Chapman v. King Ranch, Inc.

In 1995, twenty heirs of William Warren Chapman sued the heirs of Richard King and related associates for ownership and mineral rights to 15,500 acres of the Rincon de Santa Gertrudis land grant, part of the present day King Ranch. The lawsuit originated from a land dispute between William Chapman's widow, Helen Blair Chapman, and Richard King. Richard King and William Warren Chapman (Helen Chapman's husband) each owned one-half interest in the Rincon de Santa Gertrudis in Nueces County, Texas (now Kleberg County, Texas). When Chapman died in 1859, he designated his wife Helen as his beneficiary. In 1879, Helen Chapman sued Richard King for her husband's share of the original Rincon de Santa Gertrudis. Helen Chapman resided in South Carolina at the time of the suit and she died while the case was pending; her executors pursued her case.

In 1883, the courts ruled in Helen Chapman's favor and her attorney, Robert Kleberg, reached an agreement to accept payment for one fourth of the Rincon, half of what Helen Chapman originally sued for. Kleberg also served as attorney for Richard King in other unrelated matters. Over the course of the trial, Kleberg was put on an annual retainer by King and became legal advisor for the ranch. Upon Richard King's death, Kleberg became manager of the King Ranch and married Alice King, Richard's youngest daughter.

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