Meador v. First Security National Bank

100 F. Supp. 2d 433, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6102, 2000 WL 531102
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Texas
DecidedMarch 13, 2000
Docket1:99-cv-00127
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 100 F. Supp. 2d 433 (Meador v. First Security National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Meador v. First Security National Bank, 100 F. Supp. 2d 433, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6102, 2000 WL 531102 (E.D. Tex. 2000).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

COBB, District Judge.

David Lynn Meador, alleging that he is the great-grandson of James Meador, has brought yet another in a long line of cases seeking to recover a portion of the Spind-letop oil fortune. Myths and rumors have existed and persisted through the years that such a treasure does in fact exist when in fact it does not.

This Meador has yet another twist. Meador does not sue any oil companies, but banks. He alleges the banks have wrongfully administered various McFaddin estates. 1

By way of background, there have been several Meadows (or Meadors) lawsuits to recover the non-existent fortune, at one time alleged by John Howard Meadows in 1990 to be in excess of $20,000,000,000. As to the prior suits, see Robbins v. Amoco Production Co., 952 F.2d 901 (5th Cir.1992); Robbins v. Chevron, U.S.A. Inc., 940 F.2d 1529 (5th Cir.1991); Clark v. Amoco Production Co., 908 F.2d 29 (5th Cir.1990) (Clark II); Clark v. Amoco Production Co., 794 F.2d 967 (5th Cir.1986), (Clark I); Robbins v. Amoco Production Co., 800 F.2d 1143 (5th Cir.1986); Mead *434 ows v. Chevron, U.S.A., Inc., 782 F.Supp. 1189 (E.D.Tex.1991); Meadows v. Chevron U.S.A., Inc., 142 F.R.D. 442 (E.D.Tex.1992), aff'd. in part, rev’d in part, 990 F.2d 626 (5th Cir.1993); Robbins v. Amoco Production Co., 952 F.2d 901 (5th Cir.1992); and Robbins v. HNG Oil Co., 878 S.W.2d 351 (Tex.App.—Beaumont 1994, writ dism’d w.o.j.).

In Clark v. Amoco Production Co., 908 F.2d 29 (5th Cir.1990), the Fifth Circuit held that Clark, administrator of the Estate of James R. Meadows, could not recover against various oil production companies for minerals produced from Spindletop because as a matter of law, the 1911 Garonzik-Meadows deed conveyed only four specific small tracts of land, and did not include a % interest in the land where the oil was discovered. Applying the rule of stare decisis, the Texas Court of Civil Appeals in Robbins v. HNG Oil Co., 878 S.W.2d 351 (Tex.App. Beaumont 1994), confirmed that holding, when Jewel Robbins individually and as attorney-in-fact for one Abigail Meaders, claimed as an heir of James R. Meaders, the same interest under the Garonzik-Meadows 1911 deed.

Two federal court cases filed by Jewel Robbins have also held that the Meadows heirs cannot recover against various oil companies. Robbins v. Chevron U.S.A., Inc., 940 F.2d 1529 (5th Cir.1991); Robbins v. Amoco Production Co., et al., 952 F.2d 901 (5th Cir.1992).

Once a deed is construed by a court of competent jurisdiction and there has been a final judgment, the conveyance is subject to stare decisis in all subsequent suits involving the very same deed. United States v. Title Ins. & Trust Co., et al., 265 U.S. 472, 44 S.Ct. 621, 68 L.Ed. 1110 (1924); Pomeroy Oil Corp. v. Pure Oil Co., 279 S.W.2d 886 (Tex.Civ.App.—Waco 1955).

In the prior suit filed in 1998 by David Lynn Meadows, he sued only the Estate of W.P.H. McFaddin and Ephraim Garonzik, in Cause No. 1:98-CV-1613. W.P.H. McFaddin was the owner of the Spindletop lands before oil was first produced on January 10, 1901. This court dismissed his case with prejudice, and Meador appealed to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In a per curiam unpublished opinion, the trial court’s dismissal was affirmed. However, the Circuit Court stated:

Meador, as an alleged heir asserting a claim under the 1911 deed, cannot look for money due from the Estate of William McFaddin, a predecessor in title to the oil company defendants in the prior cases.
No such sweeping statement exists with respect to Meador’s property claims, however. Although property claims have been raised before against the oil companies and have been dismissed on various grounds, the McFaddin estate was not a party to the suits cited by the district court, and issues of fraud and concealment on the part of these individuals was not considered.

Taking solace from this part of the appellate decision, Meador followed with this suit against First Security National Bank, a/k/a Chase Manhattan, a/k/a Chase Bank of Beaumont. He filed a motion to dismiss Chase Manhattan Bank with prejudice, and the court has now complied with his request.

Thus, Meador is now suing Chase Bank of Beaumont, a/k/a Chase Texas, as successor to First Security National Bank.

There are at least two reasons he cannot maintain this action as an heir to James Meadows or Meador. First, in Meadows v. Chevron, U.S.A., Inc., 782 F.Supp. 1189 (E.D.Tex.1991), First Security National bank was a party defendant, as were a number of oil companies and individuals, as well as “First Security National Bank Hughes TR.” [sic] of Beaumont, Texas. (Original Complaint, Cause No. 1:90-CV-676, page 49). Thus, the doctrine of claim preclusion bars Mr. Meador from recovering against the bank. Second, the doctrine *435 of issue preclusion bars Mr. Meador from recovering here as well. These issues have been continuously litigated in both state and federal courts. Not one court has held in favor of the heirs of the Mea-dor’s. Hence, this court will not allow Mr. Meador to relitigate issues which have been fully and competently ruled on by previous courts.

In the judgment in the Meadows v. Chevron entered by this court on November 18, 1991, where First City Bank Texas—Beaumont, N.A. (successor to First Security National Bank) was a party both individually and as trustee for various McFaddin heirs, the court found for and granted summary judgment for a two full-page list of the parties, and First City, Texas-Beaumont, N.A., and Benny H. Hughes, Jr.

First City, Texas-Beaumont, N.A. (“First City”) and Benny H. Hughes, Jr. (“Hughes”)

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Bluebook (online)
100 F. Supp. 2d 433, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6102, 2000 WL 531102, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/meador-v-first-security-national-bank-txed-2000.