McLear v. Balmat

129 Misc. 805
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1927
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 129 Misc. 805 (McLear v. Balmat) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McLear v. Balmat, 129 Misc. 805 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1927).

Opinion

Heffernan, J.

There are two motions in this action for consideration:

(1) The defendant Northern Ore Company has made application for final judgment, for a confirmation of the sale in partition, for costs and an extra allowance. The defendants International Pulp Company and Union Talc Company have joined in this motion to the extent of asking for an additional allowance. That motion is opposed on various grounds by the defendants Sylvia Lake Co., Inc., Dominion Company of New York, Green Hill Mining Company, Inc., Dallas M. Hazelton and the plaintiff J. Hermon McLear. The defendants opposing the application for confirmation and the plaintiff take the position that if the motion is granted in that event the plaintiff is entitled to a bill of costs and an additional allowance of $2,000, and that an extra allowance of $2,000 should also be awarded to such contesting defendants to be divided among them in accordance with the proportion of the title of the property held by them as provided by the interlocutory judgment granted on the 21st day of April, 1923.

(2) A motion by the plaintiff and by the defendants Sylvia Lake Co., Inc., Dominion Company of New York, Green Hill Mining Company, Inc., and Dallas M. Hazelton for a new trial of this action upon the grounds of newly-discovered evidence and for other reasons. These motions will be considered in their order.

This action has had a rather colorful career and is almost as venerable in this judicial district as the interminable legendary cause in chancery of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce. The action was begun for the purpose of partitioning certain mineral rights upon a tract of land consisting of about 160 acres located in the town of Fowler, St. Lawrence county. The ownership of the soil is not involved. John D. Balmat was the owner of the real property in question. He died in the year 1862, leaving a will by the provisions of which he devised and bequeathed these premises to his wife and thirteen children. At the time of Balmat’s death the farm was subject to a hen of a mortgage. Subsequently the mortgage was foreclosed and the property purchased by one Anthony. Thereafter Anthony conveyed the property to David H. Balmat, one of the thirteen children of John D. Balmat. Later David H. Balmat conveyed the same premises to Isaac Balmat, reserving ah mines, ores, minerals, talc, talcous rock, asbestos, marble and soapstone with the right to go on, search for, mine, dig, quarry, raise and carry away the same. On October 15, 1890, David H. Balmat executed and delivered a lease of the talc and soapstone on the farm to the St. Lawrence Mineral Lands Company with the right to remove the same at a fixed royalty during the term of twenty years beginning [807]*807October 15, 1890, and ending October 15, 1910. This lease was subsequently assigned to the defendant International Pulp Company. On September 3, 1892, David H. Balmat executed and delivered a further lease of the talc and soapstone with the right to remove the same to the American Talc Company. This lease was for a further period of twenty years beginning October 15, 1910, and ending October 15, 1930. This latter lease was by mesne assignments duly transferred to the defendant International Pulp Company. In February, 1903, in an action in the Supreme Court, St. Lawrence county, it was adjudged and decreed that David H. Balmat held the title to all the reserved mines, ores, minerals, talc, talcous rock, asbestos, marble and soapstone as trustee for the benefit of the heirs and successors in interest of the children of John D: Balmat and had so held the title since April 2, 1886. On October 15, 1910, the heirs at law of John D. Balmat executed and delivered to the Union Talc Company a mineral lease by which they granted and conveyed to that company the talc and soapstone with the right to dig, quarry and mine the same for a period of twenty years from October 15, 1910. This lease covered the same premises and extended for the same period as the prior lease made by David H. Balmat on September 3, 1892. There was no substantial difference in the covenants in these two instruments, the latter being in effect a modification of and a substitute for the prior lease. For the purposes of this motion the defendants International Pulp Company and Union Talc Company may be regarded as one party not only because of identity of control but because the former is adjudged in the judgment to be the owner of the lease or profit granted to the latter. These defendants have no interest in the fee of the mineral rights and were named as parties to the action because of their leases. These leases, however, were not attacked by the defendant Northern Ore Company but their validity was challenged by the plaintiff and by the defendants who are opposing the confirmation of sale. The controversy as to the validity of these leases, while litigated in the partition suit, is entirely separate and distinct from that action.

In September, 1903, the firm of Pilling & Crane entered into an agreement with the heirs of John D. Balmat and their successors in interest, representing twelve-thirteenths of the mineral rights, by which these heirs and successors granted to that concern the right to dig and remove from the mineral reservation all ores, minerals and metals except talc, talcous rock and soapstone or other similar substances covered by outstanding leases then in effect, for the period of twenty-five years from that date, on payment of certain royalties. The lease also contained an option to buy [808]*808the mineral rights covered for $10,000. The interest of Pilling & Crane in the lease and option was later assigned to the defendant Northern Ore Company and the latter exercised its rights under the option and tendered the purchase price which was declined. The defendant Northern Ore Company has also acquired one-half of the remaining one-thirteenth interest in these rights, and the remaining one-half was acquired by the Sylvia Lake Co., Inc., and the Green Hill Mining Company, Inc., each acquiring a one-fifty-second interest herein. The real controversy has been the validity of that lease and option.

The action was first tried before Mr. Justice Van Kirk at the St. Lawrence Trial Term in January, 1920. An appeal was taken to the Appellate Division from the judgment rendered by him and the judgment appealed from was reversed (194 App. Div. 827). Apparently no appeal was taken from the judgment of reversal. An appeal, however, was taken from the order of the Appellate Division which granted to the defendant Northern Ore Company certain relief. That order was affirmed by the Court of Appeals (231 N. Y. 548). The Appellate Division in its order of reversal granted a new trial and this was had before Mr. Justice Borst in January, 1922. The judgment rendered by Mr. Justice Borst was modified and affirmed by the Appellate Division (207 App. Div. 870). Thereafter the decision of the Appellate Division was affirmed by the Court of Appeals (238 N. Y. 568). Then three successive motions for reargument were denied by the Court of Appeals (238 N. Y. 614; 239 id. 540; 242 id. 580).

On December 27, 1924, the original interlocutory judgment in partition was modified. No appeal has been taken from that judgment. The modified interlocutory judgment has determined the interests of the parties in the mineral rights to be as follows: Defendant Northern Ore Company seven hundred and fifty seven hundred and eightieths; defendant Sylvia Lake Co., Inc., fifteen seven hundred and eightieths; defendant Green Hill Mining Company fifteen seven hundred and eightieths.

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Bluebook (online)
129 Misc. 805, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mclear-v-balmat-nysupct-1927.