Union Sulphur Co. v. Campbell

21 So. 2d 626, 207 La. 514, 1945 La. LEXIS 784
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedFebruary 21, 1945
DocketNo. 37131.
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 21 So. 2d 626 (Union Sulphur Co. v. Campbell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Union Sulphur Co. v. Campbell, 21 So. 2d 626, 207 La. 514, 1945 La. LEXIS 784 (La. 1945).

Opinion

O’NIELL, Chief Justice.

This is a concursus proceeding to distribute among the owners a fund resulting from the accumulation of royalties from oil produced by the lessee, Union Sulphur Company of New Jersey, from 13.41 acres of land in Cameron Parish. The Union Sulphur Company, Inc., became the successor of the Union Sulphur Company of New Jersey, after the proceeding was filed, and was substituted as the nominal plain *517 tiff in the case. The company has mineral leases, dated July 19, 1938, and subsequently, from all claimants of the land and mineral interests, and therefore has no interest in the matter except to know how the fund is to be distributed among the many claimants who were cited as defendants. The company deposited the fund in the registry of the court and prayed to be discharged from further liability.

Each one of the defendants claiming a part of the fund claims title from Mrs. Josephine O’Quinn, who acquired the land from her father many years ago. In the deeds by which Mrs. O’Quinn conveyed the various interests in the land, including various mineral interests, the area is referred to as 19 acres; but the area is actually only 13.41 acres; which fact is not disputed.

By an instrument dated August 20, and recorded on August 22, 1927, Mrs. O’Quinn granted a 30-days option to Asa F. Roux and John A. Roux for them to buy 5 acres of the tract of 13.41 acres; and, on September 14, 1927, she completed the transaction by selling to Asa F. and John A. Roux “an undivided 5-acres interest” in the 13.41 acres of land.

On August 22, 1927, Mrs. O’Quinn sold to Lexie Verdine “an undivided 1/32 interest in and to all the oil, gas and other minerals” in her undivided interest in the land. By an act dated November 12, 1927, the parties declared that the mineral interest so transferred to Lexie Verdine was intended to be a corresponding royalty interest in the existing mineral lease on the land and in any future mineral lease that might be made of the land.

On October 2, 1929, Mrs. O’Quinn sold to Herschel L. Pearce “all of vendor’s interest [being the remaining so-called undivided 8.41 acres or 17/27 interest] in the 13.41 acres of land”. In the act of sale the parties expressly excepted the undivided 5-acres interest previously sold to Asa F. Roux and John A. Roux. The sale was subject of course to the previous sale to Lexie Verdine of the 1/32 mineral interest.

On May 1, 1939, Mrs. O’Quinn sold to W. S. Streater all of her mineral interest or royalty interest in the land.

By the sale made by Mrs. O’Quinn to Asa F. and John A. Roux on September 14, 1927, which we have referred to, she sold to each of the Roux’s what the parties described as a half of a 5-acre interest in the 13.41 acres of land and in all of the mineral rights in the so-called 5-acre interest in the land. Therefore each of the Roux’s acquired an undivided interest which the judge of the district court treated as 5/27 interest in the 13.41 acres of land and the same proportion of all of the mineral interest therein. As none of the parties to this suit disputes the correctness of the judge’s interpretation or calculation of the interest which each of the Roux’s acquired we accept it as being substantially correct. The record does not disclose how John A. Roux disposed of his 5/27 interest in the land and mineral rights, but it is conceded by ail parties that that interest, acquired by John A. Roux from *519 Mrs. O’Quinn on September 14, 1927, is not in contest in this proceeding.

On November 15, 1927, Asa F. Roux sold to Ashley E. Weaver what the parties described in the deed as “an undivided 1/64 royalty interest of all the oil, gas and other minerals in and to [his] my undivided 2% acres of land”.

On December 21, 1931, at a bankruptcy sale of the estate of Asa F. Roux, a corporation styled Kelly-Weber Company bought the interest of Asa F. Roux, which consisted of 5/27 interest in the 13.41 acres of land and the same proportionate interest in the mineral rights in the land, except, of course, the so-called “1/64 royalty interest”, theretofore sold to Ashley E. Weaver. This “1/64 royalty interest”, which Asa F. Roux had sold to Weaver, was expressly excepted from the sale of the bankrupt estate of Asa F. Roux to Kelly-Weber Company.

Lexie Verdine, by several deeds, transferred to numerous parties fractional parts of his 1/32 .mineral interest, or so-called royalty interest, in the land. In that way Lexie Verdine disposed of all of his 1/32 mineral interest. It appears that there are now twelve or more co-owners of the 1/32 mineral interest, or so-called royalty interest, which Mrs. O’Quinn sold to Lexie Verdine on August 22, 1927. As there is no dispute among these twelve or more co-owners as to the interest of each of them, we shall refer to them, for convenience, in a group, as the transferees of Lexie Verdine.

There was no drilling on the land for oil or gas for a period exceeding 10 years from and after the sale made by Mrs. O’Quinn to Lexie Verdine, on August 22, 1927. During that time, before the expiration of the 10 years, several of the parties holding title to parts of the 1/32 mineral interest, or royalty interest, acquired from Lexie Verdine, died leaving minor heirs.

Herschel L. Pearce, being the owner of the 17/27 interest in the 13.41 acres of land, by virtue of the sale made to him by Mrs. O’Quinn on October 2, 1929, pleaded the prescription of 10 years, liberandi causa, against the 1/32 mineral interest, or royalty interest, acquired by the transferees of Lexie Verdine. They pleaded that the minority of some of them, being co-owners óf this 1/32 mineral interest, or royalty interest, suspended the prescription not only with regard to the minor co-owners but also with regard to the major co-owners of this 1/32 mineral interest, or royalty interest.

W. S. Streater, claiming title under the sale made to him by Mrs. O’Quinn on May 1, 1939, also pleaded the prescription of 10 years, liberandi causa, against the claims of the transferees of Lexie Verdine of the 1/32 mineral interest, or royalty interest. Against Streater’s plea also, the transferees of Lexie Verdine pleaded that the prescription of 10 years was interrupted and suspended by the minority of some of the co-owners of the 1/32 mineral interest, or royalty interest, which Lexie Verdine acquired from Mrs. O’Quinn on August 22, 1927.

The Kelly-Weber Company, as owner of the 5/27 interest in the 13.41 acres of land, pleaded the prescription of 10 years, *521 liberandi causa, against the claim of Ashley E. Weaver of the 1/64 mineral interest, or royalty interest, acquired by him from Asa F. Roux on November 15, 1927. Weaver, in turn, pleaded that the prescription of 10 years was interrupted and suspended by the minority of some of the co-owners of the 1/32 mineral interest or royalty interest which Lexie Verdine acquired from Mrs. O’Quinn on August 22, 1927.

Another contest in this proceeding is between W. S. Streater and Herschel L. Pearce. It grows out of a supplemental contract made by and between Mrs. O’Quinn and Pearce on February 6, 1930. The contract was a complement of the sale made on October 2, 1929, by which Mrs. O’Quinn sold to Pearce all of her interest in the 13.41 acres of land, excepting specifically the undivided 5-acre interest which she had sold to Asa F.

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Bluebook (online)
21 So. 2d 626, 207 La. 514, 1945 La. LEXIS 784, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/union-sulphur-co-v-campbell-la-1945.