Lead Opinion
OPINION ON REHEARING
Appellant Lindemann Properties, Ltd. filed a motion for rehearing and a motion for en banc reconsideration of our opinion that issued on December 8, 2016. We deny both motions, withdraw our opinion and judgment dated December 8, 2016, and substitute the following.
I. Introduction
Lindemann sued Appellee Ward A. Campbell for a declaration that Campbell’s radio-transmission-tower easement terminated when he removed the original tower and replaced it with a new one. The trial court ultimately signed a take-nothing judgment in favor Campbell, concluding that the easement had not terminated, and awarded him attorney’s fees. In what we construe as three issues, Lindemann challenges the trial court’s findings and conclusions regarding the easement, the denial of its related request for injunctive relief, and the award of attorney’s fees. We will affirm in part and reverse and remand in part,
II. Background
On March 7, 1977, Howell E. Smith d/b/a Muleshoe Cattle Company granted, sold, and conveyed to Campbell’s father, A.O. Campbell, Jr., “an easement or right for the installation of a radio-transmission tower, consisting of the tower itself and guy wires as necessary to support the same.” The easement expressly granted the following rights:
Together with the right of ingress and egress over my adjacent lands to or from said easement for the purpose of inspecting, maintaining, constructing and removing said radio transmission tower and appurtenances.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the above described easement and rights unto thesaid A.O. Campbell, Jr., his successors and assigns, perpetually, until said radio transmission tower shall be abandoned and/or removed.
The easement did not specify the tower’s height or size, but it stated the following regarding its location:
Said radio transmission tower will be located on a tract 500 feet by 500 feet, the center of which to be determined by the actual location when installed on the following tract of land located in the County of Archer, State of Texas, to-wit:
Situated on Lot No. One (1), Block No. Seventy-five (75) ATNC Subdivision, Archer County, Texas.
Grantor recognizes that the general location as above described is based on a preliminary survey only and hereby agrees the easement hereby granted shall apply to the actual location of said radio transmission tower when located,
The original tower was built in 1977 on the Archer County property referenced in the easement (the “Property”). It measured 400 feet tall and 18 inches wide, it used 1.5 gauge tubing and multiple guy wires, and it was serviced by a small building located directly adjacent to its base. A pipe fence was constructed around the original tower and the small building.
When the original tower was completed, Campbell’s father’s company, Haigood and Campbell, used it to facilitate two-way radio transmissions between a fleet of vehicles. Over the ensuing years, Haigood and Campbell allowed a number of tenants to mount “a dish or an antenna or something” on the tower for them own broadcast purposes, including the Archer County Sheriffs Department, the Archer County Volunteer Fire Depaitment, Jen-son Well Service, Bridwell Oil Company, Burns Operating, Motorola Communications, and SkyBeam Texas. Some paid rent; some did not.
Campbell, a successor-in-interest under the easement contract, became responsible for the original tower in 1990. Although he had it painted, its lightbulbs changed, and its guy wires inspected and tightened, he never had a structural analysis of the tower performed, including before several of the tenants began using it.
Lindemann, a family limited partnership formed in 2009, owns the Property on which the easement is located. The Property was burdened by the easement when the Lindemann family acquired it in 1983.
In early November 2011, Campbell was contacted by Chris Mayo at Site Property Company (SPC), a broker who was working on behalf of LKCM Radio Group, L.P. to find a location for LKCM’s broadcasting equipment. After some initial communications about the tower and LKCM’s requirements, SPC hired an engineer to perform a structural analysis of the tower to determine whether it could support the additional proposed loading. The results indicated that it would not; the tower was overloaded and in “terrible” condition. SPC then requested a structural report for the existing loads on the tower, hoping to use it to negotiate favorable terms for a potential “drop & swap,” a procedure in which an existing tower is removed and replaced with “an equivalent tower as far as configuration and height but meeting current standards.” The report indicated that the tower was not in compliance with the International Building Code; noted that “during the field mapping, the tower mast was observed to be visually ‘snaking’ with significant frame bending around each guy pull-off level above elev. 200ft”; and recommended that the tower be replaced “since the strengthening modifications required [were] too extensive and not feasible.”
Campbell did not remedy any of the tower’s structural issues after obtaining
Construction on the new tower began in October 2012 and concluded on or about November 8, 2012. The new tower stands 420 feet tall, measures 36 inches wide at its widest point, uses 2.5 gauge tubing, and is located within the same pipe fence that was originally constructed to enclose the original tower and small building. Whereas the original tower used six guy-wire anchors, the new tower uses only three, and the wires are located closer to the tower’s base. As was the original tower, the new tower is serviced by a small building located directly adjacent to its base.
