Collins v. Morrow

234 So. 2d 234, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5469
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 31, 1970
DocketNo. 11405
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 234 So. 2d 234 (Collins v. Morrow) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Collins v. Morrow, 234 So. 2d 234, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5469 (La. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

BOLIN, Judge.

This action was instituted by plaintiff Collins to recover for damages to pasture land allegedly caused by defendant’s oil well operations on the property. Collins was lessee under two agricultural leases from the land owners, and T. C. Morrow [235]*235was lessee of the mineral interests. Collins claimed, in addition to pasture damage, that he had suffered the loss of one steer. Defendant Morrow answered with a general denial and filed a third-party demand against his lessors in the event he should be held liable for damages. Following trial the lower court awarded judgment in favor of Collins and against defendant Morrow for $98.28 for the loss of the steer. All other demands were rejected and plaintiff appeals.

The first agricultural lease covering forty acres, contained the provision, “This Lease is made subject to and does not include, and shall in no way interfere with any surface Lease executed by this Lessor to the Magnolia Oil Company.” This lease was later amended to include that portion of the property formerly occupied by Magnolia for an increased consideration and extended the lease through December 31, 1974. By a separate lease the co-owners of the adjacent 51.45 acres leased to Collins, for pasturage and grazing of livestock, for a term of five years beginning January 1, 1968, ending December 31, 1972. The provisions in this instrument imposed the requirement, “Lessee’s rights hereunder are further subject to whatever use lessors or their assigns make of the property for prospecting or developing for oil, gas and other minerals, full rights of ingress and egress for these purposes being expressly reserved to lessors.”

The oil and gas lease under which the Morrow Company drilled the three wells involved herein was executed in 1962. The testimony as to when the drilling was commenced and the wells completed is vague, the only positive testimony being statements of Mr. Porter that at least two wells were drilled in 1965 (well #43 and well #45) and #51 was drilled in late 1967. This witness also testified the road to #43 was graded within six months after completion of that well.

Over objection of plaintiff an amended and supplemental answer was filed, with leave of court, during trial. This answer sets forth that the claims for damages, upon which plaintiff’s present suit is predicated, were compromised in August 1966. In support of the affirmative plea of compromise, defendant introduced in evidence a letter and a check for $500. The voucher attached to the check recited it was in full settlement of “damages caused by drilling our Pugh Well numbers 43 and 45, breakage of oil lines and drainage ditches”. Collins admitted receipt of this check but denies it was intended as settlement of claims for damages occurring subsequent to August 1966 and before suit was filed in May 1968.

Specified by appellant as errors are the following:

“1: The court erred in permitting the defendant to file a supplemental and amended answer during the trial of the matter.
“2: The court erred in permitting the defendant to offer a compromise in evidence after the trial had begun when such pleading was pleaded only in a supplemental and amending answer filed after the trial had commenced.
“3: The court erred in holding that the sum of $500.00 paid plaintiff by defendant by check dated August 3, 1966, was in settlement and compromise of the matter sued for herein.
“4: The court erred in not granting plaintiff judgment as prayed for.”

Since the first two specified errors relate to the admissibility and effect of the alleged compromise we shall consider them together. Appellant relies on Louisiana C. C.P. Art. 1005, which requires the defense of compromise to be affirmatively pleaded, and on Louisiana C.C.P. Art. 1151, which provides:

“A plaintiff may amend his petition without leave of court at any time be[236]*236fore the answer thereto is served. He may be ordered to amend his petition under Articles 932 through 934. A defendant may amend his answer once without leave of court at any time within ten days after it has been served. Otherwise, the petition and answer may be amended only by leave of court or by written consent of the adverse party.
“A defendant shall plead in response to an amended petition within the time remaining for pleading to the original pleading or within ten days after service of the amended petition, whichever period is longer, unless the time is extended under Article 1001.”

Appellant contends the trial court abused its discretion by allowing the amended answer to be filed during trial. He ascribes as the reason for not permitting filing of an amended answer which pleads an affirmative defense during the trial is to prevent the opposing party from being taken by surprise and cites two cases to support his position. In the first cited case, Wallace v. Hanover Insurance Company of New York (La.App.l Cir.1964) 164 So.2d 111, the amended answer (pleading the affirmative defense of fraud) was filed after the trial had ended and judgment rendered, and apparently without notice to opposing party. The court held it was an abuse of discretion to allow the filing of the amended answer but stated:

“Applying this to the facts of this case, it is obvious that the attempted amendment raised a new affirmative defense, not during the trial, but after, affording plaintiff no opportunity to meet it. This is most prejudicial and cannot be allowed. Had the motion to amend been presented during the trial, it might have been granted, saving to the plaintiff the right to a continuance to meet the new defense.” (Emphasis added)

At the conclusion of the trial in Brooks v. Fondren (La.App.3 Cir.1967) 199 So.2d 588, defendant filed an exception of no cause of action on the ground the evidence showed there had been a compromise. The court held the trial court had abused its discretion in permitting the filing of the exception, citing Wallace, supra, and Louisiana. C.C.P. Art. 1154. The portion of Art. 1154 which is pertinent to the instant case provides:

“ * * * If evidence is objected to at the trial on the ground that it is not within the issues made by the pleadings, the court may allow the pleadings to be amended and shall do so freely when the presentation of the merits of the action will be subserved thereby, and the objecting party fails to satisfy the court that the admission of such evidence would prejudice him in maintaining his action or defense on the merits. The court may grant a continuance to enable the objecting party to meet such evidence.”

We conclude the cited cases are factually distinguishable from the case before us and the court was correct in allowing the amended answer. Although plaintiff did not ask for a continuance the case was held open for more than a week in order for plaintiff to complete his case. It is not contended plaintiff was denied an opportunity to meet the defense, nor did plaintiff deny that the $500 payment was received for damages suffered by the drilling of wells #43 and #45.

Plaintiff urges, in the event the court finds the supplemental answer was proper and admissible, the court should allow recovery for all damages occurring from negligent operation of the wells subsequent to August 1966.

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526 So. 2d 237 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
234 So. 2d 234, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5469, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/collins-v-morrow-lactapp-1970.