Oil Field Salvage Co. v. Simon

168 S.W.2d 848, 140 Tex. 456, 1943 Tex. LEXIS 253
CourtTexas Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 27, 1943
DocketNo. 7926
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 168 S.W.2d 848 (Oil Field Salvage Co. v. Simon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oil Field Salvage Co. v. Simon, 168 S.W.2d 848, 140 Tex. 456, 1943 Tex. LEXIS 253 (Tex. 1943).

Opinions

Mr. Justice Sharp

delivered the opinion of the • Court.

This appeal involves the validity of a materialman’s lien filed by the Oil Field Salvage Company under Article 5473 and 5452 to 5472, inclusive, Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes. Two separate and distinct suits were brought in the District Court for the Seventeenth Judicial District of Tarrant County. The first was brought by Julian E. Simon for the purpose of establishing his debt against Post Oak Oil Company and the estate of J. W. Lane, deceased, and to determine the status or right of priority of such lien as Simon had to secure his debt. The second was brought by Oil Field Salvage Company as an appeal from the order of the Probate Court of Tarrant County, Texas, refusing to allow and fix a materialman’s lien in favor of the Oil Field Salvage Company and against the interest of J. W. Lane, deceased, and his estate, in and to two certain tracts of land covered by oil and gas leases, in which it is shown that J. W. Lane during his lifetime owned certain interests, and on which leases said Oil Field Salvage Company claims to have furnished certain materials used by Lane thereon. The two cases were consolidated. The trial court, without a jury, [459]*459in the consolidated cause rendered judgment for Simon for the full amount due him, and for foreclosure of his lien; but held that the lien was inferior to the materialman’s lien owned by the Oil Field Salvage Company. Simon appealed to the Court of Civil Appeals, and that court reversed the trial court and held the Oil Field Salvage Company’s materialman’s lien was invalid, because it did not comply with Article 5473, Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes. 153 S. W. (2d) 1002. A writ of error was granted by this Court.

During the year of 1939 the Oil Field Salvage Company furnished J. W. Lane a large quantity of material, which was used by him in the drilling and equipping of two oil wells, one of which is located on the 40-acre tract and the other on the 80-acre tract. These two tracts are described in the affidavit filed by the Oil Field Salvage Company which is set out below. The affidavit was made by one of the partners, and was filed in the office of the County Clerk of' Palo Pinto County on August 26, 1939. The material parts read as follows:

“Otto Bendorf, affiant, makes oath and says that the annexed is a true and correct account of material furnished to J. W. Lane of Palo Pinto County, Texas, and that the prices thereof as set forth in said accounts hereto annexed aggregating the sum of $2535.02, are just and reasonable, and the same is unpaid, and that all just and lawful offsets, payment and credits known to affiant have been allowed; that said material was furnished to the said J. W. Lane at the time in said account mentioned, under and by virtue of a contract between Oil Field Salvage Company, a co-partnership, composed of affiant, Otto Bendorf, and Nate Rosenbaum, Breckenridge, Texas, and J. W. Lane of Levelland, Texas, and that due notice was given by affiant of the material furnished in accordance with the law, and affiant further makes oath and says that he is informed that J. W. Lane was, at the time said contract was made and entered into and said material furnished, the owner of an oil and gas leasehold interest in the tracts of land hereinafter described, and the buildings and appurtenances thereon situated and thereto belonging, including derricks, oil and gas wells, pipe, drilling material and equipment for drilling and operating oil and gas wells upon such leasehold estate including all other buildings, supplies, structures or equipment owned by said J. W. Lane on said leasehold estate, said leasehold estate being described as follows, towit:
[460]*460All that certain tract or tracts of land lying and being situated in Palo Pinto County, Texas, in so far as it covers the one fourth undivided interest in the following land: 40 acres of land out of Section No. 1789, T. E & L Company land in the R. S. Dalton Ranch, metes and bounds as follows: Beginning 1507 feet west and 770 feet South of the NE Corner of Section 1789 T E & L Company land; Thence West 1320 feet to the NW Comer; Thence South 1320 feet to the SW Comer; Thence East 1320 feet to the SE Corner; Thence North 1320 feet to the SE Corner of this tract the place of beginning, containing 40 acres. Original lease from R. S. Dalton and wife, Millie Dalton, to H. T. Bartley, dated November 9, 1938, and recorded in Volume 180 at' page 193 of the Deed Records of Palo Pinto that certain 80 acre tract lying and being- situated in Palo Pinto County, Texas and being a part of the T E & L Company Survey No. 1789, Abstract 546, described by metes and bounds as follows: Beginning at the Northeast corner of the T E & L Company Survey 1789, Abstract 546; Thence west with the north boundary line of the survey 1506.83 feet to a point in said north boundary line; Thence south 2312.75 feet to a point; Thence East 1506.83 feet to a point, said point being in the east boundary line of 1789; Thence North with the east boundary line of said survey to 2312.75 feet to the place of beginning, and recorded in Volume 180, at page 226, Deed Records of Palo Pinto County, Texas; and this affiant claims a lien upon said land and leasehold estate and all improvements, material, supplies and equipment as aforesaid and situated on said land.”

Attached to the affidavit were ten different invoices, itemizing the materials furnished J. W. Lane, as follows: One dated March 4,1939, for $437.10; one dated March 22, 1939, for $70.00; one dated May 23, 1939, for $303.25; one dated May 23, 1939, for $740.25; one dated June 3, 1939, for $298.89; one dated June 10, 1939, for $72.30; one dated June 23, 1939, for $119.86; one dated June 24, 1939, for $343.50; one dated July 6, 1939, for $34.00; and one dated July 22, 1939, for $119.87. Some of the invoices disclose that the Oil Field Salvage Company rented Lane certain materials, and others show an itemized statement of materials sold Lane. In order to show the nature and details of the invoices attached to the affidavit, we copy the material parts of two of such invoices, as follows:

[461]*461“Breckenridge, Texas, July 22, 1989.
Sold to J. W. Lane Your Order No.
Levelland, Texas. Our Order No. 2206
F. O. B.
Terms: All rentals payable in adv.
30-Day Rental from July 23 to August 23
43 Jts. 959' 8-1/4" Casing, 32 Lbs. at 12 f $119.87 ”
“Breckenridge, Texas, June 24, 1939
Sold to J. W. Lane Your Order No.
Fort Worth, Texas. Our Order No. 2169
F. O. B.
Terms: net

1 Geared Eccentric Power, Consisting of:

The facts are undisputed. R. S. Dalton and wife were the owners of the land in suit, consisting of 120 acres. They executed two separate oil and gas leases on this land, one covering 80 acres, constituting Tract 3, and the other covering the remaining 40 acres, constituting Tract 3, and the other covering the remaining 40 acres, constituting Tract 2. At the time the transaction here involved occurred, J. W. Lane owned the entire leasehold estate in Tract 3 and an undivided 23/32nd interest in Tract 2. A. E.

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Bluebook (online)
168 S.W.2d 848, 140 Tex. 456, 1943 Tex. LEXIS 253, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oil-field-salvage-co-v-simon-tex-1943.