H & R Oils, Inc. v. Pioneer American Insurance Co.

541 S.W.2d 665, 56 Oil & Gas Rep. 114, 1976 Tex. App. LEXIS 3177
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 17, 1976
DocketNo. 17762
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 541 S.W.2d 665 (H & R Oils, Inc. v. Pioneer American Insurance 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
H & R Oils, Inc. v. Pioneer American Insurance Co., 541 S.W.2d 665, 56 Oil & Gas Rep. 114, 1976 Tex. App. LEXIS 3177 (Tex. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

OPINION

BREWSTER, Justice.

This is an appeal by the defendants, Alex Hickey, d/b/a H & R Oil Company, and Mike Trant, from an order appointing a receiver and authorizing him to take charge of certain oil and gas leases and the equipment located on the premises covered by the leases, to collect the proceeds from the sale of the production from the leases, and to perform such other things as may be reasonably necessary to preserve and protect the property.

The suit was brought by Pioneer American Insurance Company against A. H. Richardson, Jr., Richardson Production Corporation, Alex Hickey, d/b/a H & R Oil Company, Mike Trant, and others whom it is not necessary to name in view of the fact that they are not involved in this appeal. The plaintiff alleged that for a valuable consideration paid by it to the defendants, A. H. Richardson, Jr., and Richardson Production Company, Richardson had executed and delivered to plaintiff several promissory notes on which there was a large balance past due and unpaid. Plaintiff also alleged that as security for the payment of the notes the makers of the notes executed and delivered to plaintiff a deed of trust and security agreement covering two oil and gas leases and all equipment and personal property located on said leases. Plaintiff alleged that their lien, by virtue of said instruments, is superior to any claim that Trant and Hickey have to the leases and equipment, and that Trant and Hickey have wrongfully ousted A. H. Richardson, Jr., and Richardson Production Corporation from possession of the two oil and gas leases and are producing oil and gas from such leases and are using the equipment located on the leases and are thus reducing the value of the security.

Plaintiff sued Richardson and Richardson Production Company for judgment for its debt, for foreclosure of its liens on the oil and gas leases and personal property and equipment located thereon and for the appointment of the receiver to operate the leases, and hold the property during pend-ency of the suit.

After the suit was filed the defendants, Richardson Production Corporation and A. H. Richardson, Jr., also filed a motion asking that the receiver be appointed, alleging therein that they had been wrongfully ousted from possession of the two oil and gas leases involved and from possession of their [667]*667equipment located thereon and that Hickey and Trant are producing oil from the leases, thus diminishing the value of the leases and are not accounting to them for such production.

Following a hearing on both applications the trial court rendered the order appointing the receiver that is being appealed from here.

We reverse and vacate the receivership.

In their 7th point of error the appellants urge that the trial court abused its discretion as a matter of law in appointing the receiver on Richardson’s application because Richardson’s pleadings and the evidence at the hearing failed to establish a probable right of Richardson succeeding at the final trial.

In their 5th point of error appellants urge that the trial court erred in holding that the appointment of a receiver was necessary to protect the rights of Pioneer American Insurance Company because the pleadings and evidence establish that Pioneer American’s only claim or security extended to the equipment which they were free to remove at any time, with the exception of the casing in the producing wells.

We sustain both of those points of error.

We will refer herein to Pioneer American Insurance Company as Pioneer American and to A. H. Richardson, Jr., and Richardson Production Corporation as Richardson.

The undisputed evidence that the receivership hearing showed that since the early 1960s Richardson had owned fractional interests in an oil and gas lease referred to herein as the E. W. Clemens 215.7 acre lease and in another oil and gas lease known as the Alma Smith lease. Both leases were located in Runnels County, Texas. Richardson was also the operator of those leases. Richardson borrowed money from Pioneer American and to secure the payment of the note gave Pioneer American a deed of trust and security agreement covering his interest in both of the oil and gas leases and covering the interest of Richardson in all personalty and equipment that was located on those leases. The instruments referred to contained an assignment to the Insurance Company of the proceeds of the sale of Richardson’s part of the oil and gas production from said leases. These proceeds were to be applied by Pioneer American in payment of Richardson’s note referred to. At the time of the receivership hearing there was past due and unpaid on Richardson’s note about $85,000.00.

The Alma Smith lease between Richardson and his associates and the landowner provided that that lease would expire if the production of oil or gas ceased, for any cause, and drilling or reworking operations were not commenced within 60 days thereafter. The E. W. Clemens 215.7 acre lease involved contained a provision to the same effect.

The undisputed evidence at the receivership hearing showed that Richardson had been producing oil from the leases involved since the early 1960s and that in 1974 Richardson became ill, that he could not attend to his business, and that production on both leases completely ceased for a period of more than 60 days. When this case was argued before this Court all parties admitted that in 1974 production on both leases ceased for more than 60 days and that reworking operations were not commenced within that 60 day period.

After the expiration of such 60 day period during which reworking operations were not commenced the appellants, Trant and Hickey, acquired a new oil and gas lease from the landowner covering the Alma Smith lease that is involved here. This occurred on August 20, 1974.

On September 20,1974, Trant and Hickey also acquired from the landowner a new lease on the tract that had "been covered by Richardson’s E. W. Clemens lease above referred to. For more than 60 days before the date of this lease to Trant and Hickey there had been no production from the Clemens lease and no reworking operations had begun.

Under the express provisions of Richardson’s leases with the landowners his Alma Smith lease and his E. W. Clemens [668]*668215.7 acre lease both terminated in 1974 when he allowed both of such leases to cease producing oil and gas for a period of more than 60 days and when he did not begin reworking operations on the wells of either of said leases during the 60 day period. At the end of such 60 day period Richardson no longer owned any interest whatever in the realty involved in the two oil and gas leases or in the minerals thereunder. Eubank v. Twin Mountain Oil Corporation, 406 S.W.2d 789 (Tex.Civ.App., Eastland 1966, writ ref., n. r. e.), and Francis v. Pritchett, 278 S.W.2d 288 (Tex.Civ.App., El Paso 1955, writ ref.).

The liens held by Pioneer American on the two oil and gas leases involved only covered the interests of Richardson in said leases. When Richardson’s rights in the oil and gas leases terminated because of the cessation of production, Pioneer American’s lien rights in the property also terminated because the lien rights that were conveyed to Pioneer American were subject to the termination provisions contained in the leases.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cross v. Cross
738 S.W.2d 86 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Kirby v. Holland
316 N.W.2d 746 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1982)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
541 S.W.2d 665, 56 Oil & Gas Rep. 114, 1976 Tex. App. LEXIS 3177, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/h-r-oils-inc-v-pioneer-american-insurance-co-texapp-1976.