Court Opinion

ID: 9833597
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 22:51:54.671832+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:44:04.757099
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
Upon further reflection, the conclusion has been reached that there was error in that part of the decision overruling appellant’s complaint that the trial court erred in not rendering judgment for him for the profits the jury found appellant would have made in pulling the casing in the wells known as Black Bros. No. 7, and Lila Marlin No. 2, said profits aggregating $588.70. The contract under which the work was done required the work to be done according to the regulations of the Railroad Commission and accepted by their authorized agent and to the satisfaction of the Texas Company; further providing that, in the event the work was not in accordance with the regulations of the Railroad Commission and those of the Texas Company, or in case of failure to recover the amount of pipe that could be recovered, the Texas Com.pany reserved the right to take the well over, paying appellant for what pipe he had recovered, and cancel the agreement. This contract was dated October 27, 1924. This agreement comprehended the pulling of the casing in the two wells above named, and in addition in the well known as Black Bros. No. 13. Appellant began work on Black Bros. No. 13, and, while he was engaged in that work, the appellee let to one Pace the contract for pulling the casing in Black Bros. No. 7 and Lila. Marlin No. 3. Appellant was permitted to finish the work on Black Bros. No. 13, but was notified that the contract would be canceled as to the other two wells upon which he had at that time done no work. The point is made that the appellee could not cancel the contract in part and affirm it in part, and that this being true, and there being no showing that th'e appellant acquiesced in the partial rescission, he was entitled to recover his damages. We conclude that this contention must be sustained.
 If the contract was an entire contract and indivisible, it could not be partially rescinded except by mutual agreement. Nass v. Chadwick, 70 Tex. 157, 7 S. W. 828. If the contract was divisible, it could not be rescinded as to a divisible part, which divisible part had not been breached. 2 Black on Rescission and Cancellation, §§ 584, 585, where the rule is stated that, in a case where a contract is composed of several distinct and divisible parts, one of the parties cannot rescind as to such severable part of the contract ip respect to which no breach has occurred. Where, if the contract is treated as divisible, appellant has committed no breach as to Black. Bros. No. 7 and Lila Marlin No. 3, because he had done no work on these wells, and appellee could not cancel his contract as to them for default in respect to Black Bros. No. 13 without canceling the entire agreement, and this it did not do.
Appellee contends that the contract should be treated as entire in respect to performance, and divisible in respect to cancellation. This árgument cannot be sanctioned for the reason that there is no authority in the contract permitting such a course. The contract *173provides in plain terms that, if the work was not being done as provided therein, the ap-pellee could take over the well and cancel the agreement. If the contract had provided that the agreement should be canceled as to the wells taken over, the contention noted above would be applicable, but this agreement plainly contemplates that the work to be taken over is that which is not being done in compliance with the contract and not some other work.
The motion for rehearing will be granted as to the point above noted, and the judgment heretofore entered will be modified to the extent that the judgment of the trial court denying appellant a recovery for the sum of $588.70 will be reversed, and judgment here rendered for appellant for said sum. In all other respects, the motion for rehearing will be overruled.