The original tower remained in place and in operation while the new tower was being constructed. Thus, although the new tower is located within the same pipe fence as the original tower, it is not located in the exact same location as the original tower. The following image shows the location of the new tower (on the right) in relation to where the original tower stood (on the left):
Campbell hired Gordon Parkey to construct the new tower and to remove the original tower. According to Parkey, the new tower “went live” on November 14, 2012. Around the same time, Parkey also told Tim Lindemann, Lindemann’s representative, that a single antenna continued to operate on the original tower and that he would not transfer it to the new tower until he returned from performing another job and taking a trip to Colorado. Parkey’s absence consequently “drug the time frame out of how long” both towers stood—and apparently operated—simultaneously. Parkey deconstructed and removed the original tower sometime in December 2012.
Lindemann sued Campbell in April 2013 and sought a declaration that the easement had terminated, a permanent mandatory injunction ordering Campbell to remove the new tower and all appurtenances
13.The Original Tower remained standing until it was replaced and removed in 2012 due to evidence of structural instability.
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16. Replacement of the Original Tower was necessary to maintain a functional tower in the Tract.
17. The Original Tower was removed after it was replaced by the New Tower.
18. The Original Tower was removed as soon as was practicable after. all transmission equipment was relocated to the New Tower.
19. The Original Tower was removed only after it was no longer transmitting.
20. The New Tower does not increase the burden on the surface estate.
21. The New Tower does not exceed the scope of the Easement.
22. The building of the New Tower does not effect a termination of the Easement. •
23. No actions of [Campbell] in connection with the maintenance of the Easement effected a termination of the Easement.'
24.The Easement has not terminated and is still in existence.
The trial court entered the following conclusions of law, among others:
7. The New Tower does not increase the burden on the surface estate.
8. The New Tower does not exceed the scope of the Easement.
9. The building of the New Tower does not effect a termination of the Easement.
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■ 11. [Campbell’s] right to maintain included his right to replace the Original Tower with the New Tower.
12. The removal of the Original Tower after replacement with the New Tower' does not effect a termination of the Easement.
13. The Original Tower was not abandoned; it was replaced.
14. No actions of Campbell in connection with the maintenance of the Easement effected a termination of the Easement.
15. The Easement has not terminated and is still in existence.
III. Easement Termination
Lindemann argues in its first issue that the easement automatically terminated when Campbell either removed or abandoned the original tower. It contends that the plain terms of the easement authorized the placement of only a single radio-transmission tower on the Property, that the parties to the easement objectively intended that it would terminate upon the original tower’s removal or abandonment, and that the evidence conclusively demonstrates that Campbell removed or abandoned the original tower. Lindemann also disputes the trial court’s decision to construe the term “maintaining,” as it is used in the easement,, to include the right to
Campbell responds that the right to maintain the original tower includes the right to replace it when necessary and that the new tower did not exceed the easement’s scope.
A. Standards of Review
A trial court’s findings of fact have the same force and dignity as a jury’s answers to jury questions and are reviewable for legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence to support them by the same standards. Catalina v. Blasdel,
We may review conclusions of law to determine their correctness based upon the facts, but we will not reverse because of an erroneous conclusion if the trial court rendered the proper judgment. City of Austin v. Whittington,
B. Express Easements and Construction
An easement is a nonpossessory interest that authorizes a holder’s use of property for only a particular purpose. Marcus Cable Assocs., L.P. v. Krohn,
Referring to the easement’s use of the terms “a” and “said,” Lindemann argues that “[b]y its plain terms, the Easement only authorized the placement of a single tower on the Property”—the original tower. We certainly agree that the words “a” and “said” are singular, but the problem ■with .Lindemann’s construction is that it focuses exclusively on the meaning and effect of only those terms while completely disregarding the meaning and effect of other, potentially relevant terms. Linde-mann’s contention that the easement “automatically terminated upon removal or abandonment of the Original Tower” is similarly premised upon a reading of only part of the easement contract (the haben-dum clause). This erroneous approach patently conflicts with the well-established requirements that we examine contracts as a whole and assume that the parties intended for every clause to have some effect— indispensable rules that have been a component of our contract-construction standards for decades. See, e.g., Coker v. Coker,
D. “Maintaining” Includes Replacement When Necessary
If the facts of this case were that Campbell had removed the original tower and done nothing else, then Lindemann’s simple argument that the easement terminated pursuant to the habendum clause would control the outcome. But. the facts are not that clear-cut, nor is the analysis. Not only did Campbell remove the original tower—something the ingress/egress clause expressly permitted—he also constructed a replacement tower within the same fenced area that enclosed the original tower. The' question then is 'whether the easement afforded Campbell'the right to replace the original tower with the new tower. See DeWitt Cty. Elec. Coop.,
In Houston Pipe Line Co. v. Dwyer, Dwyer sought a declaration that a pipeline easemént across her land had terminated because Houston Pipe Line had removed an eighteen-inch low pressure pipeline and replaced it with a thirty-inch high pressure pipeline.
If plaintiffs are correct in their contention, then defendant’s rights and easement under the 1926 agreement would terminate simply by removing and replacing the original pipe, regardless of its condition, with pipe of any size. The agreement in question does not compel such an unreasonable result. We hold that the terms ‘operate’ and ‘maintain’ in the granting clause are at least broad enough to include the right to remove and replace the original pipe with pipe of the same size when necessary.
