Sheffield v. Lewis

287 S.W.2d 531, 5 Oil & Gas Rep. 1383, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2068
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 9, 1956
Docket6856
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 287 S.W.2d 531 (Sheffield v. Lewis) 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
Sheffield v. Lewis, 287 S.W.2d 531, 5 Oil & Gas Rep. 1383, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2068 (Tex. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

FANNING, Justice.

Plaintiffs-appellees Beulah Lewis. and Homer D. Irby, filed suit on November 30, 1954, against defendant-appellant J. E. ¡Sheffield, to cancel a certain mineral deed, .dated April 30, 1936, from Beulah Lewis to J. E. Sheffield, covering all of the minerals under a 22He-acre tract of land in Rusk County, Texas.

Trial was to a jury and all special issues submitted were answered favorably to plaintiffs, with the jury finding to the effect ¡as follows: That J. E. Sheffield represented to Beulah Lewis that the instrument in controversy was an oil and gas lease, that Beulah Lewis believed and relied on the ¡representation and that it was a material ¡inducement; that Beulah Lewis did not un¡derstand the nature and effect of the instrument; that she was mistaken as to the ..effect of the instrument, that J. E. Sheffield -possessed superior knowledge to that of Beulah Lewis as to the effect of the instrument and that her mistake was induced by concealments, misleading statements or acts ,of Sheffield; that the consideration was grossly inadequate; that the consideration was inadequate, that a confidential relatioii»ship existed between Sheffield and Beulah Lewis, that Sheffield concealed from Beulah .Lewis the true value of the property, and concealed from her the true nature and effect of the instrument; that Beulah Lewis ,,did not discover either the falsity of the .representations or the true nature and effect of the instrument more than four years before she filed suit; that Beulah Lewis did not have knowledge of facts that would cause a reasonably prudent person to make inquiry which would have led either to the discovery of the falsity of the representations or the true nature and effect of the instrument more than four years before she filed suit. Judgment was rendered for plaintiffs upon the verdict of the jury. Defendant’s motion for judgment non ob-stante veredicto and motion for new trial were overruled, and defendant has appealed.

Appellant’s first and second points are as follows:

“1. Error of the court in refusing to instruct the jury, at the close of the testimony, to return a verdict in favor of the Appellant, since the undisputed evidence showed that appellee had knowledge of fraud, if any had been perpetrated upon her, more than four years before commencing this suit.”
“2. Error of the court in refusing to set aside the judgment, and grant a judgment, in favor of the Appellant notwithstanding the verdict, since it appeared that the verdict of the jury was contrary to all the testimony in the case.”

Plaintiff Beulah Lewis testified that she bought the 22%6-acre tract from D. W. Rogers in 1935, paying part cash and giving a vendor’s lien note and further agreed that Rogers could continue to draw the delay rentals, under an existing lease to Magnolia Petroleum Company on the land for the balance of the life of the lease, which was five years at the time. She further testified that defendant Sheffield came to her home a few days before she signed the instrument in' controversy on April 30, 1936; and that he asked her about leasing her. land and that she told him that it was already under lease and that Rogers was drawing the delay rentals and that Sheffield told her “that man that sold me. the land could not hold the lease.” She further testified that she relied on what Sheffield told her, that he asked to see her deed and she *533 let him take it to have it recorded and that she agreed to lease the land to Sheffield be•cause he said she had the right to do so and ■agreed to take $1.50 an acre for 20 acres. (Beulah Lewis later conveyed two acres out •of the tract to plaintiff Homer D. Irby.)

Plaintiff Beulah Lewis further testified ■that defendant Sheffield came back on April .30, 1936, with a Notary Public and did not read the instrument to her but showed her ■’•where to sign; that she had not had any •experience in oil and gas matters, but that ■she trusted and relied on Mr. Sheffield (who prepared the instrument and presented it to Beulah Lewis) ; and further testified that '“I just looked on there and saw it was a lease, you know, and I was thinking he fixed it just like I told him, you know, before 'he fixed it. He fixed it himself, I didn’t fix it.”

The instrument in question is a mineral •deed conveying all of Beulah Lewis’ min•erals in the tract. However, the following typewritten addenda is included in the -instrument, to-wit:

“It is further agreed that I, J. E. Sheffield may have the right to all surface that is required to drill on, or to set tanks, or laying lines, or roads, or anything that may be required to .devel-ope this lease, without cost, except crop damage.” (Italics ours.)

Beulah Lewis testified further as to her 'lack of experience and knowledge of oil .and gas matters and testified that in 1938 .she wrote defendant Sheffield, since he ha.d ■not paid her the delay rentals on the lease ■she had executed to him, and wrote him that :she wanted to “lease the land over” to him. Mr. Sheffield in his. deposition as to the •contents of the letters said: “Well, she is complaining about her lease rental mainly.” Sheffield testified that he did not answer any • of the letters Beulah Lewis wrote him, '“Because I didn’t want to.” The evidence shows that Beulah Lewis wrote Sheffield several letters, but defendant only produced -two of them and did not choose to answer .any of them.

The two letters written by Beulah Lewis which were produced by defendant are somewhat illiterate, not too clearly legible, and the parties can not agree as to the exact wording of same. These original handwritten letters are sent up with the record as well as the court reporter’s version of their contents. We respectfully refer to the original letters for their contents. The court reporter’s version of these two letters is as follows:

“Henderson
“Febury 9 1938
“Mr. J. E. Sheffield
“Listen Rogel D W say that come and had hin and Wife sign sane paper and He Have not Draw no more mny on my part Lease I will say like this I Did not think you are the will my money on my Lease and Have not pay no money at all for my Lease $31.00 Dollars all you For some rolerty. You ' Due me $42.00 Dollars /2
“Foe Pass Lease From the Magnolia Ptoleum Co I did not thin you the man will Steal.my Wright why I Say thes you Have not Paide For my Lease at all I Did not aBoid the check untill the Land are Paide For I and Rogel ■ will See the Law if you Dont Pay 42.00 Dollars to me in Short For you Haven Pade no money at all For no Lease you call at my Hone in Short on the Sane Place I Live there Main co your Pruf
“Beulah Lewis
“You Write Henderson For Ny address.”
“If you Dont buy my Lease I will Have Lawyer to take off Record
“Mt Enterprise
“Box 243 R F D a
“Mr. J E Sheffield
“I write aBout Lesase my Land 20.

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Bluebook (online)
287 S.W.2d 531, 5 Oil & Gas Rep. 1383, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2068, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sheffield-v-lewis-texapp-1956.