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AUGUST 3, 2000

A Texas court has ruled in favor of a family who say Padre Island was wrongfully taken from them by a white man who paid $10 for the now lucrative property.

The court ruled Gilbert Kerlin, a 90-year-old man who bought the island in 1938, didn't pay descendants of the family the oil and gas royalties as required by the original sale. The court will now decide how much money he has to pay.

The ruling is seen as setting precedent for other Hispanic families in the Southwest to seek redress for lost, stolen, or sold land.

Get the Story:
Jury calls island sale a swindle (AP 8/3)