Best Investment Company v. Parkhill

429 S.W.2d 531, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2144
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 31, 1968
Docket362
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 429 S.W.2d 531 (Best Investment Company v. Parkhill) 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
Best Investment Company v. Parkhill, 429 S.W.2d 531, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2144 (Tex. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinions

OPINION

NYE, Justice.

This is a venue case. Suit was filed by the plaintiff Jacqua Nell Parkhill, a feme sole and resident of California against Joe A. Irwin, Dal-Park Enterprises, Inc. and Best Investment Company, defendants, all of whom are residents of Dallas County or have their principal offices in such county.

Defendants Irwin and Best Investment Company filed pleas of privilege to be sued in Dallas County. Plaintiff filed her controverting affidavit alleging that venue properly lay in Hidalgo County (where she filed her suit) under subsection 14 of Art. 1995, Vernon’s Ann. Civ.St. The original petition and exhibit were referred to and made a part of the controverting affidavit for all purposes. These instruments were subsequently introduced into evidence. The petition alleged that the plaintiff was suing to remove a cloud on the title to her land and was asking for damages resulting by virtue of the defendants’ refusal to remove-the cloud on the title to plaintiff’s land.

Defendant Dal-Park Enterprises, Inc. filed its disclaimer that it neither owns, claims nor asserts any right, title, interest or right of possession in or to the property described in plaintiff’s petition. Dal-Park is not a party to this appeal.

Sub-section 14 of Art. 1995 V.A.C.S. provides in part:

“14. Lands. — Suits for the recovery of lands * * * or to remove incum-brances upon the title to land, or to quiet the title to land, * * * must be brought in the county in which the land, or a part thereof, may lie.”

The venue facts which plaintiff had the burden to establish under this subdivision were: 1) the nature of plaintiff’s cause of action, and 2) the location of the land. Lumbermen’s Investment Corp. v. [533]*533Brown, 383 S.W.2d 938 (Tex.Civ.App.Waco 1964, dism.Agr.). Our Supreme Court speaking of this particular exception to residence venue has said:

“It is well settled that Exception 14 is mandatory where the privilege is properly claimed by any party to a suit which falls within its terms.” Citing cases.
The Court went on to say: “ * * * Venue under Exception 14 is determined by the location of the land and the nature of the relief sought * * Langdeau v. Burke Investment Co., 163 Tex. 526, 358 S.W.2d 553 (1962).

The instruments before the Court among other things, included the plaintiff’s petition and a copy of the recorded real estate contract. The exhibit attached to the petition described the land as being in Hidalgo County. There being no statement of facts, nor any request for findings of fact or conclusions of law, this Court must presume that every fact necessary to support the judgment rendered was found by the trial court. Commercial Credit Corporation v. Smith, 143 Tex. 612, 187 S.W.2d 363 (1945).

Appellants make three principal contentions in their appeal covered by five points of error: (1) That the petition does not plead a cause for removal of a cloud on title to realty, (2) that a recorded contract of sale of realty between strangers to the title of the realty is not a cloud upon the title as a matter of law and (3) that this is primarily a suit for damages against the defendants and therefore sub-section 14 is inapplicable.

Plaintiff alleged that she is the owner in fee simple of land (described in detail in her petition) which is located in Hidalgo County, Texas; that on or about the 13th day of May, 1966 defendant Irwin caused a contract dated February 1, 1966 between the defendants to be filed for record in Hidalgo County Deed Records. This contract, covering at least twelve pages, was attached and made a part of plaintiff’s petition and was marked Exhibit A. Briefly stated, the contract provided in part that it was an agreement between Dal-Park Enterprises, Inc., and Joe A. Irwin, defendants. The contract stated that: “Dal-Park is the owner of the following realty, to-wit: * * * ” wherein the legal description to plaintiff’s land was made. Included in this description was reference to the unpaid balance of a note and mortgage. The contract went on to describe the ownership of other lands in Irwin. It then stated “that Dal-Park and Irwin have agreed and do hereby agree to exchange their respective properties on an equal basis with Dal-Park assuming the above listed indebtedness against the Irwin properties and Irwin assuming the above described indebtedness against Dal-Park’s property, * * * ” The contract stated that: “Now, therefore, in consideration of the premises, and in order to implement the above referred to Agreement for exchange of their respective properties, Dal-Park and Irwin represent, warrant, covenant, and agree as follows, to-wit: (1st), Dal-Park hereby sells and agrees to convey to Irwin the land and premises above described (this is plaintiff’s land)1 as owned by Dal-Park upon the following terms and conditions, to-wit: (1.) Dal-Park agrees to convey its said property and improvements to Irwin by a good and sufficient General Warranty Deed free and clear of any and all encumbrances EXCEPT: (a) describing the indebtedness * * * (2.) Dal-Park will furnish to Irwin at Dal-Park’s costs an Owner’s Title Policy * * The contract then provided for similar provisions concerning Irwin to transfer his property to Dal-Park. All such references by Dal-Park are to plaintiff’s land. The contract was duly executed, acknowledged and then filed of record by defendant Irwin in the Deed Records of Hidalgo County, Texas.

[534]*534Plaintiff in her petition alleged that defendant Dal-Park had no title to the above described property and that the contract was never performed. Plaintiff further alleged that the defendants refused to execute a release or quitclaim to the above described property thereby creating a cloud on the title to such property. Continuing, plaintiff alleged “Defendants well knew that the filing of such contract of record would create a cloud on Plaintiff’s title and does create a cloud on such title and should be removed by this Court. Plaintiff has requested a release or quitclaim deed covering the property from Defendants Irwin and Best (appellants) because Plaintiff has an opportunity to sell such property and is unable to comply with her contract of sale because no title company will issue a policy with this cloud on the title of plaintiff * * The plaintiff’s prayer was that “Wherefore, Plaintiff prays judgment removing the cloud on Plaintiff’s title * *

A cloud on title has been defined as “An outstanding claim or incumbrance which, if valid, would affect or impair the title of the owner of a particular estate, and on its face has the effect, but can be shown by extrinsic proof to be invalid or inapplicable to the estate in question.” Black’s Law Dictionary, 4th Edition. The word encumbrance in a popular sense might include an illegal claim set up to land under a state of facts that would apparently give title when in fact no title existed. Thus used it would be equivalent to the words “cloud upon title”. 59 Tex.Jur.2d, Sec. 35, p. 421. See also 74 C.J.S. Quieting Title § 14b, p. 27 et seq.

Any deed, contract, judgment or other instrument not void on its face which purports to convey any interest in or makes any charge upon the land of a true owner, the invalidity of which would require proof, is a cloud upon the legal title of the owner. We do not know the nature of defendants’ interest in this land.

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Bluebook (online)
429 S.W.2d 531, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2144, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/best-investment-company-v-parkhill-texapp-1968.