Id. (emphases added). The supreme court thus held that if the condition of a pipeline easement is such that in order to maintain it, replacement is necessary, then the term “maintain,” as expressly used in the easement, was broad enough to include removal and replacement.
Lindemann’s arguments are indistinguishable from Dwyer’s. Like the supreme court, we decline to unreasonably construe the term “maintain[ ]” without any regard for the condition of the easement. We therefore review the evidence to determine whether the condition of the original tower rendered its removal and replacement necessary. See id.
The original tower was approximately thirty-five years old and in very poor condition when it was removed and replaced. Further, although the structural analysis that SPG had an engineer perform in December 2011 was not for the specific purpose óf assessing the original tower’s condition, the tests nonetheless revealed that it had numerous structural issues, including snaking of the mast and frame bending around the guy wires. Indeed, the original tower was designated a “Class II” tower, but it could not even pass the test for a “Class I” tower without some manipulation of the data.
Q. Based on your analysis, correct me if I’m wrong, but you do not find any way in which the tower that you did the analysis on could be beefed up, fixed to where it wouldn’t—where'you didn’t have these failures, correct? •
A. We stated such.
Q. Okay. So in your professional opinion, the only appropriate remedy for this tower was a replacement?
A. Correct.
On rehearing, Lindemann directs us to evidence that replacement was unnecessary, but under our standards of review, the evidence demonstrating necessity is neither legally nor factually insufficient simply because the record contains some contrary evidence.
Citing public policy that a wrongdoer should not benefit from his wrongdoing, Lindemann argues that the evidence is conclusive that Campbell failed to inspect and maintain the structural integrity of the original tower and, therefore, that his own “misconduct” did not create a necessity warranting removal and replacement of the original tower. The public policy on which Lindemann relies is completely in-apposite because there is no evidence that Campbell intentionally, illegally, or fraudulently overloaded the original tower for the purpose of creating a necessity to justify its removal and replacement. See Kulubis v. Tex. Farm Bureau Underwriters Ins. Co.,
Lindemann also argues that by implying the right to replace the original tower into the meaning of “maintaining” arid then authorizing the original tower to be removed if it was being replaced, the trial court “rendered the plain and unqualified meaning of both of the terminating events meaningless” and “effectively rewrote the habendum clause to add an exception or limitation.” The trial court’s construction did neither. “When provisions in an agreement appear to be in conflict, the court should examine and consider the entire writing, seeking to harmonize and reconcile the conflicting provisions to the greatest extent possible.” Derr Constr. Co. v. City of Hous.,
Lindemann further contends that the plain meaning of “replace”—“to take the place of[,] esp. as a substitute or successor”—contradicts the plain meaning" of “maintain”—“to keep in an existing state (as of repair, efficiency, or validity).” It argues that while the easement holder may maintain the tower by replacing its parts, “‘maintaining’ cannot mean intentionally removing and replacing the entire Original Tower because it would be the opposite of preserving the existing condition of the Original Tower.” [Emphasis added.] Linde-mann disregards a well-established standard for construing easements—one that the supreme court expressly evoked in Dwyer. An easement “carries with it the right to do such things as are reasonably necessary for the full enjoyment of the easement,” Cent. Power & Light Co. v. Holloway,
Lindemann also seeks to factually distinguish Dwyer by arguing that unlike the easement in this case, the easement there “did not expressly state that [it] would terminate upon removal of the pipeline”; “[t]he Dwyer court simply would not have implied a right to remove and replace had the agreement expressly said that removal would terminate the easement.” Linde-mann is concerned, it appears, that implying a right to remove and replace would conflict with the habendum clause’s own removal provision. But we do not imply any right to remove; the ingress/egress clause, as written, expressly permits Campbell to remove the original tower. We rely on Dwyer only insofar as it pertains to replacement If there is any potential conflict between the removal provisions contained in the ingress/egress and habendum clauses, not only was it pre-existing, but harmonization is necessarily achieved by construing the term “maintaining” to permit replacement when necessary, as explained above.
Finally, even if removal and replacement did not trigger termination, the easement alternatively provides for termination in the event of abandonment. Linde-mann argues that the evidence conclusively proved that Campbell abandoned the original tower. We may properly treat the trial court’s conclusion of law number 13— “The Original Tower was not abandoned; it was replaced”—as a finding of fact. See Ray v. Farmers’ State Bank of Hart,
We conclude and hold that the term “maintaining,” as used in the easement, is broad enough to include the right to replace the tower when necessary; that the evidence is both legally and factually sufficient to show that the original tower’s replacement was necessary; and that the easement did not terminate when Campbell removed the original tower and replaced it with the new tower. See id.; see also Marcus Cable,
In the other part of what we construe as its first issue, Lindemann argues that even if Campbell had the right to replace the original tower, the easement nevertheless terminated because Campbell exceeded its scope by. moving the location of the new tower, by constructing a substantially larger new tower, and by operating both towers simultaneously. Linde-mann finds its support in the second half of Dwyef s analysis, in which the supreme court considered whether Houston Pipe Line could replace the original eighteen-inch pipeline with a substantially larger thirty-inch pipeline. See
In our original opinion, we followed Lin-demann’s lead and assumed that Dwyer controlled the analysis. Upon further reflection on rehearing, we conclude that the second half of Dwyer s analysis is inappo-site under the facts of this case.
