Billie and Carolyn Buckingham and Brett and Tara Buckingham v. Josh McAfee and Shawn Scholl

393 S.W.3d 372, 2012 WL 6200686, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 10324
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 12, 2012
Docket07-11-00350-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 393 S.W.3d 372 (Billie and Carolyn Buckingham and Brett and Tara Buckingham v. Josh McAfee and Shawn Scholl) 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
Billie and Carolyn Buckingham and Brett and Tara Buckingham v. Josh McAfee and Shawn Scholl, 393 S.W.3d 372, 2012 WL 6200686, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 10324 (Tex. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinions

Opinion

BRIAN QUINN, Chief Justice.

In this appeal, we are asked to decide if the trial court erred in declaring that appellants Billie and Carolyn Buckingham and Britt and Tara Buckingham (collectively “the Buckinghams”) do not own a portion of the Red River riverbed claimed by Josh McAfee and Shawn Scholl (collectively “McAfee”). We conclude that it did not, after considering the arguments urged by them.

Background

Realty deeded to the Buckinghams surrounds the riverbed in question. It encompasses all land lying south of the south bank and north of the north bank of the North Fork of the Red River found in section 93, Block 13, H & GN RR Co. Survey, Wheeler County, Texas. Furthermore, they acquired the property from individuals whom we will call the Taylors, Seagos, and Burkhalters. The Taylors, Seagos, and Burkhalters acquired their respective interests in the land via a deed from the Glynn-Juanita Family Limited Partnership, while the latter acquired its interest from Glynn and Juanita Bell. In turn, the Bells took their interest via a deed from Gideon and Annie Bell that was executed in 1941. Per the 1941 conveyance, Gideon and Annie transferred to Glynn several sections of land in Wheeler County, including section 93, Block 13. And, the conveyance of section 93 was described as “all of Section No. Ninety Three (93) in Block No. Thirteen (13), except ninety (90) acres reserved for river bed, all of the above being in Wheeler County.... ” While the Buckinghams consider the description of the riverbed “ex-ceptfed]” from the conveyance to Glynn Bell as rather vague, no one suggests that it can encompass riverbed lying in section 93 other than that claimed by McAfee. Nor does anyone contend that the total riverbed within section 93 exceeded the aforementioned ninety acres.1

Discussion

A. Riparian Rights

To illustrate that they owned the riverbed at issue, the Buckinghams invoked the doctrine of riparian rights. They describe the same as “the rights of the owners of land on the banks of watercourses, relating to water, its use, and ownership of soil under the stream or river.” Per the theory, a “riparian proprietor owns the bed of the stream.” In other words, “[w]hen a private party makes a conveyance of land bordering on a stream, ... the grantor [purportedly] conveys title to the one-half of the stream bed abutting his land.” To support the proposition, they cite us to Strayhorn v. Jones, 157 Tex. 136, 300 S.W.2d 623 (1957). The actual language in Strayhom to which the Buckinghams allude is:

We hold that when a private person (including corporations, etc.) conveys title to lands owned by him abutting a stream — whether navigable or not— such conveyance passes to the grantee (unless the conveyance clearly shows a contrary intention), title to the one-half of such stream bed abutting his land, subject, of course, to whatever rights the [374]*374State of Texas may have in the stream bed.

Id. at 684 (Emphasis added). Moreover, it is the italicized language in the quotation that we find determinative here.

As previously mentioned, Gideon Bell’s deed to Glynn Bell contained the following language: “except ninety (90) acres reserved for river bed.” While that passage mentions no metes or bounds, it nonetheless reveals a clear intent on the part of Gideon to exclude “riverbed” from the conveyance to Glynn and his successors-in-interest like the Buckinghams. More importantly, the Buckinghams cited us to no authority suggesting that the requisite “contrary intention” referred to in Stray-hom can be satisfied only through a valid legal description of the riverbed excepted. Nor did we find any such authority. Indeed, the Supreme Court in Strayhom simply said that the conveyance need only disclose a clear intention to exclude riverbed from the conveyance, and we care not to make law by adding to that statement. Thus, the theory of riparian rights, as explained in Strayhom, is inapplicable here. And, because those from whom the Buckinghams acquired their interest in the land did not acquire the ninety acres of riverbed, the trial court did not err in withholding title to the same from them.

Additionally, other evidence of record supports the accuracy of our decision. For instance, the individual from whom Gideon Bell acquired his interest (i.e., Counts) described the land being conveyed as “fifty (50) acres more or less out of said section [98] lying North of the North Fork of [the] Red River.” (Emphasis added). Gideon bought his other interest in section 93 from a person named Ford, who, in turn, bought the land from Counts. And, the conveyance from Counts to Ford described the land being transferred as all “of Section (93) ... which lies South of [the] Red River; and being five hundred acres, more or less, the north boundary of the tract hereby conveyed being the Red River with its meanderings.” (Emphasis added). About ten years later, Counts quitclaimed to Geneva D. Mullen (that is, McAfee’s predecessor-in-title) the following:

Ninety acres of land ... known as a part of Section No. 93 ..., the land conveyed being the land lying between the North Bank and South Bank of the North Fork of [the] Red River, according to its meanderings.

The deed to Mullen further provided that:

[i]t is understood that this deed conveys all of the land not heretofore conveyed, the part that has been heretofore conveyed being in two tracts the First tract that is excepted being 50 acres lying North of the North Fork of [the] Red River, sold to Gideon Bell April 9, 1912, ... the second tract being 500 acres sold by the Grantor herein in F.G. Ford by Deed dated October 30, 1912.... This Deed is intended to convey all of my interest in said land that has not heretofore been conveyed.

So what we have is Counts transferring “50 acres” north of the Red River to Gideon and “500 acres” south of the Red River to Ford. Given that a section contains six hundred forty acres, he was left with ninety acres comprising the land area between the north and south boundaries of the Red River. And, it just so happens that the amount of riverbed conveyed to Mullen was “ninety acres” or, as Counts expressly recognized via the deed to Mullen, “all of the land not heretofore conveyed” by him.2

[375]*375 B.Ownership In McAfee

The Buckinghams next question whether McAfee adequately proved ownership of the riverbed. They preface that discussion by alleging that their “discussion on riparian rights is the beginning, middle and end of this controversy.” We must agree with that statement to the extent it concerns the issue of title.

The Buckinghams do not own the riverbed. The trial court so found via its partial summary judgment, and we find no error in that decision. Consequently, the matter of who else may own the property is moot, at least as to the Buckinghams. This is especially so since the record fails to disclose that they have the authority to assert the rights of anyone else who may claim ownership. So, we need not address the arguments contained under their issue “IB.” Moreover, our conclusion comports with the rule mentioned by the Supreme Court in Rogers v. Ricane Enters., Inc.,

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393 S.W.3d 372, 2012 WL 6200686, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 10324, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/billie-and-carolyn-buckingham-and-brett-and-tara-buckingham-v-josh-mcafee-texapp-2012.