Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN -.
//i Honorable Basoom Glles
Austin, Taxes
Dear Wr. Glleat
r stats the Lqd Off&at, haw~been that ,oants peraore rental paylaenta'and to oontia~a witbotit any attempt lease orreit 8eme.
8 qoestioti you ask is; '1s Mrs. O*IMen (the lesaes) under tha olr- armstames entitled to a refund of all oi these payments at 25 oents gpr eore under a tiaoonoaptlon of the law relative tiiereta9"
As the Land Offioe has made ao attestpt for the past eight years to forfeit the lease held by Xra. O*Brien, notwithstanding her dailcisnt paymant of rentals, the *2 Ron. Beaoom cllea, April 29, 1939, Peee 2 result ha8 been that ahe has scoured all the bene- tit8 oonrorred by the State’s loese to the name ex- tent c18 would hare boen prooured by a full payment or $2.00 per aorta annual rental. To roruad the amount pald by the lessee at thla ticno would, in effect, permit the lessee to reoelte the benefits or the lease for a period of aeven yosra without eny oonslderation having boen paid thereror. Vfe ere uneble to dlaoern any faotual basin for the lessee*a olalm or a rlfht to a refund.
P!e are further of the opinion thet Sootion 44 or Artlole 3 0r the constitutfon or Toxaa, *hioh pro- hIbIte the L8glslature from grentlng, bjr approprlatlon or otherwise, any amount out of the State Treasury, real or pretended, when to any iadlrlduel on e olelm, the aemo rhall not hare been provided for by pre- existing law has the erreot of prohibittiE a rerund of the rentala heretotore paid by l&a. O’Brien. We ror the know of no pre-exlatlng law whloh provides refunding of suoh mntalr to llra. O’Brien tmdor the olroumstenoeu related ln your letter.
i.e must, thereidre, advise 700 that, In our opinion, no rerund or the rentelm in question should be made.
Yours very truly ATTORNEY @3NEBAL OF TEXAS Assletent R%:BT