South v. Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation

332 S.W.2d 442
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 17, 1960
Docket13564
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 332 S.W.2d 442 (South v. Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation) 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
South v. Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation, 332 S.W.2d 442 (Tex. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

MURRAY, Chief Justice.

This suit was instituted in the County Court of Nueces County, Texas, by Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation against Rogers South, seeking a right-of-way easement for a natural gas pipe line across land owned and held by Rogers South in Nueces County.

The trial was to a jury and resulted in plaintiff’s recovering the right-of-way and easement upon the payment of damages to defendant in the sum of $3,224.97. Judgment was entered less than five days before the expiration of the term, and, therefore, under the provisions of Rule 329-a, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, Rogers South has prosecuted this appeal without filing a motion for new trial.

Appellant first contends that the court erred in not giving the definition of “Market Value” requested by him, in its charge to the jury. That definition reads as follows:

“You are instructed that by the term 'market value’ as used in this charge,, is meant: the price which property would bring when it is offered for sale by one who desires to sell but is not obligated to sell, and is bought by one who desires to buy but is under no necessity of buying it, taking into consideration all of the uses to which it is reasonably adaptable and for which it either is or in all reasonable probability will become available within the reasonable future.”

The charge given by the court reads as follows:

"By the term 'market value’ as used herein is meant the price the property will bring when it is offered for sale by one who desires to sell but is not obligated to sell and is bought by one who desires to buy, but is under no necessity of buying.”

The definition given by the trial court is in effect the one approved by the Supreme Court in State v. Carpenter, 126 Tex. 604, 89 S.W.2d 194, and 979, and was properly given here. It is true that in City of Austin v. Cannizzo, 153 Tex. 324, 267 S.W.2d 808, the Supreme Court, speaking through Associate Justice Calvert, held that a definition of “Market Value” similar to that requested by appellant was properly given in that case, due to the peculiar facts existing there, but such facts do not exist in this case, however, the Court did not go so far as to say that the definition approved in the Carpenter case would have been reversible error in the Cannizzo case. The trial court did not err in refusing to give the definition of “Market Value” requested by appellant, in its charge to the jury.

Appellant next contends that the trial court erred in refusing to give his specially requested Instructions Nos. 1 and 2, reading as follows:

*444 “You are instructed that as to those pipe line easements which are shown by the evidence in this case to have been given upon the Rogers South land, which did not provide for a definite location and description to such easement, the owner of the land has the right to locate such easement, provided lie exercises such right in a reasonable manner, having due regard to the rights and interest of the owner of such easement.”
“You are instructed that with reference to those pipe line easements shown by the evidence in this case to have been given upon the Rogers South lands which do not provide in the easement granted for the plan of construction and materials to be used in the installation of the pipe line, that the owner of the easement may be required to change the line as originally constructed to enable the full enjoyment of the prop'erty rights of both himself and the owner of the land.”

The evidence shows that there were in existence some six or eight other pipe line easements across the tract of land owned by Rogers South and here involved. Some of these easements were what are sometimes called “wide open” easements, by which is meant unrestricted easements without definite terms. If the trial court had given these requested instructions, the jury would have been led to believe that where easements are “wide open” the owner of the land can order the easement owner to change the location of such easements to suit the landowner’s convenience, even though the pipe lines have already been built and fully installed. There was no evidence here that there was any probability that any attempt would be made to change the location of the existing pipe lines.

In Cozby v. Armstrong, Tex.Civ.App., 205 S.W.2d 403, 406, we find the following:

“Most of the text books are in harmony with the general rule that the location of an easement may not be changed by the easement owner or the servient tenement without the consent of both parties, even though the way so located becomes detrimental to the use and convenience of the servient estate. 28 C.J.S. Easements § 84. * * *
“And in 9 R.C.L. § 49, of the same text, we find the following language: ‘When an easement granted in indefinite terms has been once' selected and located, its location cannot be changed by either the owner of the land or the owner of the easement without the consent of the other party, for it would be an incitement to litigation to treat such an easement as a shifting one, and would greatly depreciate the land on which it is charged and discourage its improvement.’ ”

Appellant’s Instructions Nos. 1 and 2 were properly refused.

Appellant next complains of the court’s refusal to give his requested Instruction No. 3, and overruling his objections Nos. II, III, IV, X and XIV to the court’s charge. His requested Instruction No. 3 reads as follows:

“You are instructed that it would be an interference with the use of the property for the specified purpose for which the easement is acquired, for the defendant in this case to place any improvements along and over the pipe line of plaintiff laid under such easement.”

The trial court, in its charge, gave the following instruction:

“You are instructed that Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation, on December 18, 1956, acquired by condemnation proceedings an easement covering 2.3 acres for the purpose of laying, constructing, maintaining, operating, altering, replacing, and removing a pipeline, with necessary fittings, tie-overs, and appliances and other appurtenances, incidental to and for use in connection therewith, for the transmission of natural gas.
*445 "By the term ‘easement’ is meant the right to use the land for some specific purpose or purposes, and non other, so that the title to the property covered by the easement as well as the right to use, occupy, and enjoy the property remains in the original landowner; provided, however, such use, occupancy, and enjoyment of the property by said original owner does not interfere with the use of the property for the specified purpose, or purposes, for which the easement is acquired.”

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Bluebook (online)
332 S.W.2d 442, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/south-v-texas-eastern-transmission-corporation-texapp-1960.