Holland v. Kiper

696 S.W.2d 588, 87 Oil & Gas Rep. 396, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 6884
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 31, 1984
Docket12-83-0116-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 696 S.W.2d 588 (Holland v. Kiper) 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
Holland v. Kiper, 696 S.W.2d 588, 87 Oil & Gas Rep. 396, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 6884 (Tex. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinions

COLLEY, Justice.

This appeal involves a dispute concerning the ownership of coal and lignite underlying a 32V2-acre tract of land in Panola County. Monnie Lou Holland, plaintiff/appellant, received such tract in a partition deed dated July 23, 1952, and executed by her and the other heirs at law of L.L. Waits. Such partition deed expressly excepted from the division of the land “all of the oil, gas and other minerals in, on and under all of the lands included in this Partition Agreement.” Under this deed each heir was vested with an undivided ½⅛ interest of such minerals in the five tracts of land partitioned, aggregating approximately 264 acres. On August 5, 1960, Holland signed and delivered a coal and lignite lease to Frank L. Oberthier covering, among other tracts, the 32V2-acre tract involved in this appeal. On July 22, 1970, Holland, joined by her husband, sold and conveyed by a general warranty deed the 32V2-acre tract to defendants/appellees, Audra Thomas Riper and wife, Rachel Riper. Such deed contained the following mineral reservation:

THERE IS EXPRESSLY EXCEPTED AND RESERVED in favor of prior Grantors, all the oil, gas and other minerals in and under and that may be produced from the above described lands, together with the right of ingress and egress at all times for the purpose of mining, exploring, developing and producing same. (Emphasis added.)

On February 11, 1983, the trial court rendered judgment based on a jury verdict in favor of the Ripers, awarding the Ripers title to the coal and lignite underlying the 32V2-acre tract and ownership of all royalties on such minerals theretofore paid into the registry of the court by Texas Utilities Generating Company. Holland’s motion for new trial was overruled, and she appeals from the judgment, presenting seven points of error. We affirm.

Holland, by her pleading, sought reformation of the 1970 deed executed by her as grantor to the Ripers as grantees to show that the coal and lignite underlying said land were expressly reserved to her as grantor, and a declaratory judgment for title to same and all royalties payable under the coal and lignite lease originally executed by Holland in favor of Oberthier. In addition to the facts already discussed, the record shows, by a written stipulation of the parties, that the deposits of coal and lignite underlying the tract in question were found at a depth of less than 200 feet from the surface. Curtis Ray Johnson, an employee of Texas Utilities Generating Company, was produced as a witness at trial by the Ripers. He testified at length about the “strip mining” of the land in question whereby “scrapers” and draglines were used to remove the soil (overburden) above the lignite deposits, thereby exposing the lignite which was removed from the open pits by a power shovel, and placed on “haulers” which transported the lignite to another site for processing. The open pits, according to Johnson’s testimony, were 120 feet wide and ranged in length from 1500 feet to approximately one mile.

Following the reception of the evidence and testimony offered by the parties, the trial court submitted three special issues to the jury. The first special issue inquired whether “the plaintiff and defendants had reached an agreement that the coal and lignite would be reserved in favor of Mon-nie Lou Holland in the deed conveying the 32V2 acres to the defendants....” The jury answered that issue “No,” and under the court’s instructions the remaining two issues were not answered. Holland does not challenge such finding.

By her third point of error, Holland complains of the court’s action overruling her objections to Special Issue 1. The record does not reflect that Holland made any objections to the court’s charge. By failing to object to the submission of Special Issue 1, Holland waived her right to [590]*590complain of such issue. TEX.R.CIV.P. 274; Allen v. American Nat. Ins. Co., 380 S.W.2d 604, 609 (Tex.1964). Moreover, we hold that the issue in the form submitted was substantially correct. Champlin Oil & Refining Co. v. Chastain, 403 S.W.2d 376, 382 (Tex.1965); TEX.R.CIV.P. 279. Point 3 is overruled.

By her points of error 4, 5 and 7, Holland contends that the trial court erred in refusing to submit her requested Special Issues 1 and 2, and her requested definition of “mutual mistake” accompanying requested Special Issue 2. These issues and definition read:

SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 1:
Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the Plaintiff, Mrs. Mon-nie Lou Holland and the Defendants, Mr. and Mrs. A.T. Kiper intended that the deed in question reserve the Coal and Lignite to Mrs. Monnie Lou Holland.
Answer “Yes” or “No.”.
Answer: _
SPECIAL ISSUE NO. 2:
Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the reservation in the deed in question, which failed to reserve the Coal and Lignite to Mrs. Monnie Lou Holland, was the result of a mutual mistake between the Plaintiff, Mrs. Monnie Lou Holland, and the Defendants, Mr. and Mrs. A.T. Kiper.
By the terms ‘mutual mistake’ is meant that mistake which is common to both parties to a transaction, each of whom is under the same mistake as to its terms.
Answer “Yes” or “No.”
Answer: ___

Under her fourth point of error, Holland claims that the trial court erred in refusing to submit her requested Special Issue 1 quoted above. As we read the issue submitted, and the requested Special Issue, we note that they are virtually identical. The issue actually submitted asked if the parties “had reached an agreement” that coal and lignite would be reserved in the deed; the requested issue inquired if the parties “intended” that coal and lignite would be reserved in the deed. Since the issue submitted was substantially correct, the court did not err in refusing to submit the requested issue. Pickens v. Harrison, 151 Tex. 562, 252 S.W.2d 575, 580 (1952). Point 4 is overruled.

The jury’s negative answer to Special Issue No. 1 supports the judgment signed and entered against Holland. She had the burden to secure findings, (1) that the true agreement of the parties was that the coal and lignite was to be reserved to her by the provisions of the deed, and (2) that because of the mutual mistake of the parties, the deed failed to incorporate language specifically reserving such minerals to her. Sun Oil Co. v. Bennett, 125 Tex. 540, 84 S.W.2d 447, 451 (Tex.Comm’n App.—1935, opinion adopted). Holland’s failure to secure an affirmative answer to Special Issue No. 1 was fatal to her action for reformation of the deed, and renders immaterial any error committed by the trial court in refusing to submit Holland’s requested Special Issue No. 2 and her requested definition of “mutual mistake.” Holland’s points of error 5 and 7 are overruled.

By point of error 6, Holland contends that the court erred in overruling her objection to the definition of “mutual mistake” given the jury in connection with Special Issue 2 of the court’s charge.

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Related

Dion v. Ford Motor Co.
804 S.W.2d 302 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Holland v. Kiper
696 S.W.2d 588 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1984)

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Bluebook (online)
696 S.W.2d 588, 87 Oil & Gas Rep. 396, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 6884, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/holland-v-kiper-texapp-1984.