VAN DYKE v. NAVIGATOR GROUP

No. 21-0146.

668 S.W.3d 353 (2023)

Susan Davis VAN DYKE, et al., Petitioners, v. The NAVIGATOR GROUP, et al., Respondents.

Supreme Court of Texas.

OPINION DELIVERED: February 17, 2023.

Rehearing Denied June 16, 2023.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Sarah N. Wariner , Audra Leigh Braden , Frisco, Jadd Fitzgerald Masso , Dallas, for Petitioner Dorchester Minerals, L.P.

Phil Johnson , Marc S. Tabolsky , Mark W. McBrayer , Lubbock, William Chris Boyer , Andrew Raymond Seger , for Petitioners Pam Stribling and John V. Price as Heirs and Successors of Interest to Noble H. Price, Key, Roger A., The Huffington Foundation, Bishop-Windham Family Limited Partnership, Key, Terry S., Davis, Stephen L., Keys, Kay Elaine, Davis, Arthur B., Stuckert, Jill Marie, George Dan Mulkey and Thomas J Mulkey, Trustees of the Mulkey Family Mineral Trust.

Kelley Clark Morris , Gabe Vick III , James J. Ormiston , Houston, for Petitioners PXP Producing Company, LLC f/k/a North Central Oil Corp. et al., Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas LLC.

Phil Johnson , Mark W. McBrayer , Lubbock, Marc S. Tabolsky , John L. Lancaster III , Dallas, William Chris Boyer , for Petitioners Lancaster, Jane R., Ryedale, LLC.

Frederick B. Wulff , Kevin P. Burke , James A. Holmes , Henderson, for Respondent MeCullar et al., Dave Michael.

Marc S. Tabolsky , Phil Johnson , William Chris Boyer , Andrew Raymond Seger , Mark W. McBrayer , Spenser Piercy , Lubbock, for Petitioner Van Dyke, Susan Davis.

Don M. Connally , Abilene, for Respondent John W. Daniels and Wilma F. Daniels.

Forrest Jacob Wynn , for Other interested party Baylor College of Medicine.

Matthew David Stayton , Derek Lee Montgomery , Harold L. Hensley Jr. , Midland, David E. Keltner , Fort Worth, P. Taylor Spalla , for Respondent The Navigator Group et al.

Judith A. Meyer , Houston, William Chris Boyer , Marc S. Tabolsky , Linda Broocks , Houston, Mark W. McBrayer , Lubbock, Phil Johnson , for Petitioner Trust, NA., Raymond James.

Alan A. Aaron, Midland , for Other interested party Simmons et al., Warren R.

William Chris Boyer , Marc S. Tabolsky , Phil Johnson , Mark W. McBrayer , Lubbock, Willis E. Gresham Jr. , Lamesa, for Petitioners Culley Ingram, Trustee of the CI Grandchild's Trust, Kerry Kantman, Trustee of the KK Grandchild's Trust, Alexander, Deborah L., Amanda Kay Livingston, Trustee of the AKL Child's Trust, McKenzie Ciliberto, Trustee of the MC Grandchild's Trust.

Ken K. Slavin , El Paso, W. Clayton Gaston , Midland, for Petitioners Deutsche Bank Trust Company, NA, and Irving Sitnick, Trustees of the Lucy G. Moses 12/22/58 Trust, Deutsche Bank Trust Company, NA, Trustee of the William L. Hernstadt 1937 Trust, Deutsche Bank Trust Company, NA, and William H. Hernstadt, Trustees of the William H. Hernstadt Estate Trust, Deutsche Bank Trust Company, NA, Trustee of the Henry & Lucy Moses Foundation Trusts.

Marc S. Tabolsky , William Chris Boyer , Ted M. Kerr , Mark W. McBrayer , Lubbock, Phil Johnson , for Petitioner Bridgewater, Jr., Preston.

Richard E. Booth , Midland, for Other interested party Endeavor Energy Company et al.

John T. Ferguson , Big Spring, for Other interested party Blissard, Bennie.

Robert M. Park , for Amicus Curiae Texas Land and Mineral Owners Association.

Phil Johnson , Timothy J. Henderson , Mark W. McBrayer , Lubbock, Marc S. Tabolsky , Andrew Raymond Seger , William Chris Boyer , for Petitioner Huttner, Sheryl Ann.

Christopher Michael Hogan , for Other interested party Powder River Mineral Partners, LLC, successor to Petrohawk Energy Corporation.

Brandon Archer , for Other interested party Williams et al., Elizabeth Rankin.

Ryan S. Mindell , for Respondent G.R. White Charitable Trust.

Jefery F. Carson , Sugar Land, Mark W. McBrayer , Lubbock, Marc S. Tabolsky , Phil Johnson , William Chris Boyer , for Petitioner McClellan, James G.

Kevin P. Burke , for Respondent Mills et al., Loretta.

James Jackson Napper , Lamesa, for Other interested party Chalmers, James D.

Michael T. Morgan , Midland, for Other interested party Huffington, Roy.

Alan Dane Waterman, Pro Se.

H. Alan Carmichael , Sweetwater, for Other interested party Mallard Royalty Partners d/b/a Texas Land Royalty, Ltd. et al.

Stephanie Lee , David W. Lauritzen , Midland, W. Bruce Williams , Emily Brown , Houston, Matthew Coolbaugh , Midland, for Respondent The Chase Trustees.

Christopher Kulander , for Amicus Curiae Kulander, Christopher S.

George Henry Rau III , Houston, for Other interested party Black Stone Minerals, LP.

Phil Johnson , William Chris Boyer , Marc S. Tabolsky , Mark W. McBrayer , Lubbock, for Petitioner Key, Howard W.

Marc S. Tabolsky , Phil Johnson , William Chris Boyer , Mark W. McBrayer , Lubbock, Judith A. Meyer , Houston, for Petitioner William Marsh Rice University.

Marc S. Tabolsky , Mark W. McBrayer , Lubbock, Andrew Raymond Seger , Ken K. Slavin , El Paso, William Chris Boyer , Phil Johnson , Scott Kendall , Dallas, for Petitioner Boyd Enterprises, Inc.


Only in a legal text could the formula "one-half of one-eighth" mean anything other than one-sixteenth. But in the law, "one-half of one-eighth" sometimes equals one-half—in the context of reservations of mineral interests. Likewise, the law sometimes calculates one-half of 1,000 to be 600...

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