The question in Graham v. Prochaska: Did the grantors in a 1950 Texas warranty deed reserve a “floating” 1/2 royalty interest or a “fixed” 1/16th royalty?
The Deed
At issue were three provisions:
If you examine titles or read title opinions, this post is for you.
I was recently examining instruments for an East Texas title opinion when I came across an instrument that, at first glance, appeared to be an easement. Scanning the document, I saw the phrases “right of way” and “road”—leading
As promised in our last post, here is a state-by-state review of the Duhig Rule – who has adpoted it, who hasn’t, and who might.
Texas – Duhig v. Peavey Moore Lumber Company, 135 Tex. 503, 144 S.W.2d 878 (1940) was a Texas case. As a result, producing states have
Johnson v. Finkle, from North Dakota, centers around the long-standing but oft-forgotten headache that is the Duhig doctrine. If you aren’t familiar, you should be. Here it is:
The Rule
“Where a grantor conveys land in such a manner as to include 100% of the minerals, and then reserves to
Comparative Title Analysis in Texas, North Dakota and Montana. Co-authored by Katie English and Taylor Lamb
The Title Question
Your title examiner often encounters a conveyance to an individual “as Trustee” with no Trust specified in the instrument. For example, the Mineral Deed conveys all right, title and interest in Blackacre to “Harold Smith, Trustee,”
First, an admission and a regret: My June 6 post missed the 69th anniversary of an episode as significant as any in our country’s history: D-Day. I think I know why. As time passes and the participants in that venture become fewer, there aren’t as many left to tell the story, the celebrations dwindle, and
Valid Description? We don’t need no valid stinking description!
Actually, in May v. Buck, a Texas Court of Appeals says you do. The need for a sufficient property description in a oil and gas transaction seems like an easy-enough and fundamental concept to grasp, but its application has escaped many a
In Texas title law, “it is well settled that a purchaser is bound by every recital, reference and reservation contained in or fairly disclosed by any instrument which forms an essential link in the chain of title under which he claims.” But does this rule apply to mineral reservations in deed restrictions?