Garrett v. Cook

200 P.2d 21, 89 Cal. App. 2d 98, 1948 Cal. App. LEXIS 1002
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 8, 1948
DocketCiv. 7519
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 200 P.2d 21 (Garrett v. Cook) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garrett v. Cook, 200 P.2d 21, 89 Cal. App. 2d 98, 1948 Cal. App. LEXIS 1002 (Cal. Ct. App. 1948).

Opinion

THOMPSON, J.

Defendants and cross-complainants have appealed from a judgment quieting title in plaintiff to 640 acres of land in Siskiyou County.

The complaint alleges that plaintiff is the owner and entitled to possession of the real property in said county described as follows:

“All of Section Twenty-seven (27), Township Forty-one (41) North, Range Ten (10) West, Mount Diablo Base and Meridian, containing Six Hundred Forty and no/100 (640) Acres more or less. ’ ’

The second amended answer denies the material allegations of the complaint and affirmatively alleges the filing of three mining claims in Section 28, adjoining plaintiff’s land on the west, in June, 1930. The answer definitely alleges that said mining claims are located wholly within Section 28 of said township and range, and not in Section 27, to which plaintiff claims title. The answer further alleges that the boundary line between said Sections 27 and 28 “as originally surveyed was uncertain and unknown to plaintiff’s predecessor in interest and to defendants,” and that it was agreed between them that the mining claims were located “without the exterior boundaries of said section 27.” The answer also alleges that defendants located and “continued to occupy and improve said mining claims and did expend in excess of $20,000 work *100 ing and improving the same,” with the knowledge of plaintiff’s predecessors in interest. The answer prays that plaintiff take nothing by her cause of action.

At the time of filing said second amended answer defendants filed a cross-complaint, also alleging the filing of said mining claims in Section 28, since which time, it is alleged, the defendants “have been in open, notorious and exclusive possession of said mining claims adverse to the plaintiff.” The cross-complaint then alleges that, “without objection” the defendants “proceeded to occupy and improve and expend large sums of money in developing and improving said possessory mining claims.” It is then asserted the plaintiff claims some interest in the land upon which said mining claims are located. The cross-complaint prays for a decree quieting title to said mining claims in the defendants.

A demurrer to the second amended answer was overruled. Plaintiff’s demurrer to the cross-complaint was sustained, and defendants were granted 10 days in which to amend that pleading. They failed to amend the cross-complaint, Upon trial of the issues raised by the complaint and amended answer, the court adopted findings favorable to the plaintiff. The court determined that plaintiff was the owner and entitled to possession and to a decree quieting title to all of Section 27, described in the complaint; that all of the allegations of the complaint were true, and that the allegations of the amended answer in conflict therewith were untrue. Judgment was rendered accordingly, quieting title to the land described in the complaint, in plaintiff, and determining that defendants have no right, title or interest in any portion thereof. Prom that judgment the defendants appealed.

The appellants contend that the findings and judgment are not supported by the evidence, and that the court erred in sustaining the demurrer to the cross-complaint.

We are satisfied the findings and judgment are adequately supported by the evidence. The defendants adduced no evidence in support of the allegations of their amended answer, or at all. They did, however, appear with counsel and cross-examine plaintiff’s witnesses. The only controversy at the trial was over the question of the accuracy of the boundary line between Sections 27 and 28, determined by the surveyor who was employed by plaintiff to ascertain and locate the government monuments and to run the exterior lines of plaintiff’s real property, consisting of the entire Section 27 in *101 Township 41 north, Range 10 west, M.D.B. & M., in Siskiyou County.

The evidence shows without conflict that a patent to the tract of land in Siskiyou County, including said Section 27, was issued in 1894 by the United States to the Southern Pacific Eailroad Company, and deeded to the Central Pacific Eailroad Company, and thence to plaintiff, September 11, 1944. Mr. Albert F. Parrott, a qualified civil engineer and surveyor, was employed by plaintiff and surveyed the land in question in July, 1945. From the data thus secured he prepared the map and plat of the land, which was received in evidence. He testified that in surveying plaintiff’s Section 27, and in preparation of the map or plat of that vicinity which was received in evidence, he followed strictly the givernment field notes, a copy of which he had in his possession. A certified copy of those field notes was received in evidence. He said that he located the original government monument at the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of Section 21, together with two designated witness trees, one of which was a 36-inch spruce tree. That monument was marked in accordance with the government field notes, 1 ‘ *4 S.B.T. ’ ’ The government survey was made in 1882. Starting from that definite existing government quarter section corner monument he correctly located the common corner between Sections 21, 22, 27 and 28, and surveyed and accurately located the border lines of Section 27, as they appear on the map or plat in evidence. He stated that his survey and description of the land was correct. He testified on cross-examination in that regard:

“ Q. ... Is that the official map from which you made this survey? A. Well, I didn’t have any map; just the field notes. . . . Well, I had a map in my office. Q. And you didn’t have that map at the time you made the survey? A. No. Q. Or you had no other map or plat at the time you made the survey, but you had some field notes? A. Yes. Q. Which you later checked with the official Government field notes? A. Yes. Q. And did you make a thorough check of those? A. Yes. Q. Did they correspond in every respect ? A. Yes. ”

The boundary line between plaintiff’s land on the west, and the easterly line of Section 28, upon which defendants alleged that they filed their mining claims, was definitely located. The surveyor testified that he saw and located defendants ’ cabins on the plaintiff’s land in Section 27, about 350 feet easterly from those adjoining section lines. But the *102 ownership of those cabins was not made an issue by the pleadings, nor specifically determined by the findings. That circumstance is immaterial to the determination of this ease. There was no other evidence of defendants’ alleged adverse possession of plaintiff’s land.

The defendants called no witness, and offered no documentary evidence to rebut the foregoing evidence óf the accuracy of the survey of plaintiff’s land. The plaintiff made no claim to any interest in Section 28. We must, therefore, assume the surveyed description of that land is correct, and that the findings and judgment quieting title to Section 27 in plaintiff is adequately supported by the evidence. (Kirby v. Potter, 138 Cal. 686 [72 P. 338].)

It is true that in a suit to quiet title to real property the plaintiff must ordinarily rely upon the strength of his own title. (Williams v. City of San Pedro, 153 Cal. 44 [94 P. 234];

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Bluebook (online)
200 P.2d 21, 89 Cal. App. 2d 98, 1948 Cal. App. LEXIS 1002, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garrett-v-cook-calctapp-1948.