Thomas v. Pure Oil Co.

297 S.W. 776, 1927 Tex. App. LEXIS 652
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 2, 1927·No. No. 499.·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

BARCUS, J.

Appellants were minors, and

William Kimbell was appointed guardian of their estate by the county court of Limestone county in February, 1921. Appellants owned an undivided five-sevenths of a one-sixteenth interest in 100 acres of land, valued in the inventory at $900. On March 9, 1921, the guardian was authorized by the county court to lease said property to A. E. Humphreys, one of appellees herein, for the sum of $607.15 and one-eight royalty. On April 11, 1921, the guardian was authorized by the county court to sell one-half the one-eighth royalty, for the sum of $450, to A. E. Humphreys. Appellants filed this suit in the form of an application for a writ of certiorari, alleging that each and every order made by the county court in appointing the guardian and in ordering the leasing of the land and the sale of the royalty was void, and asking that the entire proceedings in the guardianship matter be sent to the district court and that said court on final hearing cancel and annul all of said proceedings had in the guardianship matter. Appellants alleged that the lease interest had been sold to and was owned by appellees Pure Oil Company, a corporation, and Western Oil Fields Corporation, and that the royalty was owned by appellee Humphreys. The writ of cer-tiorari was granted and a transcript of the proceedings in the guardianship matter of appellants, consisting of 76 pages, was filed in the district court. Appellees filed separate answers, consisting of a general demurrer and a number of special exceptions. The trial court sustained the general demurrers and all special exceptions. Appellants declined to amend, and the court dismissed the cause.

Appellants contend that the order appointing William Kimbell guardian of the minors was void, because the application did not contain all of the provisions required by the statutes, because there was no personal service upon the three minors who were over the age of 14, because no proper notice had been given,, and because no disposition was made of the father of the minors. We overrule all these assignments. It appears that Jack Womack and William Kimbell each filed applications to be appointed guardian of the minors, both returnable to the February, 1921, term of the county court of Limestone county. There is no question about the sufficiency of the application made by Jack Womack, or with reference to the notices that were given thereon. The transcript from the county court shows that the application filed by Kimbell was in substantial compliance with, the statute, and the three minors over 14 years of age filed with the papers a request that Kimbell be appointed their guardian. -The father of the minors filed a waiver of his right to be appointed guardian and a request that Kimbell be appointed. There is no question about the sufficiency of the notices on the Womack application, and the only criticism of the notices on the Kimbell application was that the sheriff’s return showed that the citation came to him on March 13, 1921, and was executed on said date by publishing the notice in a paper in Limestone county on January 20 and January 27, 192L The affidavit of the publisher shows that the notice was published on said dates. The citation was actually issued on January 13th,1 and it clearly appears that the statement that same came into the hands of the sheriff on March 13th, instead of January 13th, is a clerical error, which does not affect the proceedings, Stockyards Nat. Bank v. Presnall, 109 Tex. 32, 194 S. W. 384; Miller v. Davis (Tex. Civ. App.) 180 S. W. 1140.

Appellants contend that the leasing of the property was void because one tract thereof was not embraced in the inventory filed by the guardian, and because the notices were not in compliance with the statute. The transcript shows that both of the two tracts were embraced in the inventory, and that proper notices were given.

Appellants contend that the leasing of the land as well as the sale of the oil royalty should be set aside because it appears that the price was grossly inadequate. The allegations in appellants’ application for writ of certiorari state in general terms that in February, March, April, May, and June, 1921, the land was very valuable, that the lease was valuable, and that the royalty was valuable, but said petition does not state that same could have been sold or leased, for any better prices at that time, and does not allege any sufficient facts to authorize the court to set aside the sale of the royalty and the lease by reason of inadequate prices. Clopper v. Hutcheson, 16 Tex. Civ. App. 157, 40 S. W. 604; Comstock v. Lomax (Tex. Civ. App.) 135 S. W. 185. It appears from the record that the interest of the minors was five-sevenths of a one-sixteenth interest in two tracts of land, one consisting of 33 and the other of 66 acres, and that the guardianship proceedings were instituted in order that said land might be handled in the development of the oil, and with the exception of a few irregularities it appears that the proceedings in the guardianship matters were in strict compliance in every detail with the statutes. It seems to be the well-established rule that mere irregularities in the appointment of a guardian and in the sale of minors’ property are not sufficient to authorize the district court on appeal by certiorari to set aside said appointments, orders, and decrees. Taffinder v. Merrell (Ky.) 65 S. W. 177; Greer v. Ford, 31 Tex. Civ. App. 389, 72 S. W. 73; Schwind v. Goodman (Tex. Com. App.) 221 *778 S. W. 579; Robertson v. Johnson, 57 Tex. 62.

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Thomas v. Pure Oil Co., 297 S.W. 776, 1927 Tex. App. LEXIS 652 (Tex. Ct. App. 1927).

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