Family Sues Texas Over Centuries-Old Land Grant
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
AUSTIN (AP) - More than 600 descendants of a Mexican settler have sued Texas over the alleged 1870s seizure of a royal land grant.
Joaquin Galan received a land grant later known as Palafox from the Spanish king more than two centuries ago. His heirs contend the state seized it in the 1870s.
Galan's heirs say the state still owns about 40,000 acres of the land northwest of Laredo and that they are entitled to the mineral revenue the state has collected for years.
The Austin American-Statesman reports the family filed a lawsuit in July in Travis County District Court.
Similar claims have not fared well in the courts.
The Texas Supreme Court ruled in 2008 against a family, deciding that the suit had run afoul of the statute of limitations.
(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