In Dwyer, the supreme court was principally concerned not with the mere fact that Houston Pipe Line increased the width of its pipeline but rather with the effect that increasing the size of the pipeline had on the easement’s boundaries and limits. Specifically, the easement did “not prescribe metes and bounds for the easement, nor d[id] it define a course or direction for the pipe to follow across the land.” Id. at 663. Therefore, “the extent of defendant’s easement rights under the 1926 agreement became fixed and certain” when the original eighteen-inch pipeline was constructed. Id. at 666. Consequently, when Houston Pipe Line replaced the old eighteen-inch pipeline with the new thirty-inch pipeline, that action necessarily had the corresponding effect of “Widening' the ditch as well as placing the pipe approximately two feet deeper than it was in the original ditch,” which, naturally, caused the easement’s previously determined boundaries to increase in size. Id. at 665 (emphases added).
Here, compared to the original tower, the new tower stands 20 feet taller (420 feet compared to 400 feet), is twice as wide (36 inches compared to 18 inches), and uses larger tubing (2.5 gauge compared to 1.5 gauge). However, unlike the increase in the pipeline’s width in Dwyer, which effectively enlarged the easement, the new tower’s increase in height, width, and tubing size had no effect whatsoever on the easement tract’s 500’ x 500’ boundaries. Dwyer does not control here. Cf. Lower Colo. River Auth. v. Ashby,
Under the -easement, the location of the original tower fixed the center point for determining the location of the 500’ x 500’ easement tract. Lindemann argues that by constructing the new tower eighteen feet from the original tower’s location, Camp
The easement tract is located -on a hilltop. The new tower is located approximately eighteen feet from where the original tower stood. Aside from grass and mesquite trees, the only other physical objects in the area are electric poles and wires and some oil.field remanent?. Tim Lindemann acknowledged that the construction of the new tower caused no change in Lindemann’s day-to-day operations. Lindemann is concerned that a surveyor may be confused at some point in the future because the 500’ x 500’ easement tract shifted approximately eighteen feet when the new tower was constructed, but considering these facts and the extent of the record, we cannot conclude that relocation was in any way substantial. See Herren v. Pettengill,
Even more so, in Harris v, Phillips Pipe Line Co., the court of appeals agreed with the trial court that Phillips had acted within the terms of its easement when it replaced and relocated a pipeline parallel to and fifteen feet away from its original location.
Campbell proceeded just like Phillips did with -its easement in Harris. Constructing the-new tower less than twenty feet from the- original tower allowed Caihpbell’s tenants to continue to broadcast uninterrupted during the new tower’s construction.
Q. Do you believe that the Archer County Sheriffs Department and the Archer County Volunteer Fire Department’s ability to transmit is important for public safety?
A. Yes.
Q. And would you agree with me that that is of such importance that it could be a factor in the. method and manner in which you handle those two transmission attempts, correct?
A. Be more specific. Am I handling the antennas now?
Q. Let me back up. With that importance to public safety, it would be a very significant important factor in the way that a person; a reasonable person would handle those two antennas when dealing with this tower, correct?
A, I’m sorry. I still don’t understand . what you’re asking.
Q.- I think-my point is made.
As for Lindemann’s contention that Campbell exceeded the easement’s scope by operating both towers simultaneously, the evidence showed that the lone antenna that remained operating on the original tower during Parkey’s absence from the jobsite belonged to “one of the' Archer County services tenants.” Our reasoning immediately above is therefore equally applicable here. The uninterrupted operation of the public-service entities’ radio transmissions justified the relatively brief but simultaneous operation of both towers.
The easement did not terminate because Campbell did not exceed its scope. The evidence is legally and factually sufficient to support the trial court’s, findings of fact 21 and 24, and conclusions of law 8 and 15 are not erroneous. See Ford Motor Co.,
F. Response to the Dissent
Relying on the easement’s terms “a” and “said,” the dissent first contends that the only reasonable construction of the easement is that it permitted the placement of one radio transmission only—the tower that was built in- 1977. Notwithstanding that this result is reached by construing only some of the easement’s terms, the supreme- court rejected the ivery same argument over fifty years ago, when it construed a pipeline easement that permitted the installation of only “a” pipeline but that also granted its holder the right to “maintain” and to “operate” the pipeline— much like the easement here. See Dwyer,
The dissent next argues that our construction of the easement “eviscerates the habendum clause and its specific language making the Easement determinable and rewrites the Easement to make it perpetual,” but as we already explained, the ha-bendum clause’s termination provision continues to have meaning when the tower is removed and not replaced or when the tower is removed and replaced when it was not necessary to maintain the tower.
