DOROTHY L. VAN ARSDALE, FORMERLY DOROTHY L. GROOVER, APPELLANT,
v.
DIMIL LAND COMPANY, A FLORIDA CORPORATION, APPELLEE

Fla. 4th DCA | 1975-07-25
No. 74-653
WALDEN, C. J., and OWEN, J., concur.
325 So. 2d 471 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District (1975) Positive Treatment
Cited by 2 cases

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Synopsis

In this specific performance case, the court affirmed the trial court's judgment requiring the defendant to complete a real estate trade agreement despite the plaintiff's property being subject to a mineral rights reservation. The court held that the parties intended the reservation to be consistent with titles "insurable in the usual form" as stated in their contract.


Holding

The court held that the title was insurable in the usual form and affirmed the trial court's grant of specific performance. The court found that the parties intended the mineral rights reservation not to prevent insurability, particularly because the contract language referenced restrictions "common to the subdivision," and such reservations are common to surrounding property in the area.


Headnotes

[1] A reservation of oil and mineral rights does not necessarily prevent title from being insurable in the usual form, depending on the parties' intent and the context of the…

[2] Contractual language referring to "easements and restrictions common to the subdivision" may be interpreted to apply to surrounding areas if the words are to be given eff…

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Key Quotes

“the reservation of oil and mineral rights did not prevent the title from being insured in the usual form as that term was used by the parties”

Establishes the trial court's factual finding and the holding that the parties' intent controls interpretation of the contract terms

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Facts & Procedural History

Plaintiff and defendant entered into a contract to trade parcels of real property. The plaintiff agreed to furnish title "insurable in the usual form …

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Opinion of the Court
KAPNER, Associate Judge.

KAPNER, Associate Judge.

This is an appeal from a final judgment of the Circuit Court, Broward County, Florida, in an action for specific performance.

Plaintiff and defendant entered into a contract whereby they agreed to trade certain parcels of real property. By the terms of the contract, plaintiff agreed to furnish title “insurable in the usual form subject to easements and restrictions common to the subdivision.”

Plaintiff’s property was subject to a reservation to the Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund of certain oil and mineral rights, and defendant claims that such reservation prevents the title from being "insurable in the usual form.”

This case was originally decided by the circuit court by a summary judgment entered in favor of plaintiff. This judgment. was reversed by this court on June 30, 1972, with the court noting at 264 So. 2d 85:

“This suit deals with the interpretation to be given a real estate trade agreement and, more specifically, the provision ‘. . . titles to be insurable in the usual form subject to easements and restrictions common to the subdivision . . . ’. Does the fact that there was a reservation of certain mineral and petroleum rights render the title not insurable as contemplated by the agreement? . . ."

On remand, the trial court, after a full hearing, found that plaintiff’s title is “insurable in the usual form” and granted plaintiff specific performance of the trade agreement. Defendant appeals from this judgment. We affirm.

This case involves an interpretation of the terms of the contract and a determination of the intent of the parties when they entered into'that contract. The trial court, resolving this factual dispute in favor of plaintiff, found that the parties intended that' the reservation of oil and mineral rights did not prevent the title from being insured in the usual form as that term was used by the parties. Such a factual determination comes to this court with a presumption of correctness.

Two factors in particular give added support to this presumption. First, the agreement uses the phrase “subject to easements and restrictions common to the subdivision.” Technically, it is true, this particular property is not part of a “subdivision” since it is open acreage; however, if the words are to be given any effect at all, it is not unreasonable to conclude that the parties intended them to apply to the area surrounding the subject property. (The reservation was common to the surrounding area.)

Secondly, these reservations are based upon Florida Statute 270.11, which provides that the Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund hold, on behalf of the State, a three-fourths oil and mineral reservation in the subject property as well as on most other undeveloped property in the State. As such, the reservations “become a part of the agreement as if they were expressly referred to and incorporated therein.” Saunders v. Cities Service Oil Co., 46 So. 2d 597 (Fla.1950). See also Normandy Beach Properties Corp. v. Adams, 107 Fla. 583, 145 So. 870 (1933); Thomas v. Wood, 37 F. 2d 856 (5th Circuit, 1930); Mortenson v. Financial Growth, Inc., 23 Utah 2d 54, 456 P. 2d 181 (1969).

We have considered appellant’s other points and have found them to be without merit. Accordingly,

We affirm. WALDEN, C. J., and OWEN, J., concur.

Other
KAPNER, Associate Judge.

KAPNER, Associate Judge.

On a petition for rehearing appellant has contended that the trial court did not make a finding of fact that “the parties intended that the reservation of oil and mineral rights did not prevent the title from being insured in the usual form as that term mas used by the parties.” * Although it is true that the trial judge did not specifically use this language, it is our feeling that by necessary implication the lower court so found.

When this case was reviewed by this court in 1972, the court specifically stated:

“This suit deals with the interpretation * to be given a real estate trade agreement and, more specifically, the provision ‘. . . titles to be insurable in the usual form subject to easements and restrictions common to the subdivision .’. Does the fact that there was a reservation of certain mineral and petroleum rights render the title not insurable as contemplated by the agreement ? ” *

In our decision we pointed out two factors touching on the issue of the parties’ intent: 1) The use of the term “subject to easements and restrictions common to the subdivision” and 2) the fact that these reservations were a matter of law and, therefore, the parties are “charged with knowledge of them, and . . . conclusively presumed to have contracted with reference to them.” Normandy Beach Properties Corp. v. Adams, 107 Fla. 583, 145 So. 870 (1933).

These factors, plus the testimony of the experts as to the common usage of this term, plus the absence of any evidence of a contrary intent, were sufficient to convince us that the trial court concluded that the parties intended that the reservations of oil and mineral rights did not preclude the title from being insured in the “usual form” as contemplated by the parties. It is thereupon.

Ordered that the petition for rehearing is denied.

WALDEN, C. J., and OWEN, J., concur. *

Emphasis supplied.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Regency Highland Assocs. v. Lylian K. Sherwood, 388 So. 2d 271 (Fla. 4th DCA 1980)
    …to convey an insurable title. In a proper case the buyer would be obliged to perform despite the existence of restrictions, reservations, easements, liens, notices of lis pendens or pending litigation. For example, in Van Arsdale v. Dimil Land Co.,, 325 So. 2d 471 (Fla.4th DCA 1975), we held that the existence of a [*273] reservation of mineral rights would not bar specific performance of a purchase and sale agreement requiring “titles to be insurable in the usual form subject to easements and restrictions co…

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