Butler v. Emerson

202 S.W.2d 599, 211 Ark. 707, 1947 Ark. LEXIS 601
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMay 19, 1947
Docket4-8209
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 202 S.W.2d 599 (Butler v. Emerson) 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
Butler v. Emerson, 202 S.W.2d 599, 211 Ark. 707, 1947 Ark. LEXIS 601 (Ark. 1947).

Opinion

Ed. P. MoPaddin, Justice.

The question for decision is, whether there 'was such a dedication of a street as to irrevocably bind the grantor against a subsequent claim of individual ownership.

In the early part of 1946, the appellee, Mrs. Alice G. Emerson, being the owner of certain acreage, platted the same into lots and blocks, and sold some of the lots to various parties, among whom were the appellants. When Mrs. Emerson made the sale to the appellants, she gave them a plat which showed the streets, alleys, lots and blocks, as follows:

[[Image here]]

The warranty deed from Mrs. Emerson to appellants (J. L. and Hassie E. Butler), dated April 30,1946, recited a cash consideration of $2,000, and described the property as follows:

“A tract of land being 265 feet north and south on Johnson Street, and 140 feet east and west, between West 26th and West 27th streets, described as follows: Beginning at a point on the southwest corner of West 26th Street and Johnson Street, . . . thence south along the west side of Johnson Street, 265 feet to the northwest corner of "West 27th and Johnson streets; thence west along the north side of West 27th Street, 140 feet to a point on the east side of the alley, thence north along the east side of the alley 265 feet to the south side of West 26th Street; thence east 140 feet along the south side of West 26th Street to the point of beginning, in Pulaski county, Arkansas. ’ ’

It will be observed, by reference to the plat, that the property conveyed to appellants consisted of 5 lots bounded on the north by West 26th.Street, on the east by Johnson Street’, on the south by West 27th Street, and on the west by an alley. We will refer to this conveyed property as “the Butler lots.” At the time of the said conveyance, Johnson Street was open and in use. The alley west of the Butler lots was subsequently opened and placed in use; but so much of West 27th Street as lay south of the Butler lots was not then, and has never subsequently been, graded or used by the public.

On May 10, 1946, the City Planning Commission of Little Rock advised Mrs. Emerson that the City of Little Rock did not then desire to have West 27th Street opened from Johnson Street west to Allis Street, and also did not then desire to have opened the alley immediately west of the Butler lots. The Planning Commission also designated a “turn-around” on West 27th Street at the end of Allis Street, and designated as a “playground” all that part of West 27th Street immediately south of the Butler lots. Acting on these decisions from the Little Rock City Planning Commission, Mrs. Emerson claimed the alley and “playground” as her own; and she was negotiating a sale thereof to a third person, when, on June 17, 1946, appellants filed -the complaint herein, in which they sought (1) to enjoin Mrs. Emerson from selling any of the property shown on the plat as West 27th Street, and also (2) to enjoin her from closing and claiming the alley west of the Butler lots. The prayer of the complaint was:

“That the court enter an order declaring the street and alley above described as public property and enjoining the defendant from transferring the title thereto or attempting in any wise to claim private ownership to said street and alley or in any wise closing or molesting same;

The defendant, by answer, said:

“ . . . that she previously had had this and other property surveyed into lots, and purposed to dedicate a certain part of said property to the public for streets and alleys. At the time of the sale of the property to the plaintiffs, the defendant stated to the plaintiffs that she intended to dedicate the fifty (50) feet immediately south of the property purchased by the plaintiffs from the defendant, to the public for use as a street, but that such property has never been used as a street, way or otherwise by the public.

“The defendant attempted to make this dedication according to the statutes of the State of Arkansas, but the City Planning Commission of the City of Little Rock refused to accept the dedication as shown upon the plat filed with the City Planning Commission.”

At the trial it was agreed that Mrs. Emerson had given the appellants a plat similar to the one shown here, and had, in fact, intended to file a formal deed of dedication covering West 27th Street and the alley, but had . never opened the said street. Mrs. Emerson claimed that she had the right to revoke her attempted and intended dedication of the street, since West 27th Street hacL not in fact been opened, and the city did not want to accept so much of said street and alley as lay adjacent to plaintiff’s property.' The chancery court enjoined Mrs. Emerson from blocking or closing or claiming the alley, but denied the plaintiffs any relief as to the property described as West 27th Street, saying:

“ It is further adjudged and decreed that there is no street immediately south of the property purchased by the plaintiffs from the defendant and that the title to the land south of such property is vested in the defendant in fee and the plaintiffs have no interest therein. ’ ’

From that decree the plaintiffs (Butlers) have appealed. The defendant, Mrs. Emerson, has not appealed from the decree regarding the alley, so we consider only the appellants’ prayed relief as to West 27th Street. There are two questions: (1) was there a dedication; and, if so, (2) was such dedication irrevocable,? There are many cases of this court that deal with various phases of dedication. Some of these cases are: Moore v. Little Rock, 42 Ark. 66; Holly Grove v. Smith, 63 Ark. 5, 37 S. W. 956; Hope v. Shiver, 77 Ark. 177, 90 S. W. 1003; Davies v. Epstein, 77 Ark. 221, 92 S. W. 19; Dickinson v. Ark. City Imp. Co., 77 Ark. 570, 92 S. W. 21, 113 Am. St. Rep. 170; Brewer v. Pine Bluff, 80 Ark. 489, 97 S. W. 1034; Stuttgart v. John, 85 Ark. 520, 109 S. W. 541; Paragould v. Lawson, 88 Ark. 478, 115 S. W. 379; Frauenthal v. Slaten, 91 Ark. 351, 121 S. W. 395; Matthews v. Bloodworth, 111 Ark. 545, 165 S. W. 263; Balmat v. Argenta, 123 Ark. 175, 184 S. W. 445; Mebane v. City of Wynne, 127 Ark. 364, 192 S. W. 221; Porter v. Stuttgart, 135 Ark. 48, 204 S. W. 607; Holthoff v. Joyce, 174 Ark. 248, 294 S. W. 1006; McGee v. Swearengen, 194 Ark. 735, 109 S. W. 2d 444; Jennings v. Russell, 209 Ark. 71, 189 S. W. 2d 656; Gowers v. Van Buren, 210 Ark. 776, 197 S. W. 2d 741. We list these as “background cases” to the particular questions here under consideration; and now, in proceeding with the questions, we will refer to the parties as they were styled in the trial court — i. e., plaintiffs and defendant.

I. Was There a Dedication¶ The defendant did not record the plat, but she furnished a copy to the plaintiffs when she delivered to them their deed and received their money; and furnishing a copy of the plat, under the facts herein, was just as effective, between the parties, as recordation would have been. The deed made reference to West 27th Street as being south of the property conveyed to the plaintiffs. These acts by the defendant constituted a dedication. In Moore v. Little Rock, supra, Mr. Justice W. W.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Lancaster v. Inc. Town of Mountain View
300 S.W.2d 603 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1957)
Incorporated Town of Mountain View v. Lackey
278 S.W.2d 653 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1955)
Barbee v. Carpenter
267 S.W.2d 768 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1954)
Wynn Motel Hotel, Inc. v. City of Texarkana
230 S.W.2d 649 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1950)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
202 S.W.2d 599, 211 Ark. 707, 1947 Ark. LEXIS 601, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/butler-v-emerson-ark-1947.