Davis v. Realty Exchange, Inc.

488 S.W.2d 913, 1973 Mo. LEXIS 837
Supreme Court of Missouri·Decided January 8, 1973·No. No. 55939·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

HENLEY, Judge.

This is a suit in three counts brought by three sets of plaintiffs to quiet title to three separate adjoining tracts of real estate (one owned by each), in Jefferson county.1 Trial to the court without a jury resulted in judgment for the plaintiffs, from which defendants have appealed. This appeal was properly pending in this court on January 1, 1972; therefore, we retain jurisdiction as required by the schedule (§ 31) to the 1970 amendment of Article V, Constitution of Missouri, V.A. M.S. We affirm.

The three tracts together form a rectangular shaped tract approximately 50 feet wide (north-south) and 231 feet long (east-west), part of an addition to the Original Town of Hillsboro. It is bounded on the north by land owned by plaintiffs William H. and Betty J. Davis (hereinafter Davis), husband and wife, and land owned by Katherine E. Reilly and her daughter (hereinafter Reilly) ; on the west and south by a tract owned by Jefferson Trust Company (hereinafter Jefferson Trust) ; and on the east by a tract owned by a corporation, which, incidentally and unimportantly, is not a party to this suit. The record title to the rectangular shaped area is not in dispute and is vested in Realty Exchange, Inc., and the heirs of Sullivan Frazier who died about the year 1905. The three plaintiffs (Davis, Jefferson Trust and Reilly) claim title to the three separate parts of the rectangular shaped property by ten years and more adverse possession and none of them claims any interest in that part claimed by a co-plaintiff. Plaintiffs Davis claim title to the tract described in count I of the petition; plaintiff Jefferson Trust to the tract described in count II; and plaintiffs Reilly to that described in count III.

The rectangular shaped area (sometimes referred to as the “disputed tract”), show[914]*914ing the parts thereof claimed by plaintiffs and the relative positions of the adjoining tracts the record title to which is owned by them, resembles the following sketch:

Although defendants appealed from the judgment in favor of each of the three plaintiffs, they frankly concede in their brief that plaintiffs Reilly acquired title by adverse possession of that part of the disputed tract described in count III, shown on the above sketch east and north of the two “Old Fence” lines. Defendants have thus abandoned their appeal from the judgment as to this area with the result that the judgment of the trial court on count III will stand affirmed.

The disputed tract, exclusive of the part thereof now conceded to be owned by Reilly, is part of two larger parcels of land, one owned by Davis on the north and the other by Jefferson Trust on the south and west, on which a shopping center was to be developed with Jefferson Trust’s banking house as the main facility.

We are met at the outset with a contention by defendants that there is an impermissible joinder of parties plaintiff (Rule 52.05(a))2 resulting in an impermissible joinder of claims (Rule 55.07), and, therefore, the court erred in failing either to (1) dismiss plaintiffs’ suit, or (2) sever the three counts and order separate trials; that for these reasons the judgment should be reversed and the cause remanded with directions that the counts be severed and separate trials had of each.

Defendants filed pre-trial motions to dismiss the suit on the ground “ * * * that several claims have been improperly united in this lawsuit and there is a misjoinder of causes of action [and] of parties plaintiff * * We note that defendants did not at any time move that the trial court order separate trials. The first suggestion that defendants desired separate trials of the separate claims of the respective plaintiffs is made in their brief in this court. Defendants, by their motion, requested only a dismissal and this in the face of the provision of Rule 52.06 [915]*915that “[m]isjoinder of parties is not ground for dismissal of an action.” Had defénd-ants desired that the court sever the claims and order separate trials of the three counts they should so have moved the court before the trial began. Fair and orderly procedure will not permit a party to fail to inform the trial court by motion of the action he desires that it take, and then, after a result unfavorable to him, take advantage of the court’s failure to take that action. Furthermore, plaintiffs’ petition to quiet title is in usual and common form and there is nothing therein or in defendants’ motions, nor is there anything in the record of pre-trial proceedings, from which we can say that the trial court could have determined that the right to relief asserted by plaintiffs did not arise “ * * * out of the same transaction, occurrence or series of transactions or occurrences * * * ” or that a “question of law or fact common to all of them * * * ” would not arise. Cf. State ex rel. Adrian Bank et al. v. Luten, Judge, 488 S.W.2d 636 (decided January 8, 1973, by this court en banc). Assuming, only for the purpose of ruling this point and without deciding, that there is a misjoinder of parties and claims, we should not, considering the facts and circumstances of this case, and therefore do not, order a remand to permit separate trials.

Defendants contend also that the evidence is not sufficient to support the judgments for Davis and Jefferson Trust, that plaintiffs failed to sustain their burden of proof, and, therefore, the court erred in entering judgment in their favor.

“The principles of law governing the issue upon which this case turns are conceded; that is, the elements requisite to establish title by adverse possession are these: ‘(1) That the possession must be hostile; that is, under a claim of right; (2) actual; (3) open and notorious; (4) exclusive; and (5) continuous. The burden of proof as to each of these elements is upon the person asserting title through adverse possession.’ State ex rel. Edie v. Shain, 348 Mo. 119, 152 S.W.2d 174, 176; Bell v. Barrett, Mo., 76 S.W.2d 394, 397. The question then becomes simply that of the effect of the proofs adduced * * *. This being a court-tried case, it is to be reviewed ‘upon both the law and the evidence as in suits of an equitable nature. The judgment shall not be set aside unless clearly erroneous, and due regard shall be given to the opportunity of the trial court to judge of the credibility of the witnesses.’ Sup.Ct. Rule 73.01(d), V.A.M.R.” Carlisle v. Keeling, 347 S.W.2d 191, 194—195 [1, 3] (Mo., 1961).

The Davis record tract was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Davis in June, 1968, from Eva Golterman, who had acquired it in February, 1953, from Martin Burgess and wife. The Jefferson Trust record tract consists of four parcels, the locations and former owners of which are indicated on the above sketch. We will refer to these as the McKinney, Salisbury, Hahn and King tracts. The King tract is unimportant so far as is concerned these plaintiffs’ claim of adverse possession to that part of the disputed tract not acquired by Reilly. Jefferson Trust purchased the McKinney tract in December, 1968, from Howard A. McKinney who had acquired it in August, 1946, from Richard H. Hoeken.

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Davis v. Realty Exchange, Inc., 488 S.W.2d 913, 1973 Mo. LEXIS 837 (Mo. 1973).

488 S.W.2d 913 (Davis v. Realty Exchange, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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