Finally, the dissent contends that insofar as Dwyer may be construed to authorize replacement for maintenance, it held that the object to be removed must be replaced with another object of the “same size.” But the appropriate inquiry focuses on the replaced object’s effect on the easement’s boundaries, if any, not on the mere increase in the replaced object’s size. See Dwyer,
IV. Injunctive Relief
In its second issue, Lindemann argues that because the trial court erred in concluding that the easement did not terminate, it also abused its discretion by failing to grant Lindemann’s request for permanent injunctive relief. Because Linde-mann’s first issue challenging the trial court’s findings and conclusions regarding the easement’s termination was unpersuasive, this contingent issue seeking injunc-tive relief is also unpersuasive. We overrule Lindemann’s second issue.
V. Attorney’s Fees
Lindemann’s third and final issue challenges the trial court’s award of attorney’s fees to Campbell. Lindemann first contends that reversal is required because it was entitled to judgment on its declaratory-judgment claim, and the trial court clearly intended to award attorney’s fees to the prevailing party. Having overruled Lindemann’s first issue, we overrule this part of its third issue.
In the other part of its third issue, Lindemann argues that the trial court abused its discretion by awarding unsegregated attorney’s fees. Lindemann maintains that some portion of Campbell’s attorney’s services were directed towards the defense of Lindemann’s trespass claim—e.g., “extensive portions of Tim Lindemann’s deposition were focused solely on potential monetary damages, which relate only to the trespass claim”—and that fees are not recoverable for trespass. More importantly, Lindemann challenges the trial court’s conclusion of law 6, which provides that the fees incurred in defending Lindemann’s trespass claim were intertwined with the fees incurred in defending against Lindemann’s declaratory-judgment claim insofar as they relate to Campbell’s contention that the new tower did not increase the burden on Linde-mann’s surface estate:
6. Necessary legal services performed for Defendant on Lindemann’s trespass claim are indistinguishablefrom necessary legal services performed for Defendant to create and sustain its arguments regarding the surface burden of the Original and New Towers. [Emphasis added.]
Campbell directs us to conclusion of. law 6 and responds that the .trial court acted within its discretion to award unsegregated attorney’s fees.
We have previously set out the standards for fees segregation:
Parties seeking attorney’s fees under Texas law “have always been required to segregate fees between claims for which they aré recoverable and claims for which they are not.” Tony Gullo Motors I, L.P. v. Chapa,212 S.W.3d 299 , 311 (Tex. 2006). The supreme court recognized an exception to this rule in Stewart Title Guaranty Co. v. Sterling: attorney’s fees need not be segregated when “the fees rendered are in connection with claims arising, out of the same transaction and are so interrelated that their prosecution or defense entails proof or denial of essentially , the same facts.”822 S.W.2d, 1 , 11-12 (Tex. 1991). But in Chapa, the supreme court held that “[t]o the extent Sterling suggested that a common set of underlying facts necessarily made all claims arising therefrom ‘inseparable’ and all legal fees recoverable, it went too far” and flooded the courts of appeals with claims that recoverable and unrecoverable fees are inextricably intertwined.212 S.W.3d at 312 . The supreme court therefore held as follows:
Accordingly, we reaffirm the rule that if any attorney’s fees relate solely to a claim for which such fees are unrecoverable, a claimant must segregate recoverable from unrecoverable fees. Intertwined facts do not make tort fees recoverable; it is only when discrete legal services advance both a recoverable and unrecoverable claim that they are'so intertwined that they need not be segregated. We modify Sterling to that extent.
Id. at 313-14-(emphasis added).
AMX Enters., L.L.P. v. Master Realty Corp.,
As Lindemann observed in another part of its brief, the supreme court has reasoned that “the threshold inquiry [in construing an easement] is not whether the proposed use results in a material burden, but whether the grant’s terms authorize the proposed use.” Marcus Cable,
VI. Conclusion
Having overruled Lindemann’s first and second issues, we affirm the part of the
WALKER, J., filed a dissenting opinion.
Notes
. LKCM's engineers consulted on the design of the new tower. Campbell agreed that construction on the new tower would not have begun until LKCM’s engineers approved its design.
. A structural Class II "translates back to-a 50-year recurrence on the environmental loading criteria, which is the wind and so on,” while a structural Class I "translates to a 25-year wind return period.”
. Tim Lindemann agreed that it was not physically possible to build the new tower in the
. When segregation is required, a claimant’s failure to segregate fees does not mean that the claimant cannot recover any fees; unsegregated attorney’s fees for the entire case are some evidence of what the segregated amount should be, and remand is required to calculate the segregated award. Tony Gullo Motors I,
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting.
