Davis v. Gourdin

831 P.2d 497, 16 Brief Times Rptr. 696, 1992 Colo. App. LEXIS 138, 1992 WL 82082
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 23, 1992
DocketNo. 90CA1724
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 831 P.2d 497 (Davis v. Gourdin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. Gourdin, 831 P.2d 497, 16 Brief Times Rptr. 696, 1992 Colo. App. LEXIS 138, 1992 WL 82082 (Colo. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge RULAND.

Defendant, LDS, Inc., appeals from that part of the trial court’s judgment granting plaintiffs, Larry B. and Marie C. Davis, David G. and Bonnie S. Groubert, and Bet[498]*498ty J. Laporte, $25,155 in attorney fees. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand with instructions.

In 1971, LDS obtained approval from Las Animas County for the Spanish Highlands subdivision. Plaintiffs purchased three adjacent parcels of land in the subdivision from LDS.

To access their parcels, each plaintiff used a road which crossed both a parcel of land owned in co-tenancy by defendants, David L, Ronald L., and Gustave D. Gour-din and Columbine Mazza, and a second parcel owned by defendants, William A. and Thelma M. Staub (the Record Owners). The parties in effect agree that a warranty of the right to use the road was included as an appurtenance in the Colorado statutory short form warranty deeds from LDS to plaintiffs. See § 38-30-113, C.R.S. (1982 Repl.Vol. 16A).

In 1975, Ronald Gourdin, representing himself as the sole owner of all the land traversed by the road, sold an easement to LDS and its successors for use of the road. Further, in 1979, LDS and the Davises entered into an indemnity agreement whereby LDS guaranteed to the Davises a private right-of-way across the road. In addition, this agreement provided that LDS would defend and hold the Davises harmless against any claims or disputes concerning the road.

Following a series of incidents involving the road, in 1986, plaintiffs brought suit against the Record Owners, the County, and LDS, requesting injunctive and declaratory relief as well as attorney fees from LDS.

Specifically, plaintiffs alleged that defendant David Gourdin prevented them from grading and maintaining the road and that, on one occasion, Gourdin prevented their use of the road by erecting a fence across it. Plaintiffs requested an injunction to prevent the Record Owners from interfering with their use or maintenance of the road.

As to their declaratory claim, plaintiffs requested judgment determining either that their access road was a public road and should be maintained by the County or that they had a private easement to use and to maintain the road based on prescriptive use. The claims against the Record Owners and the County were severed for trial prior to resolution of plaintiffs’ claim for attorney fees against LDS.

Following trial of the claims against the Record Owners and the County, the court first ruled that the access road was not a public road and that, therefore, it need not be maintained by the County. However, the trial court also ruled that plaintiffs and their predecessors had used the road openly and continuously since 1917 and, consequently, they had acquired a prescriptive easement for that use.

Following trial of the claim against LDS, the court awarded attorney fees of $25,155 to plaintiffs. As to the Davis plaintiffs, the award was based upon the indemnity agreement, breach of deed warranty, and the wrongful acts doctrine. As to the other plaintiffs, the award was based upon the breach of deed warranty and the wrongful act doctrine.

I

LDS initially contends that there was no breach of the warranties in its deeds to plaintiffs and that, therefore, the court erred in awarding fees on this theory. The basis for this argument is the trial court’s finding that plaintiffs acquired rights to use of the road by prescription. As a result, LDS concludes that it had no duty under the deeds to defend claims asserted by “trespassers” because § 38-30-113(2)(c), C.R.S. (1982 Repl.Vol. 16A) obligates LDS to defend the title only against “lawful claims.” Under the circumstances of this case, we concur with the trial court’s ruling.

It is undisputed that LDS had secured a conveyance authorizing use of the road from only one of the Record Owners. See Seyfried v. Knoblauch, 44 Colo. 86, 96 P. 993 (1908) (conveyance of a smaller fractional interest than represented in deed violates warranty). Conversely, the Record Owners may not properly be characterized as trespassers because they retain rights to [499]*499use the road as well. Finally, to enforce judicially the prescriptive title, it was necessary for plaintiffs to obtain a decree defining their right of use as against the Record Owners. See Spring Valley Estates, Inc. v. Cunningham, 181 Colo. 435, 510 P.2d 386 (1973). Under these circumstances, we conclude that the Record Owners held a “lawful claim” and the issue for resolution was the extent of that claim.

Further, contrary to the argument of LDS, we do not view Stearns v. Jewel, 27 Colo.App. 390, 149 P. 846 (1915), and Rittmaster v. Richner, 14 Colo.App. 361, 60 P. 189 (1900) as requiring that an award of fees be denied because the claims of the Record Owners have been adjudicated as “unlawful.” In Stearns, the court held that there was no breach of deed warranty because the possession of a part of the deeded property was relinquished when the possessor learned that the parcel was not within the boundaries of his property. In Rittmaster, a tenant of the grantor refused to give up possession to the grantee based upon false allegations that the tenant had acquired a tax title for the property-

Unlike Stearns and Rittmaster, here, as noted, the Record Owners have lawful claims to the road and the issue resolved was the extent of their rights. As a result, attorney fees to establish rights to use the road were properly awarded as damages for breach of the deed warranties. See Smith v. Keeley, 146 Iowa 660, 125 N.W. 669 (1910) (grantee is entitled to attorney fees for defeating outstanding legal title lost through laches); Bloom v. Hendricks, 111 N.M. 250, 804 P.2d 1069 (1991) (grantee entitled to recover attorney fees for defending title if grantor had actual or constructive notice of a potential adverse claim at time of conveyance); Annot., 61 A.L.R. 10 at 161 (1929).

II

LDS next alleges that before bringing suit against the Record Owners, plaintiffs did not afford LDS the “opportunity” to litigate the parties’ rights regarding use of the road. We find no merit in this contention.

Even if we assume that being named as a party defendant in the litigation did not provide LDS the opportunity to contest the claims of the Record Owners, see Seyfried v. Knoblauch, supra, LDS did not assert this type of affirmative defense in its pleadings or pre-trial data certificate. Therefore, it is precluded from asserting this contention for the first time on appeal. See Matthews v. Tri-County Water Conservancy District, 200 Colo. 202, 613 P.2d 889 (1980).

Ill

LDS next contends that the trial court erred in awarding attorney fees to any of the plaintiffs for their attempt to establish that portions of the road were public and to establish that the County was, therefore, obligated to maintain the road. We agree.

Plaintiffs do not contend that the warranty in the statutory form deeds from LDS may be construed as including a guarantee that the road was a public road.

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Bluebook (online)
831 P.2d 497, 16 Brief Times Rptr. 696, 1992 Colo. App. LEXIS 138, 1992 WL 82082, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-gourdin-coloctapp-1992.