Cochrane v. McDonald

4 Coffey 533
CourtSuperior Court of California, County of San Francisco
DecidedJuly 9, 1894
DocketNo. 44,368
StatusPublished

This text of 4 Coffey 533 (Cochrane v. McDonald) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cochrane v. McDonald, 4 Coffey 533 (Cal. Super. Ct. 1894).

Opinion

COFFEY, J.

Upon the oral argument of the motion which was made on behalf of all the defendants in the action, except Maurice Dore and Maggie McNealy, the court intimated that it was inclined to deny the motion, for the reasons that the suit does not involve the determination of an estate or interest in real property, and that it could not say, from the pleadings, that the defendant, Maurice Dore, who is the only defendant who resided, at the time of the commencement of the suit, or now resides, in the city and county of San Francisco, was not a necessary party defendant. Counsel for the motion, Mr. Hunsaker, has undertaken to answer these two objections in the order stated. Does this action involve the determination of an estate or interest in real property ? Code Civ. Proc., sec. 392.

So much of section 392 of the Code of Civil Procedure as is pertinent to the question now being considered is in the following words: “Actions for the following causes must be tried in the county in which the subject of the action, or some part thereof, is situated, subject to the power of the court to change the place of trial as provided in this code: 1. For the recovery [534]*534of real property, or of an estate or interest therein, or for the determination, in any form, of such right or interest.”

It will be observed, says counsel, that this language is mandatory, and requires that an action for the determination, in any form, of a right or interest in real property must be tried in the county in which the subject of the action, or some part of it, is situated. Section 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides that “the code establishes the law of this state respecting the subjects to which it relates, and its provisions and all proceedings under it are to be liberally construed, with a view to effect its objects and promote justice.” The manifest purpose of the legislature in enacting section 392 of the Code of Civil Procedure was to make all actions local which, in any manner, involved the determination of any right, interest, or estate, in real property. The provisions of this section are not limited to actions involving the title to real property, but embrace all actions which, in any manner, no matter what the form of the action may be, call for the determination of a right or interest in real property. The actions to which this section applies are local, and not transitory, and the jurisdiction of the superior court is made to depend upon the situation of the real property.

It appears from the allegations of the complaint that the only subject matter of this suit is real property, namely, the Rancho Jamul, situated in San Diego county, in this state, and that the object of the action is to have the stipulation, a copy of which is set forth in plaintiff’s complaint, and certain orders modifying the order of sale made by the superior court of the county of San Diego in the matter of the estate of General Henry S. Burton, deceased, vacated and set aside, for the sole purpose of relieving this real property from at least a portion of the allowances made by the superior court of the county of San Diego, sitting in probate, as a widow’s allowance to Mrs. Burton, and as costs, charges and expenses of administration, consisting of attorney’s fees, administrator’s commissions, etc. It will thus be seen that the very purpose of the suit is to obtain a determination of this court affecting an interest in real property. These costs and charges of administration constitute and are a lien on the Rancho Jamul, [535]*535and the superior court of the county of San Diego has fixed the amount of such costs and damages, and made its order directing a sale of this identical real property for the purpose of paying the same, and made certain orders modifying the order of sale, which modifying orders are sought to be vacated by the decree of this court, and to thereby affect these liens upon such real property. The only rights asserted by the plaintiffs in their complaint to maintain this action is based upon the averment that the plaintiffs are heirs at law of General Henry S. Burton, deceased. This is the only interest which they have, or can have, in the Rancho Jamul; upon the truth of this averment as to heirship depends the right of the plaintiffs to maintain this action.

It will not do to say, in answer to this, that, as heirs at law, they might maintain a suit to have the alleged improper allowances set aside, for they, as heirs at law of General Burton, are not personally liable upon such allowances, and can have no interest therein, except as the same might affect their right to receive a one-sixth interest in the residue of his estate upon final distribution. It thus appears that the only subject matter of the suit is real property, and that the very foundation of the plaintiff’s asserted right to maintain this suit is based upon a claim which necessarily involves the determination of an estate or interest in such real property. Counsel for the motion claims that the correctness of this contention will clearly appear upon' a consideration of the language of the supreme court in the case of Sloss v. De Toro, 77 Cal. 129, 19 Pac. 233. On page 132 (of 77 Cal.) the court, after stating the facts set forth in the plaintiff’s complaint, and quoting the language of section.395 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and also from the language used in section 395, say: “The question then is, Did this action require the determination in any form of a right or interest in real property? It seems to us that it did. The main purpose of the action undoubtedly was, to have an alleged fraudulent sale of land set aside, and the title revested in its former owners. This purpose could only be accomplished by showing, first, that the plaintiff had an estate or interest in the land, and, second, that the defendants had wrongfully tried to deprive him of that interest. [536]*536If the action had been ejectment or to quiet title, it would not more clearly have required a determination as to the plaintiff’s right or interest in the property.”

It will be seen, say counsel, upon an examination of the statement of facts in the case of Sloss v. De Toro, that the plaintiff in that action was the owner of ah undivided interest in the real property in controversy, as the grantee of the widow of Olvera, the deceased; that an order had been made by the superior court of Los Angeles county -authorizing De Toro, as administrator of the estate of Olvera, to sell certain real property, and that a sale had been made by him pursuant to such order, and an order had been made confirming such a sale. The syllabus states that a deed had been made by the administrator, but the facts stated in the opinion do not bear out this portion of the syllabus, and an examination of the transcript on file in the office of the clerk of the supreme court will disclose the fact that there was nothing in the ease showing that a deed had been made. Counsel claims that the case is, therefore, directly in point here.

It will be observed, argues counsel, that the language quoted from the opinion of the court in the case of Sloss v. De Toro places the decision distinctly upon the ground that it was incumbent upon the plaintiff in that action (who was a grantee of an heir of the deceased), to establish an interest in the land, and forcibly says that, if the action had been ejectment or to quiet title, it would not more clearly have required a determination as to the plaintiff’s right or interest in the property.

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Bluebook (online)
4 Coffey 533, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cochrane-v-mcdonald-calsuppctsf-1894.