Queen v. Turman

257 S.W. 1092
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 6, 1924
DocketNo. 470-3850
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 257 S.W. 1092 (Queen v. Turman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Commission of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Queen v. Turman, 257 S.W. 1092 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1924).

Opinion

GERMAN, P. J.

On November 15, .1918, Mrs. N. O. Bearden executed and delivered to L. C. Turman a conveyance containing the following description and provisions:

“One-half interest in and to all" of the oil, gas and other minerals in and under and that may be produced from the following described lands situated in Eastland county, Texas, being an undivided one-half interest in and to sixty acres out of my undivided one-half interest in and to (121) one hundred and twenty-one acres of land more or less, a part of the Juana Salinas headright survey, and thus described: (Here follows description by metes and bounds of the 121 acres.)
“The interest herein conveyed being all of the oil and minerals under an undivided thirty acres or one-half of same under an undivided sixty acres. It is understood and agreed that in the event an oil well producing as much as (200) two hundred barrels per day average and settled production is brought in on the land covered by this transfer said L. C. Turman, or his assigns, shall within SO days after written demand pay to grantor twelve thousand dollars as additional consideration herein, otherwise this grant to become null and void. Hereby granting said Turman the right of ingress and egress at all times for the purpose of mining, drilling and exploring said lands for oil, gas and other minerals, and removing the same therefrom.
“And said above-described lands being now under valid oil and gas lease originally executed in favor of B. J. Johnson et al. and now held by Hog Creek Oil Company and Magnolia Petroleum Company, it is understood and agreed that this sale is made subject to said lease, but covers and includes one-half of all the oil royalty and gas rental or royalty due and to be due under the terms of said lease, so far as it affects 60 acres out of my part of said 121 acres of land, and this agreement covers all corrected leases or additional leases on said land.
“It is agreed and understood that one-half of the money rentals which may be paid to extend the term within which a well may be begun under the terms of said lease or additional leases due to be paid to the said N. O. Bearden on said 60 acres shall be paid to said L. C. Tur-man or assigns, and in the event that the said above-described lease for any reason becomes cancelled or forfeited, then in that event the lease interest and all future rentals on said land for oil, gas and mineral privileges shall be owned jointly by Mrs. N. O. Bearden and L. C. Turman in so far as it affects 60 acres, each owning an undivided one-half interest in all oil, gas and other minerals in and upon said land, together with one-half interest in all future rents.”

At the date of this conveyance Mrs. Beard-en owned an undivided one-half interest in-the tract of land described in this instrument, and her children and grandchildren owned the other undivided one-half interest.

On November 20, 1918, decree of partition was entered in the district court of Eastland county, wherein Mrs. Bearden, the Hog Creek Oil Company, and all the other joint owners of the land were parties. By this decree the leasehold and mineral rights in this 121 acres of land were partitioned, a specific 79.9 acres being set apart to Mrs. Bearden and her son, A. Bearden, and as to this. 79.9 acres the oil and mineral rights were vested in the Hog Creek Oil Company, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the lease theretofore executed by Mrs. Bearden and A. Bearden to B. J. Johnson and others. L. C. Turman was not a party to this partition proceeding. It is claimed by Lizzie Queen and others that prior to the date of the partition decree there was a parol partition of the leasehold and mineral rights, and that the court proceeding was merely to carry the parol agreement into effect.

After this partition numerous oil leases were executed by the various parties and oil was developed on all parts of the tract of land.

The contentions of the parties in this litigation may briefly be stated this way:

Lizzie Queen and others, who will be referred to as plaintiffs, are contending that by his purchase from Mrs. N. O. Bearden, L. C. Turman acquired an undivided one-half interest in the royalty coming to-her under the lease to B. J. Johnson, held by the Hog Creek Oil Company, and that Turman and those holding under him are entitled to participate only in the royalties accruing from operations on the 79.9-acre tract. They further claim that Turman bought with knowledge of the parol partition agreement, and subject thereto, and was bound by the decree of partition entered on November 20, 1918, which was five days after his purchase from Mrs. Bearden.

Turman and those holding under him, who will be designated defendants, are contending that Turman, when he purchased from Mrs. Bearden, had no notice or knowledge of the parol agreement, and is not bound thereby, or by the decree of partition; and that by the terms of his conveyance from Mrs. Bearden he acquired an undivided interest of 30/i2i in the royalty in the entire tract, and not merely an undivided one-half interest in Mrs. Bearden’s interest in the 79.9 acres. He, and those claiming under him, seek to recover the 30/m interest in all royalties produced by operations on the entire tract.

The jury, in response to special issue, found that there was no parol partition made [1094]*1094of the leasehold and mineral rights prior to November 20, 1918. Construing the instrument by Mrs. Bearden as conveying to Tur-man an undivided interest of 30/m in royalties accruing from the entire tract, the trial court gave judgment in favor of the defendants for the value of their part of such, royalties. The Court of Civil Appeals modified and affirmed the judgment of the trial court. 241 S. W. 786.

The trial court submitted to the jury several special issues, but, due to the manner in which they were submitted, the jury only answered two of the questions. The substance of 'these answers was that there was no pa-rol partition of the leasehold and mineral rights prior to November 20, 1918, and that Mrs. Bearden made demand on Turman for the additional consideration due under the lease prior to the time a well, having a settled production of 200 barrels per day, was brought in on lot No. 4.

The two principal contentions made by plaintiffs on appeal are these:

(1) That there was no evidence to support the finding of the jury to the effect that there was no parol partition of the leasehold and mineral rights prior to November 20, 1918.

(2) That the court erred in construing the conveyance from Mrs. Bearden to Turman as conveying an undivided interest of 3%2i in the royalty in the entire tract, rather than as conveying only an undivided interest of 30 acres in the 79.9-acre tract known as lot No. 4.

Plaintiffs made no request for the submission of special issues and filed 'no objections or exceptions to the charge of the court or the issues submitted.

We think there is evidence in the record to sustain the finding of the jury to the special issues. While the testimony of defendants consisted largely in denial of any knowledge of the parol agreement, yet the circumstances were such that the denial by Turman of any knowledge of the agreement directly presented the issue as to whether or not it had ever been made; and the finding of the jury cannot be disturbed.

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Bluebook (online)
257 S.W. 1092, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/queen-v-turman-texcommnapp-1924.