Bothwell v. Denver Union Stockyards Co.

39 Colo. 221
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedJanuary 15, 1907
DocketNo. 5134; No. 2724 C. A.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 39 Colo. 221 (Bothwell v. Denver Union Stockyards Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bothwell v. Denver Union Stockyards Co., 39 Colo. 221 (Colo. 1907).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Caswell

delivered the opinion of the court:

This action was for the recovery of certain property and the value of the rents, issues and profits thereof.

The complaint alleges, in substance:

That the plaintiff is the owner in fee simple, and is entitled to the immediate possession, of a certain strip of land, 30 ft. wide by 240 ft. (more or less) long, designated on the map or plat of West Elyria as Cline street, recorded in the office.of the county recorder of Arapahoe county; also a certain strip of land, 30 ft. wide by 281 ft. (more or less) long, designated on said map or plat of West Elyria as highway or street, but not named, and since named Frank street.

That on or about the 1st day of July, 1881, a corporation called The Denver Land & Improvement Company, being then the owner of a. certain twenty acres described, platted the aforesaid Cline and Frank streets by causing a plat thereof to be filed in the office of the county recorder of Arapahoe county, and that the same was duly recorded. That the portions of Cline and Frank streets in controversy here[224]*224in were never accepted or nsed by the town of Elyria, that snch portions were of no practical value or use to the said town and were never accepted, improved or used in any way, and the same by reason of the premises reverted to the original grantor thereof, to wit: the said Denver Land & Improvement Company.

That on the 22nd day of October, 1901, the plaintiff herein purchased of the directors of the said Improvement Company, which had been dissolved at that time by limitation of its charter (and said directors being and constituting all of the last board of directors of said company), the portions of said streets hereinbefore described and received a deed of conveyance thereto duly executed and acknowledged, and which was duly recorded. That the defendant without any authority, right or title, in the year 1893, wrongfully, and without any color of title whatever, took possession of said parts of streets, and ever since has held and is now holding possession thereof, wrongfully excluding defendant and in defiance of his rights thereto.

That the town of Elyria was duly incorporated in the year 1890, under the general laws of this state, and since which time has extended the town limits so as to include West Elyria and said streets.

That on or about the 24th day of May, 1902, said town of Elyria made, executed and delivered to the defendant herein a quit-claim deed conveying to the defendant, on its face, the portions of said Cline and Prank streets herein claimed by the plaintiff, thereby abandoning said portions of said streets, if it ever had any rights to same, which rights plaintiff denies for the reasons aforesaid.

Further allegations are as to the rents, issues and profits, and there is the prayer for a judgment for the recovery of possession and for damages.

[225]*225The defendant filed a demurrer to the complaint, alleging:

(1) That the plaintiff has no legal capacity to sue.
(2) That several causes of action have been improperly joined in the complaint without being separately stated, to wit: The cause of action for the first piece of property described in the complaint and the cause of action for the second piece of property designated in the complaint.
(3) That the complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action.
(4) That the complaint is ambiguous, unintelligible and uncertain, in that the property attempted to be described in the complaint is not described with sufficient definiteness or certainty, and in that it does not allege when the property described in the complaint reverted to the original grantor thereof.

The abstract recites that the demurrer was sustained to the second and fourth specifications only. The plaintiff elected to stand by his complaint and judgment was entered against him and for costs, from which judgment this appeal was taken.

The appellee contends that the court did not overrule in terms the' third ground of demurrer, to wit: That the complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, and urges this ground of demurrer in this court.

The appellant contends in his brief and arguments that the fourth ground of demurrer as set forth cannot be relied upon in this ease, because the demurrer must go to the complaint and not to a single paragraph in it.

Objections for uncertainty can be raised by demurrer.—Manning v. Haas, 5 Colo. 38.

The second clause of the fourth ground of demurrer attacks the complaint and the alleged title of [226]*226appellant, and goes to the substance and not to the form of the complaint. It was necessary for the appellant to allege how and when the title to the portions of said streets claimed by him reverted to the original grantor, because he bases his title upon such reversion and a deed from its directors. Further than this, it is proper to interpose the third ground of demurrer at any time in the hearing of a case and in any court.— Marriott v. Clise, 12 Colo. 561, 563; Toothaker v. Boulder, 13 Colo. 219, 223.

The rules of law stated in this decision have application solely to the construction of the complaint before us.

Appellant, who was plaintiff below, could only recover in this case, if at all, upon the strength of his own title.—Strepey v. Stark, 7 Colo. 614, 621; Chivington v. Colo., etc., Co., 9 Colo. 597, 603.

There is a general allegation by appellant that he is the owner in fee and entitled to immediate possession of the property described. This is not only qualified, but, as we think, contradicted by his allegations as to the nature and extent of his right and estate in the property. The first allegation in connection with the description, is that the property is designated upon a map or plat of West Elyria duly recorded in the office of the county recorder of Arapahoe county; he next alleges that The Denver Land & Improvement Company platted Cline and Frank streets, and the portions thereof claimed in this complaint, and caused a plat to be filed in the office of the recorder of Arapahoe county, which was duly recorded. The complaint does not advise us whether West Elyria was a town, but we must presume from the allegations that Cline and Frank streets were dedicated by these plats to the public use. We are bound to presume that all the plats mentioned were [227]*227duly made, certified, acknowledged and recorded as required by law.

The fourth paragraph of the complaint must be read in connection with the seventh, which alleges that the town of Elyria was duly incorporated in the year 1890, under the general laws of this state, and since said incorporation extended the town limits so as to include said West Elyria and said streets. It must be presumed the limits of said town were extended in the manner known to and recognized by the law,' and in accordance with thé law, and that the title to the streets dedicated by the plats became vested in the said town, and this by a statutory dedication which divests the original grantor of title without acceptance by the town. In’ the early case of Denver v. Clements, 3 Colo.

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Bluebook (online)
39 Colo. 221, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bothwell-v-denver-union-stockyards-co-colo-1907.