Brewer v. Fletcher

194 S.W.2d 668, 210 Ark. 110, 1946 Ark. LEXIS 318
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMay 20, 1946
Docket4-7905
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 194 S.W.2d 668 (Brewer v. Fletcher) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brewer v. Fletcher, 194 S.W.2d 668, 210 Ark. 110, 1946 Ark. LEXIS 318 (Ark. 1946).

Opinion

Ed. F. McFaddiN, Justice.

S. L. Fletcher sued Oris ft. Case in the chancery court, seeking damages for trespass and unlawful cutting of timber. From a decree allowing a recovery, there is this appeal.

Mrs. W. Gr. Wightman of Calais, Maine, was the owner of 160 acres of land in Stone county, Arkansas. By timber deed dated March, 1941, she sold to Fletcher “all the merchantable pine and oak timber” on said land. Mrs. Wightman suffered the 1940 taxes to remain unpaid; and on November 10, 1941, the lands were sold at the collector’s delinquent tax sale (under % 13849, et seq., Pope’s Digest), and Bryan Hopper received a certificate of purchase (under § 13856, Pope’s Digest).

In 1941, Fletcher cut and removed the pine timber( intending to later cut and remove the oak timber. Some time in the early part of 1942, Bryan Hopper (claiming under his said tax certificate) sold all the'merchantable timber on the 160 acres to Oris Case, who immediately cut and removed the oak timber.

When Fletcher returned to the land in January, 1943, and found that the oak timber had been removed, he effected a redemption from the tax sale under which Bryan Hopper claimed; an'd then Fletcher filed this suit against Case, claiming, inter alia, that Case was a willful trespasser and liable for the timber in its manufactured state. Case denied that Fletcher was the owner of the timber; and also denied that Case was a willful trespasser; and also disputed the amount and value of the timber. Both Fletcher and Case died prior to the decree of December 3, 1945, and the cause was revived by Fletcher’s widow and heirs against Brewer, executor of the estate of Case. For convenience, we refer to the original parties as. plaintiff and defendant, and their respective representatives as appellees and appellant. A trial resulted in a decree for $800 for appellees; and oh this appeal appellant presents the assignments herein listed and discussed.

I. Appellant Claims the Chancery Court Should Have Quashed the Deposition of Gerald E. Hill. On September 2,1944, appellees’ attorney served personal-written, notice on appellant that the deposition-of the witness for the appellees would be taken at a duly designated place in Calais, Maine, on September 11, 1944; and the deposition of Gerald E. Hill was taken under said notice. When the- deposition was filed in court, the appellant moved to quash the deposition; and the denial of this motion is assigned as error. Three points are argued:

(1) The appellant contends that the deposition was taken outside of the state' and without previous court order, and therefore should be quashed. We hold, that in civil cases, a court order is not a prerequisite to a valid taking of depositions outside of the state. Section 5227, Pope’s Digest, says: “Depositions shall be taken upon reasonable notice to the adverse party, or upon interrogatories.” Section 5228 to 5233,. inclusive, Pope’s Digest, relate to the sufficiency of such notice. Section 5238, Pope’s Digest, does not limit these previous sections, but provides an alternative way of taking depositions. See Mo. & N. A. Rd. Co. v. Daniels, 98 Ark. 352, 136 S. W. 651.

To support his argument, to the effect that a deposition to be taken out of the state must be either- upon court order or by consent, appellant cites § 5223, Pope’s Digest, the last words of which section read: . . by consent of the parties, or by order of the court.” A reading of the entire section clearly demonstrates that the section relates to the person before whom a deposition may be taken, and not to the intention to secure the evidence. The section says that depositions out of the state may he taken before certain named officials (such as justice of the peace, notary public, etc.), “. . . or any person empowered by a commission, directed to him by consent of the parties or order of the court.” The words “order of the court” relate to “any person” before whom the deposition is to be taken, and not to the power of the parties to take the depositions. In a civil case, such as here, depositions may he taken on notice to the adverse party and without' a previous court order.

(2) The appellant next contends that the deposition of Gerald E. Hill should be quashed because it was not taken on written interrogatories and cross-interrogatories. On this point we hold that the depositions need not be taken on written interrogatories, unless the adverse party so requires. “When the notice was served on the appellant under § 5227, Pope’s Digest, then the appellant had the right (under § 5237, Pope’s Digest) to require that the deposition be taken on written interrogatories. The appellant failed to avail himself of § 5237, Pope’s Digest, so he is in no position now to object to the failure to take the deposition on written interrogatories.

(3) Finally, the appellant says that the deposition of Gerald E. Hill was taken without reasonable notice, because the time allowed was insufficient. It will be recalled that appellant received personal written notice in Stone county, Arkansas, on September 2, 1944, that the deposition would be taken in Calais, Maine, on September 11, 1944. Under § 5231, Pope’s Digest, appellant was allowed two days for preparation; and under § 5232, Pope’s Digest, appellant was allowed “the time ordinarily required for such mode of travel” from Stone county, Arkansas, to Calais, Maine. 'Seven days is certainly sufficient to travel from Stone county, Arkansas, to Calais, Maine, by bus or train, or other usual mode of travel. ‘ So, the time between the serving of the notice and tlie taking of the deposition was ample in this case. See Pine Bluff & Western Railroad Co. v. McCaskill, 88 Ark. 177, 114 S. W. 208.

II. Appellant Claims That the Plaintiff’s Timber Deed Was Not of Record When the Defendant Cut the Timber, and Therefore Appellees Cannot Recover. Fletcher received his timber deed from Mrs. Wightman in March, 1941, but did not record the deed until January, 1943. In the interim Bryan Hopper had received his tax certificate, and sold the timber to Case, who had cut and removed the oak timber here involved. Appellant cites § 1847, Pope’s Digest, on the necessity of recording an instrument, which is: “No deed, bond, or instrument of writing, for the conveyance of any real estate, or by which the title thereto may be affected in law or equity, hereafter made or executed, shall be good or valid against a subsequent purchaser of such real estate for a valuable consideration, without actual notice thereof; or against'any creditor of the person executing such deed, bond, or instrument, obtaining a judgment or decree, which by law may be a lien upon such real estate, unless such deed, bond, or instrument, duly executed and acknowledged, or approved, as is or may be required by law, shall be filed for record in the office of the clerk and ex-officio recorder of the county where such real estate may be situated.” Appellant argues that under this section, the defendant, Case, was a “subsequent purchaser . . . for a valuable consideration, without actual notice . . and, because of this section, appellees cannot recover, since the plaintiff’s timber deed was not of record.

There are several answers to appellant’s contention. One answer is that neither Bryan Hopper nor Oris R. Case was-a subsequent purchaser from the landowner, and the said statute refers to subsequent purchasers from the common grantor. See Halbrook v. Lewis, 204 Ark. 579, 163 S. W.

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Bluebook (online)
194 S.W.2d 668, 210 Ark. 110, 1946 Ark. LEXIS 318, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brewer-v-fletcher-ark-1946.