Rolling Lands Investments L.C. v. Northwest Airport Management, L.P.

111 S.W.3d 187, 2003 Tex. App. LEXIS 5657, 2003 WL 21297288
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 3, 2003
Docket06-02-00043-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 111 S.W.3d 187 (Rolling Lands Investments L.C. v. Northwest Airport Management, L.P.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rolling Lands Investments L.C. v. Northwest Airport Management, L.P., 111 S.W.3d 187, 2003 Tex. App. LEXIS 5657, 2003 WL 21297288 (Tex. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinions

OPINION

Opinion by

Chief Justice MORRISS.

Northwest Airport Management, L.P., d/b/a David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (Northwest), owns and operates a private airport located in Harris County. In 1983, Northwest’s predecessor in interest sold an eight-acre subdivision (Tract) to Northwest Jet (Jet), a predecessor in interest to Rolling Lands Investments, L.C. (Rolling Lands). The Tract is located adjacent to the airport. At the time of the sale, the Tract was burdened by deed restrictions, including the following:

(E) In conjunction with Paragraph (B) herein above, it is expressly understood and agreed that Grantee by this conveyance has no right or privilege, either express or implied, of access to or use of the David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport and its facilities except as specifically granted and defined in and by a License Agreement as may be entered into by and between Grantee and said Airport. This restriction additionally applies to all tenants, lessees, sub-lessees, invitees, licensees, permitees, assigns, and successors in interest of Grantee, and Grantee hereby agrees to expressly inform all such parties of same.
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(J) No part of the tract shall ever be used for the storage or sale of automotive gasoline or related petroleum products, aviation gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, lubricating oil, or other petroleum products which in any manner would constitute any form of competition with the normal and usual business operations of the David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport without the express prior written permission of said Airport.

In 1984, pursuant to the deed restrictions, the parties entered into an agreement (1984 Agreement) giving to Jet certain fueling rights and access rights to the airport and its facilities. The 1984 Agreement was scheduled to terminate on May 31,1996. If Jet or its successor was not in default on May 31,1996, however, the 1984 Agreement was subject to successive, auto[192]*192matic one-year renewal terms. Those extensions would continue unless Northwest gave notice of termination at least ninety days before the anniversary date, in which case the contract would terminate on that anniversary date.

In 1985, as security for a loan, Jet transferred its fueling rights and access rights to First Interstate Bank (now Wells Fargo Bank),1 and the Bank properly perfected its security interests. To clarify the rights of each party, Northwest and Jet entered into an agreement in 1989 (1989 Agreement) that provided the parties would be governed by the terms of the original 1984 Agreement,2 including the above-mentioned durational terms. Further, Northwest and Jet made the 1989 Agreement binding only if the Bank consented to its terms (1989 Consent). In order to obtain the Bank’s consent, Northwest and Jet agreed to the additional provisions of the 1989 Consent. Paragraph ten of the 1989 Consent, quoted later, is at the heart of the present dispute.

In 1992, the Bank foreclosed on the Tract and subsequently purchased it at the foreclosure sale. In 1993, the Bank filed a lawsuit against Northwest, seeking access to the airport. In that 1993 suit, the Bank contended (1) the deed restriction limiting access to the airport, restriction E in the deed, violated the Texas Free Enterprise Antitrust Act (TFEAA), (2) restriction E should be declared invalid, and (3) Northwest should be estopped from enforcing it. The Bank, however, did not demand new agreements pursuant to the 1989 Consent, and its 1993 lawsuit did not address the fueling rights restrictive covenant, restriction J in the deed. Before that suit was tried, the parties entered into a settlement agreement (1993 Agreement) that included an agreed dismissal of the 1993 lawsuit with prejudice. The 1993 Agreement gave the Bank, in common with others authorized to do so, the right to access and use the facilities and appurtenant areas of the airport. The 1993 Agreement also (1) gave the Bank the right to assign or otherwise transfer the Bank’s rights and (2) explicitly stated it constituted a novation and replacement of all previous license agreements. After 1993, the Tract went unused until Rolling Lands purchased it from the Bank in 2001.

Shortly before Rolling Lands purchased the Tract, Northwest gave notice of termination on October 18, 2000. On January 30, 2001, Rolling Lands demanded a new fueling rights agreement pursuant to the 1989 Consent and sought access rights pursuant to the 1993 Agreement. Northwest refused to comply with the demand, and Rolling Lands brought this suit to enforce those agreements. Additionally, Rolling Lands claimed that Northwest’s attempt to restrict fueling violated the TFEAA. Northwest filed a motion for summary judgment contending Rolling Lands’ claims were barred by res judicata, statute of limitations, contract interpretation, and statute interpretation. In response, Rolling Lands filed its own motion for summary judgment seeking declaratory relief, specific performance, and attorney’s fees. The trial court granted Northwest’s motion and denied Rollings Lands’ motion.

On appeal, Rolling Lands brings the following points of error: (1) the trial court erred in granting summary judgment based on res judicata; (2) the trial court erred in granting summary judgment [193]*193based on the statute of limitations; (B) Northwest was not entitled to summary judgment based on contract interpretation; and (4) a genuine issue of material fact existed with respect to Rolling Lands’ claim that Northwest violated the TFEAA. Additionally, Rolling Lands seeks (1) a declaratory judgment that the 1989 Agreement and Consent and the 1993 License Agreement are valid and enforceable, (2) attorney’s fees under the Texas Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act, and (3) specific performance of the 1989 Agreement and Consent and the 1993 License Agreement.

On appeal, summary judgment is reviewed de novo. Tex.R. Civ. P. 166(a), (c); Republic Nat’l Leasing Corp. v. Schindler, 717 S.W.2d 606, 607 (Tex.1986). The mov-ant has the burden of showing there is no genuine issue of material fact and it is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Limestone Prods. Distribution, Inc. v. McNamara, 71 S.W.3d 308, 311 (Tex.2002). A moving defendant is entitled to summary judgment if the evidence disproves as a matter of law at least one element of the plaintiffs claim, Lear Siegler, Inc. v. Perez, 819 S.W.2d 470, 471 (Tex.1991), or every element of an affirmative defense. Randall’s Food Mkts., Inc. v. Johnson, 891 S.W.2d 640, 644 (Tex. 1995). Every reasonable inference must be indulged in favor of the nonmovant. McNamara, 71 S.W.3d at 311. If a motion for summary judgment is based on several different grounds and the trial court’s order does not specify which ground or grounds supported the granting of the motion, the appellant must show that all potential grounds are insufficient, and this Court must affirm the trial court’s judgment if any ground is meritorious. FM Props. Operating Co. v. City of Austin, 22

S.W.3d 868, 872-73 (Tex.2000).

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Bluebook (online)
111 S.W.3d 187, 2003 Tex. App. LEXIS 5657, 2003 WL 21297288, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rolling-lands-investments-lc-v-northwest-airport-management-lp-texapp-2003.