Leeco Gas & Oil Co. v. County of Nueces

OPINION

GONZALEZ, Justice.

This is a condemnation suit. The issue is whether Nueces County, as grantee in a deed, may condemn a possibility of reverter on land given to the County and pay mere nominal damages to the owner of the rever-sionary interest. The trial court answered this issue in the affirmative and the court of appeals affirmed the judgment of the trial court. 716 S.W.2d 615. We reverse and remand.

In 1960, Leeco gift deeded fifty acres of land on Padre Island to Nueces County for use as a park. Leeco retained a reversion-ary interest in the deed whereby the County would keep the…