Freelon v. Adrian

118 P. 220, 161 Cal. 13, 1911 Cal. LEXIS 390
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 26, 1911
DocketL.A. No. 2520.
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 118 P. 220 (Freelon v. Adrian) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Freelon v. Adrian, 118 P. 220, 161 Cal. 13, 1911 Cal. LEXIS 390 (Cal. 1911).

Opinion

LORIGAN, J.

In 1886 plaintiff owned a large tract of land in Santa Barbara County, a portion of which she platted into lots and blocks and the map thereof entitled “Map of Las Piedras Addition to the City of Santa Barbara, Cal,” was on February 10, 1888, recorded in the records of Santa Barbara County, having endorsed thereon a duly acknowledged grant, dedication, and abandonment to the public of a right of way over the streets platted on the map, which included among others, certain streets, named Freelon Avenue, Live Oak Avenue, Loma, Oren a, and Montgomery Streets, which were laid out on the map as affording access to the lots in the blocks and also bounding the blocks thereon.

On May 14, 1892, plaintiff executed to William Barber a deed absolute im form, but intended as a mortgage, which deed described the tract conveyed by metes and bounds and included within its exterior limits, among other lands, the Las Piedras Addition, although no reference was made to the addition or the map thereof save to except from the conveyance a few lots and blocks described by reference to the map thereof. In 1895 this mortgage was foreclosed, and in that year the sheriff of the county of Santa Barbara issued to William Barber as purchaser at the execution sale under said decree of foreclosure a deed, which was duly recorded, and which, as far as involved here, conveyed part of the property mortgaged by designated lots and blocks as delineated on the map of the Las Piedras Addition, and another part of said addition, lying north of Freelon Avenue as delineated on said map, by metes and bounds, the north line of Freelon Avenue being referred to as the southern boundary, which, with the other general boundaries, described an acreage of fifty one acres.

On December 9, 1895, William Barber conveyed to Sheffield and Edwards the fifty one acres lying north of the north line of Freelon Avenue and described in the deed from the sheriff *15 by metes and bounds, and in 1900 William Barber made a gift deed to his wife Elizabeth J. Barber of the other property described in the sheriff’s deed to him.

On October 3, 1901, Elizabeth J. Barber and Sheffield and Edwards decided to change the course of Freelon Avenue and for that purpose entered into an agreement and interchanged deeds, the effect of which, as far as it could be done by the parties, was to vacate Freelon Avenue as delineated on the map of the Las Piedras Addition and to substitute therefor another avenue similarly named and running through the lands of Barber, Sheffield, and Edwards. This arrangement affected only that portion of Freelon Avenue lying between the lands of Mrs. Barber and those of Sheffield and Edwards.

Some four years subsequently Mrs. Barber had the Las Piedras Addition south of Freelon Avenue resurveyed and a new map thereof made. In such survey and map some of the streets were retained as originally established, but Live Oak Avenue and Loma, Montgomery, and Orena Streets were closed and abandoned. Freelon Avenue was also changed to conform to that avenue as relocated under the Barber, Sheffield, and Edwards agreement and deeds and thereby a portion of said avenue abandoned. This map was entitled, “Map of New Subdivision of a portion of the Las Piedras Addition to the City of Santa Barbara” and was filed for record on March 2, 1903, and on the same day the board of supervisors of Santa Barbara County (the lands being then outside the city limits of the city of Santa Barbara), upon the petition of Mrs. Barber theretofore filed consenting to and praying for an order for the abandonment of the avenues and streets above described, made an order abandoning and discontinuing them, and accepting the streets as delineated on the new map.

On February 21, 1908, plaintiff brought this action to quiet title to a large portion of the land described in the mortgage from her to William Barber, and the exterior limits of which embraced, together with other lands, that portion of the original, as well as the new plat of the Las Piedras Addition lying south of Freelon Avenue, including the avenue itself. A large number of persons were made defendants, but Elizabeth J. Barber was alone served with process. She answered, denying that plaintiff had any interest in the property, alleged *16 her own ownership to certain portions thereof which alone are actually involved in this controversy, pleaded also the statute of limitations and by cross-complaint asked that her title be quieted.

The findings of the court were in favor of defendant, except as to a small strip to which defendant disclaimed ownership and which was awarded to plaintiff, and from the judgment thereon entered against plaintiff and in favor of defendant quieting her title plaintiff appeals, as she likewise does from the order denying her motion for a new trial.

While under her complaint plaintiff asserted title to a large tract of land including the Las Piedras Addition, no claim to that extent was asserted on the trial, her sole claim of ownership being limited to the strips of land consisting of Preelon Avenue, Live Oak Avenue and Loma, Montgomery, and Orena Streets as originally located on the map of said addition, and which were closed and abandoned under the resurvey and new map filed by Mrs. Barber on March 2, 1903, and all of which streets were vacated and discontinued by order of the board of supervisors of Santa Barbara County on that day.

It appears from the record that none of the streets in the Las Piedras Addition, otherwise called the Preelon Map, have been used by the public, the platted tract being in its native condition. No interest of the public in any streets is involved here, the only question being one between the parties litigant as to the ownership of the strips of land represented by the streets above named which were by the resurvey of the addition abandoned.

Appellant in support of her claim of title to these abandoned streets and avenues asserts that: 1. The filing of the map of the Las Piedras Tract in 1886, constituted merely an offer to dedicate to the public the avenues and streets indicated thereon; 2. The mortgage (in form a deed) from her to William Barber amounted to a withdrawal of this offer of dedication; 3. The description in the deed from the sheriff to William Barber under the foreclosure sale by making reference to the lots and blocks by letter and number, conveyed only the lots and blocks so designated and did not convey to Barber any title to streets on which said lots and blocks abutted; 4. The sheriff’s deed to Barber for that *17 portion of the tract north of Freelon Avenue did not convey title to the avenue itself; 5. Whatever title Barber acquired depended on the deed to him from the sheriff: and as the foreclosure out of which it issued was a proceeding in inviium such deed miist be construed most strongly against the grantee under it.

Claiming that all these points are well taken appellant insists that she never parted with her title to these avenues and streets.

We will not discuss the claims urged under the first two points,' namely,—that the filing of the Las Piedras Map was merely an offer to dedicate and that the mortgage to William Barber amounted to a withdrawal of the dedication. Let it be conceded that all this is true, yet, we do not perceive how it is of any advantage to appellant.

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Bluebook (online)
118 P. 220, 161 Cal. 13, 1911 Cal. LEXIS 390, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/freelon-v-adrian-cal-1911.