Court Opinion

ID: 9542391
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:33:43.35781+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:07:50.021445
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice McINTYRE,
concurring.
There is nothing in the opinion of Chief Justice Parker that I would disagree with. However, since further proceedings are being required, I think I should express my personal views on one or two matters which will be involved in these further proceedings. In doing so I wish to make it clear I am speaking for myself only, and not for any of the other justices.
It must be and is an accepted principle that when equity has acquired jurisdiction for one purpose, it will retain jurisdiction to the final adjustment of all difficulties between the parties arising out of the action presented. To me, this does not mean equity would be justified in rewriting the contract which the parties themselves have entered into.
In Vitro Minerals Corporation v. Shoni Uranium Corporation, Wyo., 386 P.2d 938, 940, we set out sufficient of the contract to show the parties had defined for themselves “a commercial ore body.” This definition listed the degree of uranium mineralization which would be necessary for ore to be considered commercial, at different depths up to 80 feet. The contract then provided that the lessee in its discretion shall determine whether ore bodies with deeper overburden than that specified constitute commercial ore bodies. The ore under Blackstone 6 and 7 claims apparently occurs from 570 to 770 feet below the surface.
Equity probably-would not permit the lessee to arbitrarily and unreasonably withhold its determination that ore bodies with more than 80 feet of overburden are commercial, but that determination should be made in the light of the definition agreed upon.
When we say an essential adjunct to any showing of due diligence would be “reasonable steps” in ascertaining the “commercial” nature of the known ore body, I think the term “commercial” must be thought of in the light of the definition adopted by the parties themselves. In turn, the determination of what amounts to reasonable steps in ascertaining the commercial nature of ore, in my opinion, ought to be judged according!}'.