Kavanaugh v. Frost-Johnson Lumber Co.
Kavanaugh v. Frost-Johnson Lumber Co.
Opinion of the Court
In April, 1906, plaintiff sold to Florien Giaugue all pine timber eight inches or more, in diameter, on 360 acres of land belonging to him, and located in the parish of De Soto. There was also conveyed to Giaugue by this deed the right to build a tramroad across any part of the land above mentioned, l’or the purpose of removing the timber from it and from land in its vicinity. The consideration stated in the deed is $360, which was paid. In June, 1913, Giaugue sold to defendant the timber that he had acquired from plaintiff, together with such rights to build and maintain tramroads as he had upon the land. In February, 1916, plaintiff notified defendant that, unless it removed the timber from the land before the expiration of 10 years from the date of his deed to Giaugue, it would not he permitted to remove the timber at all. This notice was given within two months Defore the expiration of that period.
No effort was made by Giaugue, nor by defendant, to remove the timber, or to construct tramways on the land, until March, 1918, about 12 years after plaintiff’s deed to Giaugue had been executed, when defendant undertook to construct a tramroad on a portion of the land for the purpose of removing the timber. This attempt caused the present suit.
Plaintiff contends that the sale to Giaugue is null and void because it is without a valuable consideration. He alleges that the consideration of $360 was out of all proportion to the value of the property at the time of the sale, which was then worth $4,000, and is now worth more. He further alleges that the deed is null and void, because no period was fixed within which the timber should he removed, nor within which the remaining rights granted by the deed should be exercised. Should he fail to receive relief on the above grounds, then and in that event, he contends that the right to cut and remove the timber and to build roads is a servitude; that he notified defendant, unless it exercised its rights in respect to the property within 10 years from the date of the sale to. Giaugue, he would treat the deed as no longer in force; that, as those rights were not exercised within 10 years from the time they were granted, notwithstanding said notice/ defendant lost them by the prescription of 10. years. He then alleges that, at the time this suit- was filed, defendant was in the act of building a tramroad on the land to remove the timber, and to prevent it from doing so, he prayed for and obtained a preliminary writ of injunction.
Defendant, before answering, filed an exception of no cause of action, and a motion
- Opinion.
Defendant has asked that the judgment appealed from be amended by allowing it an attorney’s fee of $350 for dissolving the injunction. The motion to dissolve the injunction is not in the record. All that appears is a clerk’s certificate showing that on June 12, 1918, an exception of no cause of action
Por the -reasons assigned, the judgment of the lower court is affirmed, appellant to pay the costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- KAVANAUGH v. FROST-JOHNSON LUMBER CO.
- Cited By
- 24 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- (Syllabus by Editorial Staff.) 1. Logs and logging 3(l5) — Timber deed, valid on face, cannot be attacked in suit to enjoin removal of timber. A direct action is necessary to annul a deed to timber valid on its face, and given for a stated consideration, and it cannot be attacked collaterally in a proceeding to enjoin the grantee’s purchaser from removing the timber. 2. Logs and logging That a deed to standing timber fixes no period within which it is to be removed does not affect its validity, since the omission may be supplied by application to the proper court, and until such period is fixed the right to remove the timber remains in the grantee indefinitely. 3. Logs and logging 3(ll) — Notice to remove timber held not to fix time where deed failed to do so. Where a deed to standing timber failed to fix time for its removal, tnat the grantor notified the grantee’s purchaser to remove the timber within a fixed period does not supply the omission in the deed; the purchaser not having consented. 4. Logs and logging &wkey;>3(7) — Estates created by timber deed defined. Where standing timber is conveyed separately from the land, two distinct estates are created, one the land, title to which remains in the grantor, and the other the timber, title to which passes to the grantee, under Act No. 188 of 1904. 5. Logs and- logging 3(7) — Right to construct tramroad for removal of timber held a servitude. Where a deed to standing timber gives a right to the grantee to enter and to construct a tramroad for the purpose of removing the timber from that and other lands, the right constitutes a servitude, which, as far as the timber sold is concerned, is a mere accessory to the right of removal, and does not come into existence until needed for that purpose. 6. Logs and logging &wkey;3(7) — When limitations against right to construct tramroad for removal of timber commences stated. Where a deed to standing timber failed to specify the time for its removal, but gave grantee the right to construct a tramroad to remove the timber sold, and also for the removal of timber from other lands in the vicinity, /¡eld that the 10-year limitation did not run as against the servitude created by the right to make the road for the removal of timber from other lands until the time came for the removal of the timber from the gran-' tor’s land. 7. Injunction &wkey;M88 — Attorney’s fees not allowable as damages where injunction dissolved on merits. When an injunction is dissolved on the merits, and not on a motion to dissolve, attorney’s fees will not be allowed as damages.