Edmison v. Crutsinger

1933 OK 422, 25 P.2d 1103, 165 Okla. 252, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 309
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 5, 1933
Docket20557
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 1933 OK 422 (Edmison v. Crutsinger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Edmison v. Crutsinger, 1933 OK 422, 25 P.2d 1103, 165 Okla. 252, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 309 (Okla. 1933).

Opinion

RILEY, G. J.

This action involves the title to 160 acres of land located in Hughes county, being the S. E. ^4 of section 24, township 9' N., range 8 E. said land having-been allotted to Jennie Simon; the southeast 40 is her homestead allotment and the remainder is her surplus allotment. She brings this action to recover the land under the name of Jennie Edmison, nee Simon, but for convenience she will be hereinafter referred to as Jennie Simon.

Jennie Simon was regularly enrolled as a one-eighth blood citizen of the Creek Nation. Her age is one of the principal issues in this case, the question being whether she was born on August 6, 1892, or August 6, 1893.

On July 13, 1907, she executed a warranty deed conveying lie.r surplus allotment to J. F. Smith. On March 2, 1908, she deeded the same land to J. E. Gentry. July 28, 1908, she executed a warranty deed for the entire quarter section to J. B. Cox. August 1, 190S, she executed a quitclaim deed to J. B. Cox covering the entire quarter section. The foregoing conveyances are all conceded to have been made while she was a minor.

On February 17, 1911, she executed a warranty deed conveying the entire quarter section to Alee Melton. On February 23, 1911, she executed a deed conveying the entire quarter section to J. R. Green. May 1, 1911, she executed a warranty deed covering the homestead allotment to J. A. Chapman, and on the same day executed a warranty deed conveying her surplus allotment to O. C. Gafford.

Based upon the above deeds and mesne conveyances, defendants in this action claimed title; but, in addition thereto, she executed a deed dated February 23, 1925, conveying said land to Herman Shepard.

The above deeds, except the last one, are assailed in this action by Jennie Simon and her coplaintiffs, who claim under later conveyances, upon the ground tnat they were all executed by Jennie Simon while a minor, and without the approval of the county court. As to the deed dated February 23, 1925, it is assailed as being procured by fraud and without any consideration.

Defendants rely upon the grounds: (1) That Jennie Simon reached her majority on or before February 17, 1911, and that the deeds, or, at least, some of them, executed by her between the 17th day of February, and May 1, 1911, inclusive, were valid and binding, and that thereafter she had no title to convey and could convey none to her co-plaintiffs ; (2) that the statute of limitations has run'as to the deeds so executed before the commencement of this action; and (3) there was no fraud in the procurement Of the deed dated February 28, 1925, but alleged to have been actually executed on March 3, 1925.

This action was commenced in the district court of Hughes county on July 2, 1927, in three causes of action. The first is in ejectment; the second is for damages; and the third is for cancellation of the several deeds and conveyances under which defendants claim.

Defendants in their answer admit that they are in possession, and assert that their claim of title is based upon the warranty deed of Jennie Simon to J. R. Green dated February 23, 1911, and the deed of Jennie Simon to James A. Chapman, dated May 1, 1911, and the deed of Jennie Simon to C. C. Gafford, dated May, 1911.

They then plead that they and their predecessors had been in possession of said premises under color of title for more than 15 years prior to the institution of this suit in Hughes county, alleging that they and their grantors and predecessors had been in open, notorious, peaceable, and exclusive possession of the premises since March 2, 1908. They specifically pleaded that they had been in open, notorious, and peaceable possession for a period of more than 15 years from and after the time when Jennie Simon, by the allegations of her petition, admits that she became 18 years of age, viz., August 6, 1911. They plead subdivision 4, section 183, C. O. S. 1921, which provides that an action for the recovery of real estate not otherwise provided in said section must be brought within 15 years after the cause of action accrues. They further plead section 8554, C. 10. S. 1921, which provides:

“Occupancy for the period prescribed by Civil Procedure, or any law of this state as sufficient to bar an action for the recovery of the property, confers a title thereto, denominated a title by prescription, which is sufficient against all.”

They expressly deny that the deed to Herman Shepard, dated May 23, 1925, was without consideration or was procured by fraud.

By cross-petition defendants allege that Jennie Simon reached her majority and became of lawful age on or before February 17, 1911; they plead the deed of February *254 17, 1911, from Jennie Simon to Alec Melton, a subsequent deed from Melton to J. R-. Green, the warranty deed of Jennie Simon to J. R. Green, dated February 23, 1911, the deed of May 1, 1911, from Jennie Simon to J. A. Chapman, the deed of May 1, 1911, to O. O. Gafford and various mesne conveyances by which the record title was passed to defendants; the mesne conveyances being too numerous to set out herein. They also plead the deed of Jennie Simon to Herman Shepard, and plead that they together with their grantors had been in peaceable possession of. said premises since February 17, 1911, and plead title by prescription as provided by section 8554, supra. They then plead a number of conveyances from Jennie Simon to her coplaintiffs made subsequent to May 7, 1911, and allege that they constitute clouds upon the title of defendants. They pray for their cancellation and by another cause of action claim $50,000 damages against the plaintiffs.

iBy reply plaintiffs specifically deny that defendants had been in possession of the premises for more than 15 years before the commencement of this action. They allege that, although defendants may have been in possession for more than 15 years before the commencement of this action, all of which they deny, this action is not barred f or the reason that Jennie Simon, then being the owner of the land, commenced an action in the district court of Hughes county on February 24, 1924, for the recovery of said land, which action was dismissed without prejudice March 21, 1925; that on March 31, 1925, Jennie Simon, and the other plaintiffs herein, who had acquired their interests in the premises subsequent to February 24, 1925, commenced another action in the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Oklahoma for the recovery of said land, which action they plead was finally dismissed without prejudice on motion of the defendants April 25, 1927; that said action failed otherwise than upon the merits, and that this action was com menced within one year after the dismissal of the latter action.

The cause was tried to a jury, and at the close of plaintiffs’ evidence, defendants demurred thereto, which demurrer was sustained and the jury was directed to return a verdict for the defendants. The defendants, apparently at the suggestion of the trial court, abandoned their claim for damages. The trial court in sustaining the demurrer dictated into the record a lecture to the jury containing some 500 words, explaining why it felt compelled to sustain the demurrer.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1933 OK 422, 25 P.2d 1103, 165 Okla. 252, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 309, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/edmison-v-crutsinger-okla-1933.