Roller v. PAN MUTUAL ROYALTIES

1952 OK 373, 251 P.2d 1053, 207 Okla. 649, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 874
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 28, 1952
Docket35068
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1952 OK 373 (Roller v. PAN MUTUAL ROYALTIES) 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
Roller v. PAN MUTUAL ROYALTIES, 1952 OK 373, 251 P.2d 1053, 207 Okla. 649, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 874 (Okla. 1952).

Opinion

O’NEAL, J.

The parties here appear in the same relative position as in the trial court. R. E. Roller will be referred to as plaintiff, and the Pan Mutual Royalties, as defendant, and certain individuals as interveners.

Under the amended petition plaintiff alleged that he was the owner of two separate tracts of land in Garvin county, Oklahoma, and that in 1931 and 1932 he executed and delivered to the Pan Mutual Royalties, a trust estate, two separate mineral deeds conveying an undivided interest in the oil, gas and other minerals in and under said tracts of land. That under the oral representations of the defendant’s agent, defendant agreed to hold said property in trust for the plaintiff and operate the same for 20 per cent of the net profits derived therefrom. Plaintiff states the conveyances were made without any consideration passing to-him and alleges that the defendant breached said trust by not accounting for bonus money and rentals collected thereunder.

Under a separate cause of action plaintiff states that defendant claims an interest in plaintiff’s land under a trust known as the Pan Mutual Royalties, but that plaintiff was not a party to said trust agreement, or had any knowledge thereof, and is not bound thereby. In the alternative, he pleads that if the court found that he was bound by the terms of the trust agreement, that he is entitled to have the same rescinded, canceled, and held for naught insofar as it affects plaintiff’s land. The prayer asks that the mineral deeds executed by plaintiff to the defendant be canceled, set aside and held for naught and that his title in the land be quieted in him.

The answer of Pan Mutual Royalties admits it is a common-law trust organized under the laws of the State of Oklahoma, and that it is engaged in the business of pooling and owning oil, *650 gas and mineral rights for the benefit of its shareholders; that the trust was created by an instrument in writing in May, 1931, and was recorded in the county clerk’s offices of Oklahoma, Pittsburg and Garvin counties; that plaintiff, on August 28, 1931, in exchange for 600 shares in said trust executed his mineral deed conveying to defendant an undivided three-eighths interest in oil, gas and other minerals in plaintiff’s land located in section 36, township 4 north, range 3 west, which mineral deed was recorded in the office of the county clerk of Garvin county.

On February 10, 1932, plaintiff, in exchange for 300 shares in said trust, executed his mineral deed conveying to defendant an undivided one-half interest in oil, gas and other minerals in plaintiff’s land in section 33, township 4 north, range 2 west, which mineral deed was recorded in the office of the county clerk of Garvin county. Defendant denies that an agent of defendant had any authority to agree or that said agent did agree that defendant would hold said properties for the use and benefit of plaintiff for 20 per cent of the net profits derived therefrom, but alleges that the plaintiff made a written application for shares of stock in the defendant’s trust and that in consideration of the issuing of stock to plaintiff he conveyed to defendant the mineral interest referred to under the trust agreement. Defendant alleges that under the terms of the trust some 300 persons and corporations conveyed mineral rights in their land to defendant for shares of beneficial interest under the trust; that defendant owns in excess of 40,000 full acres of mineral rights in lands in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, and Colorado, and that it is solvent and capable of performing its obligations under the trust agreement. Defendant states that the mineral deeds were executed by plaintiff more than fifteen years prior to the commencement of the present suit, and that plaintiff’s action is barred by limitation and laches. Furthermore, that plaintiff has permitted, for more than fifteen years, the pooling of his acreage with other shareholders under the trust, and that said shareholders’ rights are definitely established by changes in the increased value of their shares.

Six individuals and corporations, owners of 25,255 shares of the stock of the defendant’s trust, appearing in their own behalf, and for other shareholders similarly situated, by leave of court, filed an intervening petition in which they adopted by reference the answer of the defendant herein. Interven-ers further allege that plaintiff at no time tendered back his shares as a basis of rescinding his contract and that plaintiff’s properties or mineral rights at the time of the execution of his mineral deeds had little oil or gas value, but by reason of the discovery of oil on said land the same has become very valuable and that interveners have a beneficial interest therein; that plaintiff executed the conveyances with knowledge that his mineral interest would be pooled with owners of other mineral interest, and that plaintiff has, during a period of more than fifteen years, recognized the ownership rights of Pan Mutual Royalties, and has only sought a rescission of his contract after the discovery of oil upon his land.

The trial judge made findings of fact and conclusions of law and based thereupon entered a judgment in favor of the defendant and interveners. From the order denying plaintiff’s motion for a new trial, plaintiff appeals.

Plaintiff here contends that the trial court should have decreed a resulting trust in plaintiff’s favor and should have quieted his title in the land, free from the claims of the defendant and interveners. This contention is based upon the assertion that plaintiff never saw the purported pooling trust, but if he did see it, he could not understand it; therefore, the undisputed facts establish there was no meeting of the minds and no contract.

Much stress is placed upon plaintiff’s evidence that he did not know the con *651 tents of the pooling trust. The certificate of stock issued to him, however, contained a statement that it was subject to the written agreement and declaration of the trust which was made a part thereof and expressly assented to. Plaintiff testified that he did not remember whether he read the statement contained in his certifficate of stock. When plaintiff was questioned regarding these provisions of the certificates he testified:

“A. I don’t know that I read it.
“Q. What was to keep you from reading it? A. I just didn’t pay any attention to that; it did not make any difference, I don’t think I read it, that is my recollection.
“Q. It didn’t make any difference any way, you were not interested? A. I was a little, but not too much right then.
“Q. You would not undertake to tell the court whether you read it or not? A. No, I would not.”

It is further asserted that an agent of the defendant represented to plaintiff that he was getting up a royalty pool for Pan Mutual Royalties, and that defendant would receive 20 per cent of the pool for organization work and expense of its operation; that defendant’s agent further stated to plaintiff:

“If there is not any production on this (meaning plaintiffs land) within fifteen years, this will all revert back to you, in other words, at the expiration of fifteen years, it will be a live organization and going concern, and will be producing, and if it was not, I would get it back.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1952 OK 373, 251 P.2d 1053, 207 Okla. 649, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 874, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roller-v-pan-mutual-royalties-okla-1952.