Burns v. Goodrich

382 S.W.2d 501, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2823
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 24, 1964
DocketNo. 66
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 382 S.W.2d 501 (Burns v. Goodrich) 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
Burns v. Goodrich, 382 S.W.2d 501, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2823 (Tex. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

DUNAGAN, Chief Justice.

Appellees, R. C. Goodrich, et al, brought this suit against Appellants, Mary Gein Burns, et vir, et al, claiming the Appellees owned a certain tract of land in Sabine County, Texas, and that the Appellants were trespassing thereon. The tract of land in question is approximately 831/3 acres of land in the S. H. Morris Survey on the Sabine River in Sabine County, Texas. Appellees (Plaintiffs in the Trial Court) claim that the Appellants (Defendants in the Trial Court) were attempting to appropriate the use of the land in question. Appellee sought a judgment restraining and enjoining the Appellants, and each of them, permanently, from occupying any portion of said premises and from trespassing thereon at any time for any purpose in the future and for a mandatory injunction requiring the Defendants, and each of them, to vacate the premises, for damages in the amount of $2,000.00, and for costs of suit and for general relief. Appellants Ivy Lord, et ux, Eliza Lord, disclaimed any interest in the-land, and prayed that no costs be adjudged against them, alleging that they had not. been in possession of any of the property since long prior to the filing of this suit, but. were former owners of the land. The Defendants, Mary Gein Burns (Maiden name-Mary Jeine Lord) and husband, Joe Burns, filed both a General and Special Denial,, denying that the Plaintiffs were the sole owners of the land in question and claiming that Mary Gein Burns owned as her separate property an interest in the land in question. They alleged that they were-in possession of the land in controversy and denied that they were trespassers on the land, and then set up the title of the Defendant, Mary Gein Burns, as a defense to-the case. They also alleged that the Plaintiffs were estopped to assert title as against these Defendants in contradiction of the warranty of title in a certain Deed from Ivy Lord, et ux, Eliza' Lord, to Defendant, Mary Gein Burns, in which Deed Mary Gein Burns (daughter of Ivy Lord, et ux, Eliza Lord) was Grantee and was referred to as Mary Jeine Lord, said Deed being dated September 26, 1942, and duly recorded on the same date, and that said Deed was either in the chain of title of the Plaintiffs or connected therewith. Said Defendants pleaded not guilty and asked for appropriate relief. Appellants McDaniel, Hunt and Fairchild claim under Mary Gein Burns, et vir, Joe Burns, by virtue of a Deed dated October 15, 1962, which purported to convey to the said McDaniel, Hunt and Fairchild, one-third (pj) of all the interest of Mary Gein Burns that she may have owned at the time of the conveyance describing a 200-acre tract of land of which the land in question was a part. Appellants McDaniel, Hunt and Fair-child filed both a General Denial and Special Denial denying that the Plaintiffs were the sole owners of the land in controversy. They alleged that Mary Gein Burns had owned an interest in the land as her separate property and that a portion of her interest had been conveyed to them as attorney’s fees for representing Mary Gein [503]*503Burns, et vir, in this cause, and that the Appellant, Mary Gein Burns, is the same person as Mary Jeine Burns. They alleged that they were entitled to possession of the land as part owners of the land and that they were not trespassers. They pleaded estoppel to assert title against them. They further entered a plea of not guilty. The said three attorneys and Mary Gein Burns, et vir, Joe Burns, relied upon the doctrine of after-acquired title. The suit resolved itself actually into a land suit in which it was necessary for the Court to determine title, although the Plaintiffs’ pleadings were not in the usual form of a trespass to try title, coupled with a suit for injunction. The case was tried before the Court without the assistance of a jury, and at the conclusion of the evidence on December 14, 1962, the Court took the case under advisement and did not render judgment until October 23, 1963. The judgment of the Court found that none of the Appellants (Defendants) owned an interest in the surface of the land involved and “Therefore, have no right to occupancy of any portion of the surface of said lands; and that the Appellees (Plaintiffs) are entitled to recover of the Appellants the relief therein prayed for.” The judgment permanently restrained and enjoined the Appellants, and each of them, from occupying any portion of the land in controversy and from trespassing thereon at any time for any purpose in the future and requiring said Appellants, and each of them, to vacate said premises promptly. The Court ordered the issuance of such Writs as may he necessary in order to effectuate enforcement of all the terms of this judgment, and granted Appellees a Writ of Possession, and adjudged all costs against the Appellants. Appellants properly and timely excepted and duly perfected their appeal to this Court.

In response to Appellants request therefor, the Court prepared and filed its findings of fact and conclusions of law. A summation of the Court’s findings, which we believe to be pertinent to a proper disposition of this case, are that:

Lee Lord and wife, Martha J. Lord, were the owners of the 200-acre tract of land of which the 83j/3 acres involved in this lawsuit was originally a part. Lee Lord died intestate on March 12, 1929, and his estate was administered and closed. Martha J. Lord also died intestate on May 1, 1938, and no administration was ever had on her estate. Lee Lord and his wife, Martha J. Lord, were married only one time, and that was to each other, and they were the parents of six (6) children, and the six children constituted all of the heirs, and the only heirs at law, of Lee Lord and wife, Martha J. Lord. The six children of Lee Lord and wife, Martha J. Lord, were:

(a) Lula Lord Crowell
(b) J. B. Lord
(c) Stanton Lord
(d) Ivy Lord
(e) Bertha Lord Bragg
(f) G. W. Lord

Upon the death of Lee Lord, Ivy Lord inherited and received as a portion of his father’s estate a one-twelfth (JÍ2) interest comprising 16?4 acres, and a like interest upon the death of his mother, making a total of 331/3 acres inherited by Ivy Lord.

By Warranty Deed dated September 26, 1942, and duly filed for record on September 26, 1942, Ivy Lord and wife, Eliza Lord, conveyed to their daughter, Mary Gein Lord, 33% acres undivided in and to 200 acres of said S. H. Morris Headright Survey in Sabine County, Texas. This Deed contained the following provision: “It being understood that the interest hereby conveyed in said 200 acres of land being the interest inhearited by the said Ivy Lord, from the estate of his deceased father and mother, Lee Lord and wife, Mrs. Lee Lord.”

After the death of Lee Lord and before the death of Martha J. Lord, a judgment was rendered in favor of the First National Bank of St. Augustine against G. W. Lord and Martha J. Lord, who were Defendants in said suit, for the sum of $734.13, with interest at the rate of 10% per annum and $8.87 costs of suit. Said [504]*504judgment, which constituted a lien against the property of Martha J. Lord, was duly abstracted and recorded in the proper records of Sabine County.

On the 25th day of May, 1945, by judgment in the District Court of Sabine County, Texas, the judgment lien was duly and legally foreclosed and ordered the Clerk to issue an Order of Sale directing the Sheriff or any Constable of Sabine County, Texas, to seize and sell Martha J.

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Related

Burns v. Goodrich
392 S.W.2d 689 (Texas Supreme Court, 1965)

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Bluebook (online)
382 S.W.2d 501, 1964 Tex. App. LEXIS 2823, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burns-v-goodrich-texapp-1964.