Corley v. Exxon Pipeline Co.

821 S.W.2d 435, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 3099, 1991 WL 269044
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 19, 1991
DocketA14-90-00469-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 821 S.W.2d 435 (Corley v. Exxon Pipeline Co.) 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
Corley v. Exxon Pipeline Co., 821 S.W.2d 435, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 3099, 1991 WL 269044 (Tex. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

OPINION

J. CURTISS BROWN, Chief Justice.

Clayton Corley complains of a judgment holding him strictly liable for damages caused by the removal of lateral and subja-cent support for Exxon Pipeline Company’s [Exxon] easement. He also contends the trial court erred by holding him liable to co-defendant Western Contractors Service [Western] for $5000 of the cost of an engineering study, and by ruling that his third-party action against Matcon, Inc. was barred by limitations. We affirm the judgment.

It is undisputed that Exxon purchased this easement in 1919, and that in 1978 Corley purchased the property through which the easement runs. Corley leased the property to Matcon, a company of which he was president. Corley admitted that the sandpit was dug during his ownership of the property. In May of 1983, Corley sold the property to Western. Ap-pellee Martin is president of Western. On April 4, 1985, the side of the sandpit collapsed, exposing a section of Exxon’s pipeline.

Exxon sued Corley, Western and Martin to recover damages arising from the repair of the subsidence. Corley filed a third-party claim for contribution and indemnity against Matcon. The trial court granted Exxon’s partial summary judgment, holding that strict liability was the standard to be applied to a landowner’s withdrawal of naturally necessary lateral and subjacent *437 support of an adjacent easement. The jury determined damages, and also rejected Western’s claim that Corley had agreed to pay any amount beyond $5000 for engineering fees.

In his first seven points of error, Corley challenges the application of strict liability to the facts before us. Corley contends the absolute right to naturally necessary lateral and subjacent support for adjacent land applies only to owners in fee simple, and not to easement owners. This court rejected that distinction in San Jacinto Sand Co. v. Southwestern Bell, 426 S.W.2d 338, 345 (Tex.Civ.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1968, writ ref'd n.r.e.). Presented with the same argument as that raised by Corley, we held that “the duties and obligation as between the owners of the dominate estate and the servient estate, if different, are greater,” and “the easement owner is entitled to lateral and subja-cent support for its easements, its lines and its property lawfully thereon, and that the trial court correctly applied the doctrine of lateral and subjacent support.” Id., (citations omitted).

Since there were no genuine issues of material fact and Exxon’s partial summary judgment evidence established it was entitled to judgment as a matter of law, the trial court properly granted its motion for partial summary judgment and properly overruled Corley’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto. Points of error one through seven are overruled.

Corley’s eighth and ninth points of error contend that, because Exxon’s action is barred by limitations, the trial court erred by granting Exxon’s motion for partial summary judgment and by failing to grant his motion for summary judgment. Corley argued that Exxon’s cause of action accrued and the statute of limitations began to run when the sandpit was dug, sometime before 1983. Under Corley’s analysis, Exxon’s filing would be beyond the two-year limitations period. Prior Texas cases and the Restatement (Second) of Tohts reject that analysis.

An action for permanent damages to land accrues, for limitations purposes, upon discovery of the first actionable injury. Bayouth v. Lion Oil Co., 671 S.W.2d 867, 868 (Tex.1984). A cause of action for damaging land does not lie for anticipated damages, rather it accrues at the time the land is actually damaged. Allen v. City of Texas City, 775 S.W.2d 863, 866 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1989, writ denied). These holdings are consistent with the portions of the Restatement (Second) of Torts that address withdrawing naturally necessary lateral and subjacent support, sections 817 and 821. Restatement (Second) of Torts §§ 817 and 821 cmts. i (1979). These comments state, “[t]he withdrawal of the naturally necessary ... support subjects the actor to liability but does not make him liable in an action for damages unless, and until, a subsidence occurs”.

Exxon filed its cause of action within fourteen months of the collapse of the sandpit, within the two-year limitations period. Accordingly, the trial court did not err by granting Exxon’s motion for partial summary judgment or by denying Corley’s motion for summary judgment. Points of error eight and nine are overruled.

Corley next asserts the trial erred by failing to submit issues concerning the negligence of his co-defendants, Western and Martin. Although purportedly requested issues are included in the transcript, nothing in the record indicates that the trial court saw them or ruled on them. To preserve his complaint for appellate review, Corley was required by the rules of procedure to obtain the trial court’s ruling and signature on the tendered issues. Tex. R.Civ.P. 276. He did not do so and, thus, waived any error. Point of error ten is overruled.

In his eleventh point of error, Cor-ley contends the trial court erred by entering judgment for $5000 against him on the contract cross-claim of Western and Martin. At the time that Exxon filed this cause of action, it also sought a mandatory injunction against Corley, Western and Martin to compel restoration of support to the pipeline easement. As a result of the hearing on the requested injunction, an en *438 gineering study was necessary to begin that restoration. Western and Martin asserted in their cross-action that Corley had agreed to pay one-half of the cost of the engineering study, which eventually to-talled $57,016. Corley argues the judgment is in error “since no questions were submitted to the jury on that theory, and cross-plaintiffs’ right to recover was not established as a matter of law.” The only question submitted to the jury on the contract issue asked whether Corley agreed to pay one-half of the engineering fees after it became known that the fees would exceed $10,000; the jury answered he had not.

During the charge conference, the trial court stated the $5000 liability had been admitted and judgment would be entered for that amount; but that the jury would decide whether Corley had agreed to pay any greater sum. Corley made no objection to the trial court’s decision. In his trial testimony and his sworn affidavit in response to Exxon’s motion for partial summary judgment, Corley admitted he entered into an agreement with Western to pay one-half of the cost of an engineering study, with the cost to be between $5,000 and $10,000. Corley himself established, as a matter of law, each of the essential elements of the contract claim and the $5000 of liability. The trial court properly entered judgment for Western and Martin on their contract action; Corley’s eleventh point of error is overruled.

Corley also complains of the award of prejudgment interest to Exxon.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
821 S.W.2d 435, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 3099, 1991 WL 269044, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/corley-v-exxon-pipeline-co-texapp-1991.