Anderson v. McRae

495 S.W.2d 351, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2460
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 24, 1973
Docket8105
StatusPublished
Cited by58 cases

This text of 495 S.W.2d 351 (Anderson v. McRae) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Anderson v. McRae, 495 S.W.2d 351, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2460 (Tex. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

CORNELIUS, Justice.

This suit was brought by Francis M. Blanks, J, E. McRee, William H. Vaughan, III, John S. McRae, Richard D. Bates, Howard E. Moore, Kathryn Fink and Wentworth T. Durant, against Thomas L. Anderson, George V. Basham, Jr., and Jess L. Irwin. Plaintiffs were lot owners in a subdivision known as Brookhaven in the Pines, located in Wood County, Texas, and they sought a declaratory judgment from the court construing certain restrictions and easements allegedly granting lot owners in said subdivision exclusive rights to Brooks Lake and to certain recreational areas and roadways located near and adjacent to the subdivided lots. Plaintiffs also sought to “recover of ... the defendants, their property free and clear of any claim of the defendants . . .” and to remove cloud from their title.

The defendants Anderson and Basham, when owners of approximately 1100 acres of land in Wood County, Texas, platted *354 and subdivided a portion of said land and designated it as Brookhaven in the Pines, Section 1. Subsequently they platted and subdivided four more sections, each being named Brookhaven in the Pines, with the appropriate section number added. After the filing of the plats, Anderson purchased the interest of Basham in all of the land with the exception of the subdivided portions and certain other excluded portions. Included in the area he purchased was a lodge building and Brooks Lake. After his purchase, Anderson began commercial operations at the lodge which included the allowance of parties who patronized the lodge and who were not lot owners in any of the subdivided sections, to use the lake and the roadways and recreational areas which plaintiffs contended had been set aside for the exclusive use of lot owners.

A jury was waived and trial was to the court. At the conclusion of the evidence the court rendered judgment for the appel-lee lot owners, “declaring” that the lot owners in all of the sections of Brookha-ven in the Pines are entitled to the exclusive right and use of all of the roads, parks and recreational areas, with the exclusive right of fishing, hunting, swimming, boating and other recreational activities upon all of the land described in said sections, together with the lake lying adjacent to and within the boundaries of said subdivisions. The court further decreed that Anderson could operate the lodge for profit, but that no guests of the lodge could use said reserved areas unless the guest was a lot owner or was accompanied by a lot owner. From this judgment appellant Anderson only has appealed.

The trial court made findings of fact and conclusions of law, the pertinent portions of which are briefed and summarized as follows:

FINDINGS OF FACT

On or about November 6, 1964, the defendants Anderson and Basham filed in the Wood County Clerk’s office a plat of a subdivision entitled Brookhaven in the Pines, Section 1, intending thereby to make a private development; that subsequently other plats were filed designating Sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Brookhaven in the Pines; that each plat had depicted on it the boundaries of a lake and designated roadways, pathways and recreational areas; that such plats met the requirements of Vernon’s Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 6626a; that after making such plats the defendants circulated brochures which stated that Brookhaven in the Pines was a private, restricted club whose hunting and fishing privileges were available only to lot owners; that after the sale of lots began Anderson and Basham filed a declaration of restrictive use, providing that no use should ever be made of the remaining land which would interfere with the rights of lot owners to use such land for hunting, fishing, and recreation; that Anderson purchased all of the interest of Basham in the nonsubdivided land and executed and filed of record a declaration of indemnity in which he agreed to honor all representations and warranties made by Basham and Irwin in the sale of lots; that lots were sold to plaintiffs after the filing of the plats; that lots were sold and described by reference to said maps and plats; that defendants represented to plaintiffs that hunting and fishing privileges were available only to lot owners and that plaintiffs purchased their lots believing and relying on such representations and believing that such rights and facilities were reserved exclusively for lot owners and took possession of their lots in reliance on such representations, and made expensive, extensive and valuable improvements on their lots in reliance thereon and with the full knowledge of the defendants; that the plaintiff Durant expended more than $20,000.00 in reliance upon said representations; that the representations were made as inducements to purchasers to buy waterfront lots; that the plats were designed so that lot owners would be assured of waterfront lots and access to the lake only in common with other lot owners; that all such areas *355 were for the exclusive use of lot owners; and that Anderson rented the lodge facilities to the public and non-lot owners and allowed them to have full use of the lake and recreational areas.

ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

That each plaintiff at the time of the execution of his deed entered into an agreement with defendants concerning the use of the lake which provided that the rights to use same were nonexclusive; that Anderson after purchase of Basham’s interest became the sole owner of the lake and roadway and recreational areas, as well as the lodge and the 4.733 acre tract on which it is located; that the declaration of restrictive use executed by Anderson and Basham excluded the lots in the subdivisions, including the lots of plaintiffs; that the contract to purchase, deeds, declaration of restrictive use and agreement relating to the use of the lake were all of the written instruments executed by the parties relating to the rights in dispute; that all representations, whether written or oral, and brochures made by the defendants to the plaintiffs became part of their contracts to purchase and their deeds; that plaintiffs’ lots were purchased more than two years prior to the suit; that Anderson made no representations, but that they were made by his agents in the scope of their employment and with his acquiescence and ratification; that a dispute has arisen between plaintiffs and defendants as to the construction of rights under the written agreements, deeds and plats referred to above.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Richard Leonar Whytus v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2009
Wang v. Wen-Ning Lee
256 S.W.3d 862 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008)
Rakowski v. COMM., PROT. CLEAR CREEK VILL.
252 S.W.3d 673 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008)
Dan Nelson, Automotive, Inc. v. Viken
2005 SD 109 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2005)
Nelson v. Viken
2005 SD 109 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 2005)
Raman Chandler Properties, L.C. v. Caldwell's Creek Homeowners Ass'n
178 S.W.3d 384 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2005)
Charles Leamond Braley v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004
Connie Michele Allen v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2003
DRC Parts & Accessories, L.L.C. v. VM Motori, S.P.A.
112 S.W.3d 854 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
495 S.W.2d 351, 1973 Tex. App. LEXIS 2460, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/anderson-v-mcrae-texapp-1973.