Mackintosh v. Marks' Estate

15 F.R.D. 332, 3 Oil & Gas Rep. 1964, 1954 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4230
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Louisiana
DecidedApril 14, 1954
DocketCiv. No. 3559
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 15 F.R.D. 332 (Mackintosh v. Marks' Estate) 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
Mackintosh v. Marks' Estate, 15 F.R.D. 332, 3 Oil & Gas Rep. 1964, 1954 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4230 (W.D. La. 1954).

Opinion

DAWKINS, District Judge.

The complaint was filed December 13, 1951, for the cancellation of a compromise agreement dated June 26, 1940, between certain persons based upon a charge that Henry M. Marks, now deceased, had fraudulently “conspired with certain agents of the California Company to divest claimants of the land and most of the minerals” of certain described properties. The defendants were the estate of said Marks, John Dale, Jr., Philip Watson, Thomas M. Wade, Jr., Mrs. Kate LaCour Wade and The California Company. The prayer of the petition was as follows:

“Wherefore, your complainants demand to have cancelled and set aside the contract, grant, agreement and act of compromise dated June 26, 1940 which is recorded in Book BB at page 525 of the records of Tensas Parish, Louisiana and to have restored to them, in their proper proportions, the property described in paragraph 3 of this complaint together with the one half of the minerals thereunder. They demand from Henry M. Marks all royalties which have been paid by The California Company under the lease agreement dated June 26, 1940 recorded in Book BB, page 528 of the records of Tensas Parish, Louisiana, together with legal interest thereon from the date of each payment. They demand of John Dale, Jr. the property and minerals purportedly conveyed to him under the transfer dated October 15, 1941 recorded in Book JJ, page 655 of the records of Tensas Parish, Louisiana and to have cancelled from the records the said instrument, together with all royalties which might have been paid to him and with legal interest thereon from the date of each payment until paid; they demand of Thomas M. Wade, Jr. the property and minerals purportedly conveyed to him under the transfer dated October 15, 1941 recorded in Book MM, page 222 of the records of Tensas Parish, Louisiana, and to [333]*333have cancelled from the records that said instrument, together with all royalties which might have been paid to him thereunder, with legal interest thereon from the date of each payment until paid. Complainants demand of Philip Watson the property and minerals purportedly conveyed to him under the transfer dated January 6, 1946 recorded in Book MM, page 165 of the records of Tensas Parish, Louisiana and to have cancelled from the records that said instrument, together with all royalties which might have been paid to him thereunder with legal interest thereon from the date of each payment until paid. Complainants demand of Mrs. Kate LaCour Wade the property transferred under the instrument dated March 11, 1946 recorded in Book MM, page 295, of the records of Tensas Parish, Louisiana and to cancel that said instrument insofar as it affects the property described in this complaint together with any royalties which might have been paid to her on this property and with legal interest thereon from the date of each payment until paid. Complainants demand the cancellation of the oil, ■gas and mineral lease dated June 26, 1940 recorded in Book BB, page 529 of the records of Tensas Parish, Louisiana and demand the value of .all minerals which have been produced and extracted from the said property, together with legal interest thereon from the date of production, subject only to the actual cost of drilling and of production; that in the event that it is impossible for any of the defendants to return the interest which was conveyed to them, your complainants demand the value of the said interest. That in addition thereto that your complainants demand reasonable attorney fees and exemplary damages in the amount of $100,000.00.”

On January 1, 1952, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint making Mrs. Emma Marks, “widow and executrix of the estate of Henry M. Marks, party and praying that all pleadings ‘herein’ be served on her.”

Many other preliminary pleas were filed and considered and thereafter answers and special pleas were filed as follows: On April 24, 1952, by the California Company, April 29th by Philip Watson, answer and special pleas by John Dale, Jr., and on May 29th an answer was filed by the estate of Henry M. Marks by Mrs. Emma M. Marks, executrix.

Further proceedings were had and on March 26, 1953, motions for summary judgment were filed by defendants Wade, Wade, and Dale, on the 27th by California Company and on the 31st by Watson.

On April 3, 1953, a pre-trial hearing was had at which certain stipulations, depositions and documents were filed and by agreement, pleas to the jurisdiction and motions for summary judgment were set down for April 15, 1953. In the meantime supplemental pleas of non joinder and want of jurisdiction were filed by Watson and for summary judgment by Emma M. Marks, administratrix of the estate of Henry M. Marks.

On April 15th by agreement, all motions and pleas were submitted “on documentary evidence to be filed by each side * * * and on briefs to be filed by defendants within 15 days after the documentary evidence is filed and by the plaintiffs 15 days thereafter.”

On June 16th the California Company filed another motion to compel joinder of “indispensable parties” and dismiss for lack of jurisdiction and on the 29th of that month the defendants filed a “folder * * * containing exhibits in support of motions to dismiss for non joinder of indispensable parties and want of jurisdiction.”

[334]*334July 1, ■ 1953, defendants’ brief was filed with the Clerk. Plaintiffs had failed to file a brief and early in March, 1954, the court directed the clerk to advise their counsel that such briefs should be filed in ten days and that the record, at the end of that time, should be sent to the Judge. The record was mailed to the court on March 24th, following. Plaintiffs have not as yet filed any brief.

In the original complaint, the plaintiffs, Mackintosh and his wife; Dora Bryant James, widow of Guy R. James; Bryant James; Edward C. James and Mrs. Emily Lee Graham were alleged to be citizens of Texas; and Mrs. Amanda Graham Smith, Mrs. Nannie Sadler Graham,. Henry E. Graham and Rolla E. Graham were alleged to be citizens of Missouri. The complaint also alleged that defendant Henry M. Marks, deceased, his widow, Emma Moses Marks were citizens of Mississippi; and that John Dale, Jr., Philip Watson and Mrs. Kate LaCour Wade were citizens of Louisiana; that Thomas M. Wade, Jr., was a citizen of Colorado and The California Company was a citizen of California. The amount necessary to give jurisdiction to this court was also alleged.

Taking up the answer and pleas therein contained of Thomas M. Wade, Jr., which is typical of all, it is not disputed that the land and mineral interest involved were situated in the Parish of Tensas in this District. The cause of action is one to annul a compromise agreement alleged to have been entered into on June 26, 1940, and a mineral lease executed at the same time by Guy R. James, Dora B. James, R. D. Mackintosh, Mrs. Alice Mackintosh, Emily Lee Graham, Charles L. Graham and Amanda G. Smith and Henry M. Marks, citizens of the states as recited above. In the compromise agreement the parties named declared that it was their purpose and that they did thereby convey “as a quitclaim without warranty * * * except as to their own acts and deeds, certain tracts of land in Tensas Parish” to an unnamed vendee.

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Related

R. D. MacKintosh v. Estate of Henry M. Marks
225 F.2d 211 (Fifth Circuit, 1955)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
15 F.R.D. 332, 3 Oil & Gas Rep. 1964, 1954 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4230, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mackintosh-v-marks-estate-lawd-1954.