Rees v. Briscoe

1957 OK 174, 315 P.2d 758, 7 Oil & Gas Rep. 1452, 1957 Okla. LEXIS 503
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 2, 1957
Docket37258
StatusPublished
Cited by45 cases

This text of 1957 OK 174 (Rees v. Briscoe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rees v. Briscoe, 1957 OK 174, 315 P.2d 758, 7 Oil & Gas Rep. 1452, 1957 Okla. LEXIS 503 (Okla. 1957).

Opinions

HALLEY, Justice.

This is an action by Kenneth W. Rees and Earl Rodkey against Powel Briscoe, E. F. Briscoe and Powel Briscoe, Inc., to establish by constructive trust an overriding royalty interest in the working interest of defendants in a producing oil and gas lease. The parties will be referred to by name or as plaintiffs and defendants as they appeared in the trial court.

We shall set out a summary of the facts which appear to have a bearing upon the issues involved and tend to explain the relationship existing between the parties at the time the transactions here involved occurred.

In 1949 the plaintiff Rees owned oil and gas leases covering the East Half of the Northwest Quarter and the West Half of the Northeast Quarter of Section 28-15N-4W in Logan County, Oklahoma. The two eighty-acre tracts above described will be referred to as the Brouchoud tract and [760]*760were covered by the same leases. The East Half of the Northeast quarter will be referred to as the Perry tract, on which Rees owned three leases covering 7%o of this tract.

November 23, 1949, Rees assigned his leases covering the two Brouchoud eighty-acre tracts to Powel Briscoe, Inc., reserving ⅛⅛ of %th overriding royalty, to be effective after Powel Briscoe, Inc. had received the sum of $65,000 from production of his share, when Rees was to receive ¾6 overriding interest, to be delivered free of cost to him at the mouth of the well.

On the same date the above assignment was made, Powel Briscoe, Inc. executed an agreement in writing whereby it was agreed that upon approval of title to the leases it would move on the property and commence drilling operations on or before January 1, 1950, and drill to the Bartles-ville sand at approximately 6,500, unless production was found at a lesser depth. This well was completed as a producer in January, 1950.

The leases owned by Rees, covering 7%o of the minerals in the Perry tract, the East Half of the Northeast Quarter, were for a primary term of one year, or as long as there was production. On December 21, 1949, Rees assigned his leases covering 7%o of the Perry tract to Powel Briscoe, Inc., by an ordinary assignment, reserving an override of ⅛ of ⅞ working interest. The Brouchoud Well No. 1 was then being drilled. The only consideration for this assignment was the reserved override.

Rees testified that he transferred his leases on the Perry tract for no consideration except the reserved override because Briscoe had agreed to drill one well on each of the three eighty-acre tracts above described; that after the Brouchoud Well No. 1 was completed, he would drill on the other Brouchoud tract and then drill the third well on the Perry tract which adjoined the Brouchoud tract on the east. Briscoe denied that he made this agreement. The assignment of the leases on the Perry tract made no mention that the reserved override would apply to any renewal or extension leases. The leases were for only one year and provided for no rental payments to extend the time for drilling. They expired in September, November and December, 1950.

Rees further testified that soon after the completion of the Brouchoud No. 1, defendants announced that they had to drill a well in Caddo County, but would then return and finish another well on the Brou-choud tract and one on the Perry tract. They drilled no further wells in that area in 1950.

Plowever, about a month prior to the expiration of the Perry leases Briscoe obtained at his own expense, renewals of two of the leases on this land and by 1953 secured leases covering all of the minerals in the Perry land. The new leases made no mention of the Rees overriding royalty. Rees heard that new leases were being obtained by Briscoe but said he relied upon defendants to preserve and recognize his override.

On May 19, 1953, plaintiffs requested defendants give them a recordable instrument recognizing their overriding interest in the Perry tract. This was refused and plaintiffs commenced this action which resulted in a judgment for defendants and plaintiffs have appealed.

Almost immediately after the above demand by plaintiffs the defendants executed and filed for record releases of the three leases on the Perry tract assigned to Briscoe. The leases so released, and assigned by Rees tO' Briscoe each reserved to Rees a ⅛ of ⅞ overriding royalty. The leases so assigned had expired but Briscoe had secured new or extension leases and had obtained commercial production on the Perry tract, but had made no recognition of the Rees override.

Plaintiffs allege that since two of the leases assigned by Rees to Briscoe had not expired when Briscoe secured new leases, these new leases should be considered as extensions of the leases assigned, resulting [761]*761in' the creation of an equitable trust in favor of plaintiffs to the extent of their interest.

The evidence clearly discloses that defendants have fully recognized and followed the terms of the assignment by plaintiffs of the Brouchoud leases whereby plaintiffs reserved an overriding royalty of Ys of ⅞ until defendants had received from their interest the sum of $65,000, when the override was increased to ¾6 of %. This fact is only important in that it doubtless had some bearing upon the confidence reposed by plaintiffs in the defendants. It naturally caused plaintiffs to believe that the override on the Perry tract would be recognized and scrupulously followed by defendants.

Since the defendants appear to have carried out their agreement to drill the Brou-choud well No. 1, completing it in January, 1950, the plaintiffs naturally reposed confidence in them and relied upon their asserted oral agreement to drill three wells, two on the Brouchoud tract and one on the Perry tract unless dry holes were encountered. Rees testified he had confidence in Briscoe and assumed and believed that when he heard that Briscoe was securing new leases, he felt certain and assumed that his override was and would be protected.

We find it difficult to believe that Rees did not have full confidence in Briscoe when he transferred the leases on the Perry tract for no monetary consideration, but in reliance upon Briscoe to develop the Perry tract. The long delay from 1950, when the Perry leases expired, to 1953, when Rees demanded that his interest be recognized, indicates that Rees believed that Briscoe would protect his interest. Judging by the time required to complete the Brouchoud No. 1, the second well on that tract and a well on the Perry tract could have been at least commenced before the expiration of the assigned leases.

The lessor, Knightlinger, who owned 8%o of the minerals in the Perry tract, offered a new lease to Rees, when Briscoe’s agent approached her for a new lease, but Rees declined and permitted Briscoe to acquire a new lease. A producer had been drilled on the Perry tract before Rees knew that his override would not be recognized and protected by Briscoe.

It is not disputed that the assignments of the leases on the Perry tract contained no express agreement to drill and neither was there any agreement in writing as to the drilling of a well as there was in respect to the Brouchoud leases. It is not shown why Rees did not request or require a written agreement as to the Perry tract leases. This fact is but another proof of the confidence of Rees in Briscoe. The assignment by Rees of the Perry leases contains the following reservation to-wit:

“ * * * reserving, however, unto Kenneth W. Rees a ⅛⅛ of %tb.

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Bluebook (online)
1957 OK 174, 315 P.2d 758, 7 Oil & Gas Rep. 1452, 1957 Okla. LEXIS 503, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rees-v-briscoe-okla-1957.