Simon v. Post Oak Oil Co.

153 S.W.2d 1002, 1941 Tex. App. LEXIS 757
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 11, 1941
DocketNo. 14223
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 153 S.W.2d 1002 (Simon v. Post Oak Oil Co.) 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
Simon v. Post Oak Oil Co., 153 S.W.2d 1002, 1941 Tex. App. LEXIS 757 (Tex. Ct. App. 1941).

Opinion

BROWN, Justice.

The record discloses that two separate and distinct suits were brought in the district court for the 17th Judicial District of Tarrant County. The first was brought by Julian E. Simon for the purpose of establishing his debt against Post Oak Oil Company and the Estate of J. W. Lane, deceased, and determining the status, or right of priority, of such lien as Simon had to secure his debt; the second was brought by Oil Field Salvage Co. as an appeal from an order of the probate court of Tarrant County, refusing to allow and fix a materi-alman’s lien in favor of said Salvage Co. as against the alleged interests of said J.. W. Lane, deceased (and his Estate) in and to two certain tracts of land covered by oil and gas leases, in which it is shown that said Lane, during his lifetime, owned certain interests and on which leases said Salvage Co. claims to have furnished certain materials used by Lane.

The two causes were consolidated and we will not prolong this opinion by naming the many parties to the consolidated suits and by detailing the several pleadings.

The question before us is one to determine whether or not Oil Field Salvage Co. has complied with the statutes (to be referred to hereinafter) and thereby fixed its materialman’s lien, and to determine the rights of Simon and the Salvage Co. as to any priority to which one or the other may be entitled.

The lien attempted to be fixed by the Salvage Co. is one provided for in Art. 5473, Vernon’s Ann.Civil Statutes, as amended in 1929 by the 41st Legislature of Texas.

Simon being the holder of a deed of trust lien executed by Post Oak Oil Co. and J. W. Lane, after the death of Lane, presented his claim to the administratrix of Lane’s estate, same was approved and being filed with the probate court of Tarrant County, the judge thereof approved and allowed the claim as a preferred debt and lien against the properties covered by the said Deed of Trust.

No one has appealed from the order and judgment of said probate court.

Simon therefore seeks to establish, under these facts, his debt against Post Oak Oil Co. and a foreclosure of his said deed of trust lien on the interests owned by said Oil Co. and to foreclose the lien found and fixed by judgment of the probate court, to satisfy the joint debt of said Oil Co. and Lane, deceased.

The contract between the Salvage Co. and Lane was oral and the affidavit made and filed by a member of such partnership for the purpose of fixing the materialman’s lien is as follows:

“The State of Texas
“County of Palo Pinto
“Otto Bendorf, affiant, makes oath and says that the.annexed is a true and correct account of material furnished to J. W. Lane of Palo Pinto County, Texas, and that the prices thereof as set forth in said accounts hereto annexed aggregating the sum of $2535.02, are just and reasonable, and the same is unpaid, and that all just and lawful offsets, payments and credits known to affiant have been allowed; that said material was furnished to the said J. W. Lane at the time in said account mentioned, under and by virtue of a contract between Oil Field Salvage Company, a co-partnership, composed of affiant, Otto Ben-dorf, and Nate Rosenbaum, Breckenridge, Texas, and J. W. Lane of Levelland, Tex[1004]*1004as, and that due notice was given by affiant of the material furnished iii accordance with the law, .and .affiant further makes oath and says that he is informed that J. W. Lane was, at the time said contract was made and entered into and said material furnished, the owner of an oil and gas leasehold interest in the tracts of land hereinafter described, and the buildings and appurtenances thereon situated and thereto belonging, including derricks, oil and gas wells, pipe, drilling material and equipment for drilling and operating oil and gas wells upon such leasehold, estate including all other buildings, supplies, structures " or equipment owned by said J. W. Lane on said leasehold éstate, said leasehold estate being described as follows, towit:
, “All that certain tract or tracts 'of land lying and being situated in Palo Pinto County, Texas, in so far as it covers the one fourth undivided interest in the following land: 40 acres of land out of Section No. 1789, T E & L Company land in the R. S. Dalton Ranch, metes arid bounds as follows: Beginning 1507 ■ feet west and 770 feet South of the NE Corner of Section 1789 T E & L Company land; Thence West 1320 feet to the NW Corner; Thence South 1320 feet to the SW Corner; Thence East 1320 feet to the SE Corner; Thence North 1320 feet to the SE Corner of this tract the place of beginning, containing 40 acres.. Original lease from R. S. Dalton and wife, Millie Dalton, to H. T. Bartley, dated November 9, 1938, and recorded in Volume 180 at page 193 of the Deed Records of Palo Pinto County, Texas; and “that certain 80 acre tract lying and being situated in Palo Pinto County, Texas and being a part of the TE&L Company Survey No. 1789, Abstract 546, described by metes and bounds as follows: Beginning at the Northeast-Corner of the T E & L Company Survey 1789, Abstract 546; Thence west with the north boundary line of the survey 1506:83 feet to a point in said north boundary line; Thence south 2312.75 feet.to' a point; Thence East 1506.83 feet to a -point, .said point being in the east boundary line of 1789; Thence North with the east boundary line of said survey to 2312.75 feet to-the place of beginning, and recorded in Volume 180, at page 226, Deed Records of Pálo Pinto County, Texas;
“and this affiant claims a lien upon said land and leasehold estate and all improvements, material, supplies and -equipment as aforesaid and situated on said land.
“(Signed) Otto Bendorf.”

The instrument was duly sworn to before a Notary Public.

Exhibit 1 to the affidavit is as follows:
“OIL FIELD SALVAGE COMPANY
“New and Used Oil Field and Refinery Supplies
“Oil Well Supplies, Line Pipe, Casing, Fittings, Salvage
“Telephone 232 P. O. Box 812 Night Phone 761 “Breckenridge, Texas
“Sold to J. W. Lane July 22, 1939
“c/o Motor Fuels Corp. Your Order No. “Levelland, Texas ' Our Order No. 2206
F. O. B.
Terms: All rentals payable in advance.
“RENTAL
“30-Day Rental from July 23' to August 23 “43 Jts. 959' 8½" Casing, 32# ■ @ 12½⅜* $119.87
“THANKS."

The-. other nine exhibits are similar to the one copied and are dated in March, May, June and July, of 1939. One such account bears the notation “(Dalton 2)”.

•We observe that the quoted affidavit does not state that the materials so furnished the owner Lane were furnished for use upon and used upon either or both of the two oil and gas leases described in the affidavit.

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153 S.W.2d 1002, 1941 Tex. App. LEXIS 757, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simon-v-post-oak-oil-co-texapp-1941.