I. Introduction
By its express terms, the easement at issue here (the Easement), authorized the installation of a single radio-transmission tower and terminated if “said radio transmission tower” was “abandoned and/or removed.” Because the Easement here is susceptible to only one reasonable interpretation after applying established rules of contract construction, and because the pertinent facts—that a second,, bigger, taller, and wider radio transmission tower was installed on the dominant estate in a new location and the original “said radio transmission tower” was dismantled and destroyed—are conclusively established, I would construe the Easement as a matter of law. In accordance with that construction, I would reverse the trial court’s judgment for appellee Ward A. Campbell declaring that the Easement had not . terminated and render judgment for appellant Lindemann Properties, Ltd. declaring that the. Easement did terminate. See Marcus Cable Assocs., L.P. v. Krohn,
II. The Easement
In 1977, Lindemann’s predecessor-in-title to the servient estate granted the Easement to Campbell’s predecessor-in-title to the dominant estate. The Easement was granted “for and in consideration of TEN AND NO/100 ($10.00) Dollars.” It was limited to granting:'
[AJn easement or right for the installation óf a radio transmission tower, consisting of the tower itself and guy wires as necessary to support the same.
Said radio transmission tower will be located on a tract 500 feet by 500 feet, the center of which to be determined by the actual location when installed on the following tract of land located in the Cpunty of Archer, State of Texas, to-wit:
Situated on Lot No. One (1), Block No. Seventy-Five (75) ATN Subdivision, Archer County, Texas.
Grantor recognizes that the general location as above described is based on a preliminary survey only and hereby agrees that the easement hereby granted shall apply to the actual location of said radio transmission tower when located.
Together with the right of ingress and egress over my adjacent lands to or from said easement for the purpose of inspecting, maintaining, constructing and removing said radio transmission tower and appurtenances.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the above described easement and rights .unto the said A. O. Campbell, Jr., his successors and assigns, perpetually, until said radio transmission tower shall be abandoned and/or removed, [Emphases added.]
In accordance- with the Easement, a 400-foot tall, 18-inch wide radio transmission tower was built in 1977 on what became the center point of the 500 foot by 500 foot easement.
III. The Lawsuit
Lindemann sued Campbell, seeking a declaration that the Easement had terminated. Following a bench trial, the trial court ruled for Campbell, made findings of fact and conclusions of law,
The pertinent facts of this appeal are not in dispute.
IV. The Law Concerning Easements
A property owner’s right to exclude others from his or her property is recognized as “ ‘one of the most essential sticks in the bundle of rights that are commonly characterized as property.’ ” Id. at 700 (quoting Dolan v. City of Tigard,
When the terms used in the grant of an easement are not specifically defined, they should be given their plain, ordinary, and generally accepted meaning. Marcus Cable,
V. Standards of Review
We review a trial court’s conclusions of law de novo to determine whether the trial court drew the correct legal conclusions from the facts. State v. Heal,
We likewise review the trial court’s interpretation of the easement de novo. See DeWitt Cty. Elec. Co-op., Inc. v. Parks,
VI. Analysis
A. Scope of the Easement: The Easement Granted the Limited Right to Install a Single Radio-Transmission Tower
The scope of Campbell’s rights is determined by the express terms of the Easement’s grant. Parks,
The majority’s scope-of-the-easement analysis would be correct if the Easement were a general-purpose easement or if the Easement included language specifically
Nor do the terms of the Easement specifically grant the rights Campbell now seeks—to reconstruct, replace, alter, enlarge, move, and change the size of the radio-transmission tower. Cf. Boland v. Nat. Gas Pipeline Co. of Am.,
Despite the fact that the Easement is not a general-purpose easement that encompasses the right to construct a new, bigger, taller radio-transmission tower in a new location, and despite the .fact that the Easement does not include language specifically authorizing construction of a new, bigger, taller radio-transmission tower in a new location, the majority holds that even Campbell’s simultaneous broadcasting on the original radio-transmission tower and the new tower did not violate the scope of the Easement because the simultaneous broadcasting served “a potentially more important purpose: the safety and welfare of the residents of Archer County.”
Instead, the terms of the Easement grant only the limited “right for the installation of « radio transmission tower.” [Emphasis added.] Thus, the scope’ of the Easement does not include the right to build a new, bigger, taller, and wider radio-transmission tower in a new location. See, e.g., Ybanez,
I would hold as a matter of law that the express terms of the limited, narrow grant provided by the Easement’s use of the singular -indefinite article, “a” and the Easement’s use of the adjective “said”— both describing the-single, original radio transmission tower—do not include a grant of the right to build and install successive,, new, bigger, taller, and wider radio transmission towers anytime .lessees of
B. The Easement’s Habendum Clause Was Triggered When the Original Tower was Removed and Abandoned; thus,' the Easement is Determinable
An easement that terminates upon the happening of a particular event or contingency is a “determinable easement.” See, e.g., Thompson v. Clayton,
The undisputed evidence conclusively established that Campbell “abandoned and/or removed ... said radio transmission tower,” that is, the original radio-transmission tower. Consequently, by its own express terms, the Easement terminated. I would therefore hold that the trial court erred in its conclusions of law to the contrary.
