O'NIELL v. Sonnier

195 So. 2d 724
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 6, 1967
Docket6905
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 195 So. 2d 724 (O'NIELL v. Sonnier) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
O'NIELL v. Sonnier, 195 So. 2d 724 (La. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

195 So.2d 724 (1967)

Charles A. O'NIELL, Jr.
v.
Robert SONNIER.

No. 6905.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

February 6, 1967.

*725 Maurice J. Serpas, Galliano, for appellant.

Charles A. O'Niell, Jr., in pro. per.

Before LANDRY, ELLIS, and BAILES, JJ.

ELLIS, Judge.

In this suit, plaintiff seeks to have an injunction issue to prevent defendant from interfering with his activities on a certain strip of land leased to him by defendant. By way of reconventional demand, defendant seeks reformation of the lease contract so as to exclude certain land therefrom, and other relief relative to the use of the batture on Bayou Lafourche and the use of a certain pipe line.

From a judgment in favor of plaintiff on the main demand, defendant appealed, and plaintiff answered the appeal asking modification of the judgment in certain respects.

The facts of the case appear to be undisputed. For about fifteen years, prior to 1965, defendant was in plaintiff's employ as supervisor of his Golden Meadow operations. In 1961, plaintiff was looking for a tract of land on which to locate two 10,000 barrel oil storage tanks, with accompanying pipe lines and loading facilities along the bank of Bayou Lafourche. Defendant was, at that time, the owner of two tracts of land, which shall be known herein as the Curole tract and the Andrew Lefort tract.

The Curole tract is described in defendant's deed and in the subject lease, as follows:

"A certain tract of land situated in the Parish of Lafourche, in Section 21, Township 19 South, Range 22 East, containing 3.68 acres, more or less, bounded North and East by the lands of Lafourche Realty Company, South by the lands of Estate of Adrian Lefort, Andrew Lefort and Samson Lefort, and West and front by Bayou Lafourche."

After some negotiation, plaintiff agreed to lease the Curole tract from defendant. The entire lease reads as follows:

"Know all men by these present:

"That the undersigned Robert Sonnier, a resident of Lafourche Parish, owns the following described property situated in the Parish of Lafourche, viz:
"A certain tract of land situated in Section 21, Township 19 South, Range 22 East, bounded North and East by land of Lafourche Realty Company, South by the land of Adrien Lefort, and West by Bayou Lafourche, and containing approximately 3.68 acres, and being the same property acquired from Gracien Curole by deed of record in the Clerk's office of Lafourche Parish.
"NOW, for and in consideration of the sum of $700.00 cash in hand paid to the *726 undersigned, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned, Robert Sonnier, does hereby grant unto Charles A. O'Niell, Jr., a resident of Orleans Parish, a lease covering the surface of the following portion of said land for the purpose of erecting and maintaining thereon tanks for the storage of oil:
"Commencing 250 feet from Bayou Lafourche measuring the full width of the tract, on a line paralleling Bayou Lafourche, and extending 350 in depth, the full width of the tract, and rear line of the portion hereby leased lying 600 feet from, and parallel to Bayou Lafourche.
"The term of this lease is hereby fixed at 20 years, commencing this date, and the consideration aforesaid constitutes rental for the entire term. In other words, the lease is fully paid, by the consideration aforesaid, for the entire term of 20 years.
"In addition, and for the same consideration, Charles A. O'Niell, Jr., is hereby given right of way across the whole of said land for operation connected with the drilling, producing, gathering and transporting of oil on, or that produced from the above described land and other lands in the area thereof, including the right to lay and maintain pipe lines thereon, and the right to construct and maintain dock facilities on the front portion of the property abutting Bayou Lafourche, and to use said property for any purpose connected with such operations; provided that on the front 250 feet of said land, lines may only be laid parallel to the South line thereof and within 10 feet of said line.
"Signed this 2nd day of March, 1961, in the presence of the undersigned witnesses.
Witnesses ____________ Robert Sonnier ____________ Robert Sonnier"

However, at the time of the sale to defendant and the lease to plaintiff, a portion of the above described property, which constituted the Southwest portion thereof, was actually the property of Mrs. Thomas Dantin. That parcel was acquired by defendant on May 20, 1963, under the following description:

"A certain lot or tract of land, situated in the Parish of Lafourche, State of Louisiana, on the left descending bank of Bayou Lafourche, at about fifty four (54) miles below the City of Thibodaux, Louisiana, measuring fifty (50) feet in width and fronting Bayou Lafourche, by a depth of two hundred twenty (220) feet from Bayou Lafourche water edge, bounded in the south, or below, north, or above, and the east or rear by lands of said vendee herein, Robert J. Sonnier, formerly by property of Gracien Curole."

Prior to the execution of the lease, the complete tank and loading installation was completed, with all construction being carried out under the supervision of defendant.

The loading hoist was located on the Dantin tract, and the pipe line was run across the Andrew Lefort and Samson Lefort tracts, which bordered the Dantin tract on the South side. As pointed out above, the Andrew Lefort tract was owned by defendant. It was 38 feet in width and lay about 100 feet from Bayou Lafourche. The Samson Lefort tract bordered the Andrew Lefort tract on the South and West, and formed the frontage on the bayou immediately to the South of the Dantin tract.

Pile clusters were located in Bayou Lafourche in front of the Samson Lefort tract in connection with the loading facility constructed by plaintiff. Plaintiff testified that all work done in Bayou Lafourche was done with proper permits from the Corps of Engineers, Greater Lafourche Port Commission, the Lafourche Parish Police Jury, and the Department of Public Works of the State of Louisiana, and there is nothing in the record to the contrary.

*727 It also appears from the record that a small portion of the firewall surrounding the tanks is located slightly less than 250 feet from the edge of Bayou Lafourche.

Apparently, the entire installation was operated without incident from prior to the date of the lease until May 25, 1965, shortly after defendant left plaintiff's employ, when defendant questioned plaintiff's use of the Dantin and Samson Lefort properties, which latter property had been acquired by the defendant on May 12, 1965.

After trial on the merits, the district court rendered judgment recognizing plaintiff's right of way across the Dantin property, but requiring him to relocate the pipe line to a point within 10 feet of the South line thereof, and enjoining defendant from interfering with plaintiff's use of the batture in front of the Dantin and Curole tracts.

Defendant then filed a motion for a new trial, alleging the following errors:

"a) Plaintiff's request for an injunction against the defendant's interference with plaintiff's use of the dock facilities in front of the Samson Lefort Tract should be denied, but was not mentioned in the judgment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
195 So. 2d 724, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oniell-v-sonnier-lactapp-1967.