Central Power and Light Company v. Holloway

431 S.W.2d 436, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2136
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 29, 1968
Docket379
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 431 S.W.2d 436 (Central Power and Light Company v. Holloway) 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
Central Power and Light Company v. Holloway, 431 S.W.2d 436, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2136 (Tex. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

OPINION

NYE, Justice.

Appellees brought suit to enjoin the reconstruction of a proposed new electric transmission line across their property. On a trial before the court without a jury the appellant Central Power and Light Company was enjoined from installing on ap-pellees’ land under its easement, (1) any poles taller than the existing ones, (2) cables or wires at higher level than the existing ones and (3) more than twelve poles. From this judgment appellant perfects its appeal.

The appellees are owners of an undivided interest in a 184 acre tract of land in Jackson County, Texas. In March, 1942 the appellees joined the other owners of said land in executing an easement for an electric transmission line over and across their land. The instrument granted to appellant

“ * * * an easement or right of way for an electric transmission line, consisting of variable numbers of wires, and all necessary and desirable attachments and appurtenances, including poles made of wood, metal or other material, telephone and telegraph wires, props, guys and an *438 chorages, at or near the location and along the general course now located and staked out by said Central Power and Light Company, over, across and upon (describing the land) * * * Together with the right of ingress and egress over my (our) adjacent lands to or from said right of way for the purpose of constructing, reconstructing, inspecting, partolling, hanging new wire on, maintaining and removing said line, poles, wires and appurtenances; the right to relocate along the same general direction of said line; the right to remove from said lands all trees and parts thereof, or other obstructions which endanger or may interfere with the safety or efficiency of said line, or its appurtenances; and the right to exercise all other rights hereby granted.” (emphasis supplied)

Pursuant to the provisions contained in such easement the utility company constructed an electric transmission line consisting of three conductor wires and two shield wires. The utility company now proposes to reconstruct the line by reducing the number of poles and extending the height of the line by approximately fifteen feet. All of the facts were stipulated to by the parties to this suit. Among the stipulations were that the utility company would install four new 2-pole structures (eight poles), instead of the original six 2-pole structures (twelve poles). It was further stipulated that upon completion of the reconstruction of the transmission line, the new line would be energized so that it would carry 138,000 volts. This is the same voltage that is now being carried under the existing facilities. Each 2-pole structure would be approximately 14½ feet apart. This is the same distance as the original existing poles. The center line of the new reconstructed electric transmission line would be at the same location as the line of the existing transmission line and would occupy the same right of way and the same width of right of way that is now occupied by the existing lines.

Appellant’s first and second points are that the trial court erred in holding that under the terms of the easement the appellant did not have the right to install taller poles or the right to increase the height of the existing electric transmission line across appellees’ land.

It is appellees’ contention during the trial of the case, and again here on appeal: that, the easement granted to the utility company is general in nature; that the utility company in originally constructing its electric transmission line could have constructed the line in any manner allowed by the easement, however, once the line was constructed (as to height of poles and lines) the utility company’s rights became fixed and certain and cannot now be changed. Appellees cite 17A Am.Jur. p. 721 and rely on Houston Pipe Line Company v. Dwyer, 374 S.W.2d 662 (Tex.Sup.1964).

Appellant contends that the Dwyer case, supra, is not controlling, because the easement granted this appellant in this case gave it rights in excess of the ones actually used. Citing Knox v. Pioneer Natural Gas Company, 321 S.W.2d 596 (Tex.Civ.App.— El Paso 1959, n. r. e.). In the Dwyer case the easement was general and the rights granted were narrow by the limitation of the grant which reads as follows:

“First Party * * * does hereby grant, sell and convey unto second party a right of way to lay, maintain, operate, repair sad remove a Pipe Line for the transportation of gas. * * * ” (The words “and remove” were struck out by the parties.)

The Court therefore held that once the grantee constructed its pipeline with the consent and acquiescence of the grantor, the extent of the grantor’s easement rights thereby became fixed and certain. The Court went on to say that in Knox, supra, the agreement granted to the grantee the right to enter upon the land at all times for the purpose of making additions to, improvements on and repairs to said pipeline and the right to keep and maintain the same *439 and to remove or replace the same. No such rights as these were granted in the Dwyer case.

Our Court through Chief Justice Green in comparing the instrument before us at that time, to the instrument in the Dwyer case, said:

“ * * * In our case, as will be noticed by comparison of the two instruments, grantee was given additional rights the omission of which in Dwyer was especially commented on in the opinion. Certainly the grant in the present case does not evidence that it was the intent of the parties that grantee or its assigns, in the laying of an additional pipe line would be limited to the eight inch size of the pipe first laid; indeed it expresses an intention quite to the contrary.” citing cases, (emphasis supplied)

Strauch v. Coastal States Crude Gathering Co., 424 S.W.2d 677 (Tex.Civ.App. — Corpus Christi 1968).

In the present case before us, as was the case in Knox, supra, the grantors gave the utility company the right to relocate the electric line. The utility company’s easement granted to the appellant in addition to the rights actually used, the right to reconstruct, to hang new wire on, maintain and remove the lines, poles, wires and appurtenances and the right to relocate them.

Every easement necessarily carries with it the right to do such things as are reasonably recessary for the full enjoyment of the easement, and the extent to which incidental rights may be exercised depends on the object and purpose of the grants and whether such rights are limited by its terms. Phillips Petroleum Company v. Terrel, 404 S.W.2d 927 (Tex.Civ.App. —Amarillo 1966); Gulf View Courts v. Galveston County, 150 S.W.2d 872 (Tex.Civ.App. — Galveston 1941, wr.ref.); Bland Lake Fishing and Hunting Club v.

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431 S.W.2d 436, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2136, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/central-power-and-light-company-v-holloway-texapp-1968.