Frost Lumber Industries, Inc. v. Federal Petroleum Co.

29 F. Supp. 957, 1939 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2195
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Louisiana
DecidedJanuary 14, 1939
DocketNo. 768
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 29 F. Supp. 957 (Frost Lumber Industries, Inc. v. Federal Petroleum Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Frost Lumber Industries, Inc. v. Federal Petroleum Co., 29 F. Supp. 957, 1939 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2195 (W.D. La. 1939).

Opinions

DAWKINS, District Judge.

This suit was filed as a form of possessory action known to the Louisiana law as jactitation, or slander of title to real property. Defendant converted it into a petitory action to try title. It involves the mineral rights on several thousand acres of land in Union and Ouachita Parishes. Plaintiff, in defense of the title set up by defendant, pleaded the prescription of ten years liberandi causa for non-user, under Arts. 789, 3529 and 3546 of the Louisiana Civil Code.

The facts have been stipulated and the court finds them as so agreed, as follows:

“It is hereby stipulated and agreed by and between the parties hereto, by and through their undersigned counsel, as follows :
“I. That Federal Petroleum Company, named as defendant in this action, was merged with Republic • Production Company (who has appeared herein as defendant) on May 17, 1937; and that, by virtue of said merger, Republic Production Company succeeded to all of the property, rights, privileges, powers and franchises and all and every, other interest of Federal Petroleum Company; and that, therefore, Republic Production Company is the real and actual defendant in said cause.
“II. The act of conveyance, dated January 12, 1917, the act of conveyance, dated December 23, 1920, and the act of conveyance, dated March 31, 1923, described in sub-paragraphs A, B and C of paragraph III of defendant’s answer were all duly recorded in the conveyance records of Sabine, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Ouachita and Union Parishes, Louisiana.
“HI. That, effective July 1, 1935, the name of Frost-Johnson Lumber Company, by charter amendment, was changed to Frost Lumber Industries, Inc., and that Frost-Johnson Lumber Company, a Missouri corporation, is the same as Frost Lumber Industries, Inc., plaintiff in this cause.
“IV. That the operating contract and agreement, dated January 12, 1917, between Frost-Johnson Lumber Company of Missouri, et al, and Federal Petroleum Company of Louisiana, et al, mentioned in paragraph VI of defendant’s answer, and the joint operating contract, dated December 23, 1920, entered into between Frost-Johnson Lumber Company of Missouri et al and Union Power Company, Inc., mentioned in paragraph VIII of defendant’s answer were both duly recorded in the conveyance records of De Soto, Sabine, Natchitoches, Ouachita and Union Parishes, Louisiana. t
“V. That, among the lands described and embraced within the conveyances described in paragraph II hereof and the joint operating contracts described in paragraph IV hereof are certain lands located in the Parishes of Ouachita and Union, State of Louisiana, which form six (6) blocks of land, as are more particularly set out and' described in paragraph X of defendant’s answer; and that the land in Block A consists of 38,800.44 acres of land, all of which is contiguous and adjacent and forms one undivided and continuous tract of land; that the land in Block B consists of 9,098.07 acres of land, all of which is contiguous and adjacent and forms one [959]*959undivided and continuous tract of land; that the land in Block C consists of 128.36 acres of land, all of which is contiguous and adjacent and forms one undivided and continuous tract of land; that the land in Block D consists of 626.89 acres of land, all of which is contiguous and adjacent and forms one undivided and continuous tract of land; that the land in Block E consists of 19.00 acres of land, all of which is contiguous and adjacent and forms one undivided and continuous tract of land; and that the land in Block F consists of 119.94 acres of land, all of which is contiguous and adjacent and forms one undivided and continuous tract of land.
"VI. That the act of conveyance and operating agreement entered into between Union Power Company, Inc. and Frost Lumber Industries, Inc., and Federal Petroleum Company, on the one part, and Interstate Natural Gas Company, Incorporated, on the other, dated July 26, 1926, was duly recorded in conveyance records of Ouachita and Union Parishes, Louisiana.
“VII. That included in the conveyance and operating contract described in the next preceding paragraph were certain lands located in Block A, all of which form one tract of land and all of which are contiguous and adjacent; that included in the conveyance and operating contract described in the next preceding paragraph were certain lands located in Block B, all of which form one tract of land and all of which are contiguous and adjacent; that said' conveyance and operating contract described in the next preceding paragraph likewise- included and embraced all of the land forming Blocks C, D, E. and F.
“VIII. That Federal Petroleum Company (of Louisiana) drilled and completed upon the acreage in Block A three (3) wells in which gas was discovered and which were located and completed as follows, to-wit:
“1. Serial #49, SWJ4 of NE% of Section 15, Township 20, North Range 3 East, not completed but abandoned in December, 1920, at 2086 feet on account of bad condition in well;
“2. Serial #4676; SW% of NWJ4 of Section 3, Township 20 North, Range 3 East, Completed on July, 15, 1919;
“3. Serial #322, NW% of NE% of Section 13, Township 20 North, Range 3 East, Completed in June, 1918, and abandoned on August 1, 1926, on account of bad condition of well; which said wells just above referred to were drilled in consideration of and pursuant to the provisions of the conveyance and companion operating contract, both dated January 12, 1917, and which wells were conveyed to the Union Power Company, under the contract referred to in paragraph VIII of defendant’s answer.-
“That after the execution of the mineral conveyance and joint operating contract between Frost-Johnson Lumber Company, Union Saw Mill Company, Federal Petroleum Company, and Union Power Company, Inc., dated December 23, 1920, Union Power Company, Inc. drilled and completed upon the acreage in Block A five (5) wells in which gas was discovered and which were located and completed as follows ; to-wit:
“1. Serial #7509, NW% of SE*4 of Section 29, Township 21 North, Range 4 East, Completed January 24, 1924;
“2. Serial #7508, NE% of NWJ4 of Section 32, Township 21 North, Range 4 East, Completed January 14, 1924;
“3. Serial #7584, SE% of SE% of Section 31, Township 21 North, Range 4 East, Completed March 13, 1924;
“4. Serial #7687, SE% of NE% of Section 1, Township 20 North, Range 3 East, Completed March 18, -1924;
“5. Serial #7690, SE% of NE% of Section 2, Township 20 North, Range 3 East, Completed May 8, 1924; and Union Power Company, Inc., likewise drilled and completed upon the acreage in Block C two (2) wells in which gas was discovered and which were located and completed as follows, to-wit:
“1. Serial #7507, NW% of NE% of Section 21, Township 21 North, Range 4 East, Completed May 22, 1924;
“2.

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Bluebook (online)
29 F. Supp. 957, 1939 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2195, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/frost-lumber-industries-inc-v-federal-petroleum-co-lawd-1939.