to FIRST STATE BANK, and agrees, in such case, to indemnify and hold ALVIN CANDELA harmless for any responsibility as to the payment of the remaining balance, if any, due and owing on said indebtedness.”

On July 15, 1968, no loan or sale had been obtained for the properties. Whereupon [463]*463the appellant assigned and conveyed his undivided one-fourth (¼) working interest by warranty assignment to the defendants. Six months later, on January 16, 1969, the defendants sold the entire seven-eighths (Y%) working interest for a total consideration of $99,950.00. Plaintiff contends that the provision in Paragraph 4 of the May 13 agreement gave him the right to one half of the gross amount of the money obtained from the sale of the properties over and above the $75,000.00.1 The defendants argue that by construing all these instruments and all of the provisions in such instruments together, the plain intent of the parties is reflected in plaintiff’s assignment of the leases to defendants on July 15, 1968. This assignment conveyed all of plaintiff’s right, title and interest in and to all of the properties involved. Therefore defendants contend that the plaintiff was not entitled to any of the proceeds of the sale of the properties. We agree.

The agreement of May 13 amended and amplified the parties’ agreement of March 12, 1968. It recognized that it was the intention of the parties that they would borrow funds with the properties as collateral. This was to be done in order to repay defendant Steidle the money she advanced for the purchase of the properties. The agreement further stated that because outside financing had not been obtained, and because additional funds were needed to operate the leases (and to acquire equipment), the parties thereby agreed to pledge their interests in the leasehold estates. Continuing the agreement stated that the parties would assign the income from the sale of oil and gas to further secure the $25,000.00 loan from First State Bank of Corpus Christi, and that they would use the proceeds from such loan for operating, developing, and promoting the properties.

Paragraph 2 of the May 13 agreement stated that the parties would attempt to borrow money from other sources in order to repay the money advanced by defendant Steidle. This the parties were never able to do.

The third paragraph of this agreement stated that if they were unable to obtain an additional loan they would use their efforts to sell one half of the seven-eighths working interest (out of defendant’s Steidle’s ¾ interest) for the sum of $100,000.00, with all of such proceeds to be paid over to defendant Steidle. This never did take place.

Fourth, the agreement provided that if no funds were obtained by either borrowing or by sale by July 15, 1968, then the parties agreed to sell the entire seven-eighths interest owned by both of them on the best possible basis, but for not less than $75,000.-00. If the interests were sold for more than $75,000.00, then the proceeds above that amount would be divided equally. This never did take place before the July 15, 1968, deadline.

In Paragraph 5, it was stated that if no sale could be arranged, and if no loan could be obtained as contemplated by Paragraph 2 by July 15, 1968, then the plaintiff agreed thereby to convey his undivided interest to defendant Steidle without further consideration.

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Bluebook (online)
457 S.W.2d 461, 37 Oil & Gas Rep. 135, 1970 Tex. App. LEXIS 1909, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/candela-v-steidle-texapp-1970.