Edwards v. Sheets

185 P.2d 1001, 66 Ariz. 213, 1947 Ariz. LEXIS 114
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 27, 1947
DocketNo. 4934.
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 185 P.2d 1001 (Edwards v. Sheets) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Edwards v. Sheets, 185 P.2d 1001, 66 Ariz. 213, 1947 Ariz. LEXIS 114 (Ark. 1947).

Opinion

STANFORD, Chief Justice.

Appellee brought this action in the trial court as plaintiff to restrain appellants (defendants) from using certain lands claimed by appellee as a right of way. In addition to the request for injunction in the action brought, there was also a request for the definite establishment of the originally dedicated right of way, it being claimed by appellee that appellants had encroached upon and fenced the true street, and were using instead appellee’s roadway.

On October 7, 1896, the New England Land Company filed in the office of the county recorder of Maricopa County, Arizona, the plat of Woodford Addition, which was therein recorded in Book 2 of Maps at page 54. This map (of the lots, blocks, and streets of Woodford Addition to Glendale, Arizona) covered all of Section 8, T 2 N, R 2 E, Maricopa County, except 80 acres. The addition was surveyed and *215 platted by H. R. Robinson, surveyor, and the plat purports to be a true and correct map of said Woodford Addition to Glendale, showing the lots, blocks, and dimensions of the same and the width of all streets, and dedicates the streets to the public.

Some of appellants herein own property to the south of the property of this appellee, and, as stated, there was a street between the property to the south and appellee’s Lot 10, and said right of way was established with the filing of the townsite plat by the New England Land Company in 1896.

On June 22, 1944, appellee filed a plat subdividing said Lot 10 (which consists of approximately 10 acres) of the Woodford Addition under the name of Sheets Addition, and sold lots from same.

Appellants defended this action by alleging:

“* * * that a right of way approximately 50 feet in width runs east and west between Blocks 1 and 2 of Woodford Addition, from 10th Avenue (the east boundary line of the present City of Glendale) to a highway known as Lateral 17. That appellants own the lands located on the south side thereof and that they and their predecessors in interest have used said private right of way by peaceable and adverse possession for more than 10 years preceding the institution of this suit, and that said right of way includes the identical land claimed by appellee to be owned by him, and that appellee’s cause of action did not arise within 10 years next before the commencement of this action.”

Also defendant filed a cross complaint for damages for obstructing said private right of way and preventing áppellants from using the same. ''

For a better understanding of the location of the property of the prespective parties hereto, Lot 10 owned by appellee is located in Block 1 of the aforesaid Wood-ford Addition, and the property of appellants is located in Lot 1, Block 2, lying directly south thereof.

The case was tried by the court with jury and one interrogatory was submitted to them, being as follows:

“Have the defendants and their predecessors in interest used the roadway as now existing west from Lateral 17 to Tenth Avenue through Woodford Addition to Glendale, Maricopa County, Arizona, peaceably, adversely, openly and continuously for a period of not less than ten years prior to July 7, 1945, the date of the filing of the complaint herein?
“Answer. No.”

And from the negative answer to that interrogatory, the court rendered its judgment. From that judgment and motion for new trial this appeal is taken.

Appellants have several-.assignments of error supported by many propositions of law, but we think that from the following *216 assignments of error we can do justice to appellants in the disposition of this case:

“That no evidence has been adduced showing that the dedication of a public highway attempted by the filing of the plat of Woodford Addition has ever been accepted, actually or constructively.
“That no evidence has been adduced showing that the alleged public highway .was ever located as a public highway by the Board of Supervisors, or that same was ever recorded as a public highway by authority of said Board of Supervisors.”

The court erred in finding and adjudging .that .the attempted dedication of a public highway by the filing and recording of a plat of Woodford Addition, by New England Land Company, on October 7th, 1896, had been accepted, for the reason that said finding and adjudication does not conform to the pleadings or the proof.

The court erred in propounding and submitting to the jury the single interrogatory heretofore set forth haec verba, as said interrogatory did not embody or relate lo any issue of fact joined by the pleadings.

The case of Butler v. Quinn, 40 Ariz. 446, 14 P.2d 250, 252, is one where appellee had brought an action against appellants to enjoin appellants from obstructing and blocking a certain private lane north of the City of Phoenix. In many respects the case is similar to the one at bar. In -bringing about an agreement for the division of two 80-acre tracts of land adjacent to each other and comprising the southwest quarter of the section, a temporary map showing a lane at a certain place was agreed, to by all persons, and someone without authority recorded the said map. From the body of the opinion we quote:

“Public records are, of . course, notice to all persons of the existence and contents of their properly recorded documents. Section 972, Rev. Code 1928; Arizona Land, etc., Co. v. Markus, 37 Ariz. 530, 296 P. 251; Lewis v. State, 32 Ariz. 182, 256 P. 1048. Had plaintiffs made a search of these records, as reasonably prudent men would do before making the purchase of the property they now own, they would have found that their predecessor in interest had deeded to them property whose boundaries were described as being shown on a certain map. They would also have found that the owners of the property adjoining them to the north had.by various deeds recognized and accepted the boundaries shown in such map as being the boundaries of tract A, as shown thereon. They would further have found that the only map answering the description set forth in all of these deeds was the map which was offered and received in evidence. Having received notice from the county records that defendants had accepted the boundaries of their property, as shown by a certain map, we think when they made their purchase that they were entitled to rely on the declarations of defendants to the *217 effect that the boundaries as shown in such map were the true ones, and the rights of way shown therein were recognized by the latter. It would make no difference for this purpose whether the map in question were properly recorded or not. The vital point is that the recorded deeds referred to it in such a manner that it could be definitely and positively identified. Since they did, it is immaterial whether it was in the possession of the county recorder legally or illegally, or whether it were anywhere else.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
185 P.2d 1001, 66 Ariz. 213, 1947 Ariz. LEXIS 114, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/edwards-v-sheets-ariz-1947.