Title: Hanscome v. Coppinger

State: kansas

Issuer: Kansas Supreme Court

Document:

183 Kan. 623 (1958)
331 P.2d 590
CLARA B. HANSCOME, Appellee,
v.
W.J. COPPINGER, WALTER T. MAHONEY, GEORGE E. ALLEN, BYRON A. CAIN, WILLIAM J. FROELIK, MARGARET T. SINEK; the Unknown Spouses and Assigns of Said Persons; and If Any of Said Persons Be Deceased, the Unknown Heirs, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Trustees and Creditors of Any Such Decedents, Appellants.
No. 41,065

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed November 8, 1958.
A.D. Weiskirch, of Wichita, argued the cause, and Manford Holly, of Wichita, was with him on the briefs for the appellants.
Roy C. Davis, of Hutchinson, argued the cause, and Frank S. Hodge, Eugene A. White, Robert Y. Jones, and H. Newlin Reynolds, all of Hutchinson, were with him on the brief for the appellee.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
JACKSON, J.:
Plaintiff, the owner of a certain described quarter section of land in Kingman County brought this action to cancel an oil and gas lease granted to defendant Coppinger and to quiet title against Coppinger and the other defendants. Plaintiff would, as will hereinafter appear, except from the judgment a ten acre square around a producing gas well.
The lease involved was written on the usual 88 Producer's Form but had a special typewritten covenant written into the contract. This paragraph read as follows:
It was further alleged that a gas well had been drilled on the land within the primary term of the lease; that on January 31, 1957, no second well having been commenced within six months as required by the special covenant set out above, plaintiff made written demand and request for the release of the oil and gas lease (except ten acres), pursuant to G.S. 1949, 55-201 and 55-202. This suit was filed March 25, 1957, after the demand for release had been ignored.
The issues between the parties can be sharply drawn by quoting a few paragraphs from the answer of the defendants. After admitting the lease, the drilling of the well, and that no other well had been commenced, defendants' answer continued:
"III.
*625 "IV.
"V.
"VI.
"VII.
The above quoted paragraphs present the issues between the parties. Plaintiff filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings *626 which, after full consideration and written memorandum, was sustained by the trial court.
Defendants in appealing from the judgment argue in their brief that there was a mutual mistake of fact, that the contract was divisible as to oil and as to gas, and that they should have been allowed to introduce evidence under their answer.
There would seem little reason to belabor these questions. It would appear rather conclusively that the special, typewritten paragraph of the lease between the parties was clear and unambiguous as to its terms. It may be noted from the quoted parts of the answer supra that defendants pleaded no mistake, mutual or otherwise. Certainly, it is to be assumed they knew full well of the jurisdiction of the Corporation Commission in the regulation of the production of natural gas at the time the lease was drawn. Be that as it may, the courts cannot and should not remake contracts for the parties. In the case of In re Estate of Hill, 162 Kan. 385, 176 P.2d 515, this court held:
The trial court in its memorandum relied upon Kahm v. Arkansas River Gas Co., 122 Kan. 786, 253 Pac. 563, where the third paragraph of the syllabus reads as follows:
See also G.S. Johnson Co. v. N. Sauer Milling Co., 148 Kan. 861, 84 P.2d 934, 132 A.L.R. Anno 707.
It has long been the rule that provisions specially written into a printed form are to be given particular attention and weight (Hickey v. Dirks, 156 Kan. 326, 133 P.2d 107).
The rights of the parties being entirely governed by a clear, written contract and all the relevant facts being admitted, there was no need for the trial court to receive evidence in this case. Other matters argued have been carefully considered, but this opinion need not be extended further.
The judgment of the trial court is hereby affirmed.