C. Construction of an Entirely New Radio-Transmission Tower Does Not Constitute Maintenance of the Old Tower
In addition to the granting clause and the habendum clause, the Easement contains a clause authorizing ingress and egress over the servient estate for “the purpose of inspecting, maintaining, constructing!;,] and removing said radio transmission tower and appurtenances.” [Emphasis added.] The trial court and the majority construe this ingress-egress clause as authorizing Campbell to build an entirely new, bigger, taller, and wider radio transmission tower in a spot 18 feet from the old tower under the guise of “maintaining” the old tower.
Because the term “maintenance” is not defined in the Easement, it is to be given its ordinary and common meaning. See Heritage Res.,
The undisputed evidence here conclusively established that Campbell did not remove and replace the original radio-transmission tower with a tower of the same size. Instead, under the guise of maintenance, Campbell constructed a new, bigger, taller, and wider radio-transmission tower and placed it in a different spot—the very conduct prohibited in Dwyer as inconsistent with “maintenance.” Id. at 666 (“Defendant was not authorized to remove this 18-inch line initially constructed and replace it with a line of substantially greater size.”). Accordingly, I would hold that Campbell’s destruction of
D. Construction of the New Radio-Transmission Tower and the Boundaries of the Easement
On rehearing, the majority holds that the construction of a new radio-transmission tower in a new spot does not alter the physical boundaries of the Easement.
Even assuming the relevancy of the no-change-in-the-boundaries-of-the-Easement analysis, the majority’s holding—that because Campbell’s positioning of the new tower in a new location purportedly within the existing boundaries of the Easement caused no day-to-day change in Linde-mann’s day-to-day operations, the new tower’s change in location was not “substantial”—is incompatible with Texas case law.
,YII. Conclusion
For the reasons set forth above, I would hold that the trial court’s conclusions of law—that the scope of the Easement was not violated, that the construction of the new radip-transmission tower was maintenance of the original tower, tliat the original tower was not abandoned, and that the Easement did not automatically terminate—were erroneous as a matter of law. I would sustain Lindemann’s first three issues, reverse the trial court’s judgment for Campbell—including the award of attorney’s fees (mooting Lindemamfs fifth issue), render a judgment for - Lindemann declaring that the Easement automatically terminated under its terms, and remand the case to the trial court to address Lin-demann’s claim for injunctive relief (its fourth issue) and Lindemann’s claim for attorney’s fees. Because the majority does not, I am compelled to dissent. ... .
APPENDIX A
NO. 2013-0050A-CV
LINDEMANN PROPERTIES, LTD., Plaintiff,
Y.
WARD A. CAMPBELL, Defendant.
IN THE DISTRICT COURT, 97TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF ARCHER COUNTY, TEXAS
FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
NOW COMES the Court, having heard the evidence and argument of counsel in this cause and makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law listed below. To the extent any findings of fact are deemed to ¡be conclusions of law, they are incorporated herein as conclusion of law. To the extent that any conclusions of law are deemed to be findings of fact, they are incorporated herein as findings of fact.
I.
Findings of Fact
1. On or about March 7, 1977, Howell E. Smith d/b/a Muleshoe Cattle .Company granted an casement (the “Easement”) to A.O.Campbell, Jr,
2. A true and correct copy of the instrument that created the Easement (the “Easement Instrument”) referenced in Paragraph 1, above, was admitted into evidence during the trial of this cause on June 29, 2015, as Plaintiffs Exhibit 1, and is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
4. Defendant held a valid Ea'sement on the Property for the purpose of installing a radio tower and guy wires necessary to support the same.
5. Lindemann Properties, Ltd. (“Lin-demann” or “Plaintiff”) acquired title to the Property (defined below in Paragraph 7) in 2009, subject to the Easement.
6. The Easement Instrument states that it granted.“an easement or right for the installation of a radio transmission tower, consisting of the tower itself and guy wires as necessary to support the same.” ■
7. The Easement Instrument states that “said radio transmission tower will be located on a tract 500 feet by 500 feet” (the “Tract”) within a larger area described as “Lot No. One (1), Block No. Seventy-five (75) ATNC -Subdivision, Archer County, Texas,” “Lot No. One (1), Block No. Seventy-five (75) ATNC Subdivision, Archer County, Texas,” is referred to herein as the “Property.”
8. The Easement Instrument granted “the right of ingress and egress over my adjacent lands to or from said easement for the purpose of inspecting, maintaining, constructing and removing said radio transmission tower and appurtenances.”
9. The boundaries of the Tract would be determined by the location of the tower itself, with the center of the Tract being the site of the tower.
10. The Easement would remain in existence perpetually, until said radio transmission tower should be abandoned and/or removed.
11. A radio transmission tower (the “Original Tower”) was constructed within the Tract in 1977.
12. The Original Tower was enclosed by a pipe fence since the 1970’s.
13. The Original Tower remained standing until it was replaced and removed in 2012 due to evidence of structural instability.
: 14. The Original Tower was standing while a replacement tower (the “New Tower”) was constructed on the Tract.
