Stanolind Oil & Gas Co. v. Barnhill

107 S.W.2d 746 (1937)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Stanolind Oil & Gas Co. v. Barnhill

Texas Court of Civil Appeals
107 S.W.2d 746 (1937)

SC

Facts

On February 4, 1930, J. R. Barnhill (plaintiff) signed an oil and gas lease, leasing oil and gas rights on his property to the Stanolind Oil & Gas Company (Stanolind) (defendant). The lease provided that the lease would continue for five years, “and as long thereafter as oil or gas, or either of them, is produced in paying quantities from the land by the lessee.” Stanolind commenced drilling in December 1930. Stanolind found gas and completed drilling in March 1931. However, despite Stanolind’s efforts, there was no market for the type of gas Stanolind found until October 1935. Stanolind thus could not sell any of the gas it found until that time. On October 9, 1935, Stanolind entered into a contract to sell gas from the Barnhill well to the Phillips Petroleum Company (Phillips). Before the contract could be performed, however, Barnhill informed Stanolind and Phillips that Stanolind’s lease had terminated on February 4, 1935, due to failure to produce oil or gas in paying quantities. Stanolind brought suit against Barnhill, seeking a judgment that the lease was still valid when it contracted with Phillips. The trial court found in favor of Barnhill. Stanolind appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Stokes, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 811,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials
  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 811,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 811,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership