Court Opinion

ID: 9620337
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 05:41:01.810884+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:04:49.384347
License: Public Domain

JAMES T. CAMPBELL, Justice,
concurring on rehearing.
I concur in the overruling of the motion for rehearing filed by Burnett Ranches, Ltd. and Texas Christian University ("Burnett"), and join in the Court's opinion on rehearing as regards the trial court's ruling excluding summary judgment evidence. With respect to Burnett's contention the trial court erred by granting Cano Petroleum, Inc. summary judgment on Burnett's lease termination claim, after considering Burnett's motion for rehearing, I would affirm the summary judgment on its merits.
The Court has quoted the provision of the 1923 lease providing for its termination on the failure of the lessee "strictly to keep and observe the terms, covenants, conditions, and requirements, or any one of them" imposed on the lessee. The lease goes on to provide that "before advantage is taken of any such breach that notice thereof shall be served on [the lessee] and reasonable time allowed within which to correct the conditions of which complaint is made."
Burnett takes the position it met the requirement of notice by serving Cano with its original petition, seeking relief including a declaration the lease was terminated. I disagree with that position, and would hold that the initiation of suit did not meet the lease's plain requirement of notice of its breach and a reasonable time to "correct the conditions" as a prerequisite to termination. Such a reading of the lease honors the language the parties used, and is consistent with settled law disfavoring forfeitures. See, e.g., Sirtex Oil Indus., Inc. v. Erigan, 403 S.W.2d 784 (Tex.1966). Forfeiture of the lease would be a particularly harsh remedy here, since the breach Burnett asserts is one that is com-pensable by damages.