15. The New Tower was constructed within the same pipe-fenced enclosure as the Original Tower.
16. Replacement of the Original Tower was necessary to maintain a functional tower in the Tract.
17. The Original Tower was removed after it was replaced by the New Tower.
18. The Original Tower was removed as soon as was practicable after all transmission equipment was relocated to the New Tower.
19. The Original Tower was removed only after it was no longer transmitting.
20.' The New Tower does not increase the burden on the surface estate.
21: The New Tower does not exceed the scope of the Easement.
22. The' building of the New Tower does not effect a termination of the Easement.
23. No actions of Defendant in connection with the maintenance of the Easement effected a termination of the Easement.
24. The Easement has not terminated and is still in existence.
25. $51,763.75 is a reasonable fee for the necessary services performed by Defendant’s attorneys through the trial court phase of this case.
26. Defendant incurred $4,342.44 in-reasonable and necessary , expenses through the trial court phase of this case.
28. Exhibit 29 was Defendant’s list of revenue received from both the Original and New Towers.
29. $25,000 is a reasonable fee for the necessary services to be performed by Defendant’s attorneys if there is an appeal to the Court of Appeals.
30. $10,000 is a reasonable fee for the necessary services to be performed by Defendant’s attorneys if a Petition for Review is filed with the Texas Supreme Court.
31. $20,000 is a reasonable fee for the necessary services to be performed by Defendant’s attorneys if the Texas Supreme Court grants the Petition for Review.
II.
Conclusions of Law
1. The award of $51,106.19 in attorney’s fees to Defendant is equitable and just.
2. The award of $4,342.44 in reasonable and necessary expenses to Defendant is equitable and just.
3. The award of $25,000 in attorney’s fees to Defendant if there is an appeal to the Court of Appeals is equitable and just.
4. The award of $10,000 in attorney’s fees to Defendant if a Petition for Review is filed with the Texas Supreme Court is equitable and just.
5. The award of $20,000 in attorney’s fees to Defendant if the Texas Supreme Court grants the Petition for Review is equitable and just.
6. Necessary legal services performed for Defendant on Lindemann’s trespass claim are indistinguishable from necessary legal services performed for Defendant to create and sustain its arguments regarding the surface burden of the Original and New Towers.
7. The New Tower does not increase the burden on the surface estate.
8. The New Tower does not exceed the scope of the Easement.
9. The building of the New Tower does not effect a termination of the Easement.
10. Defendant’s Easement included the right to maintain the radio transmission tower on the Tract.
11. Defendant’s right to maintain included his right to replace the Original Tower with the New Tower.
12. The removal of the Original Tower after replacement with the New Tower does not effect a termination of the Easement.
13. The Original Tower was not abandoned; it was replaced.
14. No actions of Campbell in connection with the maintenance of the Easement effected a termination of the Easement.
15. The Easement has not terminated and is still in existence.
16. Exhibit 29 as offered by Plaintiff at trial was not relevant to the issues before the Court.
Signed this 12 day of November, 2015.
. A copy of the trial court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law is attached hereto as Appendix A.
. The majority addresses Findings of Fact 13, 16, 22-24 and Conclusions of Law 9, 11, 12, 13, and 14. But Findings of Fact 16, and 22-24 are actually conclusions of law. See Seasha Pools, Inc. v. Hardister,
. The Ybanez court relied on three Texas cases for this proposition, which are cited and relied upon herein as well. See Marcus Cable,
. Maj. Op. at 886.
. The majority holds that a literal singular construction of the terms "a” and "said” used in the Easement’s granting clause somehow conflicts with the term “maintaining” used in the Easement’s ingress/egress clause, but I see no conflict. The ingress/egress clause grants a right of access for the purpose of "maintaining ,.. said radio transmission tower.” [Emphasis added.] And the Easement’s habendum clause terminates the Easement when "said radio transmission tower shall be abandoned and/or removed.” [Emphasis added.] The rights granted by the Easement are consistently tied to "said radio transmission tower,” not to a radio transmission right-of-way or to a right to operate a radio-broadcasting network. The Easement grants the right to install one radio-transmission tower; subsequent towers require subsequently negotiated easements. See Dwyer,
. Although "said” radio transmission tower was both abandoned and removed, the major- ■ ity holds that the habendum clause was not triggered and is not rendered meaningless because it hypothetically could be triggered if said original tower is subsequently removed and not replaced or replaced when unnecessary for said tower’s maintenance. See Maj. Op. at 888. The fallacy in this hypothetical is that "said” radio transmission tower, the original tower, is now gone forever; it cannot be again removed or abandoned, so the ha-bendum clause now cannot be triggered and has been eviscerated.
. Maj. Op. at 885.
. The majority cites only out-of-state cases for the proposition that the location of a fixed easement can be changed without the consent of the dominant and servient estate owners so long as the change is not "substantial.” But Texas cases hold otherwise; any alteration in the boundaries of a fixed easement requires the consent- of both parties. See, e.g., Dwyer,