Gladys Belle Oil Co. v. James

1924 OK 561, 227 P. 119, 102 Okla. 136, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 152
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 20, 1924
Docket14837
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1924 OK 561 (Gladys Belle Oil Co. v. James) 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
Gladys Belle Oil Co. v. James, 1924 OK 561, 227 P. 119, 102 Okla. 136, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 152 (Okla. 1924).

Opinion

GORDON, J.

This action involves title to a certain gas pipe line in Okmulgee county, Okla. The original petition invoked the equity jurisdiction of the court, and after alleging that plaintiffs were the legal and equitable owners of tbe property therein described, including the pipe line in controversy, they allege that the defendant has taken up and unjointed approximately all *137 of said pipe line and were threatening to remove the same, to plaintiffs’ great detriment and damage; that plaintiffs had no adequate remedy at law; and prayed for a restraining order against the defendant. By various amended petitions, and by stipulations between the parties at the trial, this cause resolved itself into a trial of the title to the gas pipe line. The cause was submitted to the court without the intervention of a jury. Judgment was rendered adjudging title to the pipe line in the plaintiffs and restraining the defendant from interfering with the same. Motion for new trial was filed by the defendant, and by the court overruled, and the cause is now here on appeal.

The parties will be designated as they appeared in the court below.

Plaintiffs claim title to the gas pipe line in controversy, as follows: They claim that during the months of October and November, 1920, the Oklahoma Salvage Company sold, delivered, and furnished to the Indian Gasoline Company, a corporation, approximately 5,000 feet of gas pipe, which was used by the Indian Gasoline Company, put into, and made a part of the pipe line now in controversy. The Oklahoma Salvage & Supply Company, on March 1, 1921, filed in Okmulgee county a lieD against the Indian Gasoline Company, against its gasoline plant and premises and leasehold estate, located upon section 36, township 14, range 11, in said county and state, to secure the sum of $4,622.21, due upon the purchase price of said pipe. Arising out of this transaction certain trade acceptances had been given to the Bank of Commerce of Ok-mulgee at Okmulgee, Okla., by the Oklahoma Salvage & Supply Company. Two suits were filed in the district court of Ok-mulgee county by said Bank of Commerce upon these trade acceptances, and the Indian Gasoline Company became a party to these actions. In these actions the Okmul-gee Salvage & Supply Company filed cross-petitions and obtained a judgment against the Indian Gasoline Company, foreclosing its lien upon the leasehold, etc., of the Indian Gasoline Company upon the land above mentioned. Judgment was rendered in these actions in favor of Oklahoma Salvage & Supply Company and against Indian Gasoline Company, foreclosing the lien aforesaid. Orders of sale were issued upon these judgments, and after due advertisement, the property was sold by the sheriff, and Oklahoma Salvage & Supply Company became the purchaser of the property at such sale. There were other judgments and liens against the Indian Gasoline Company and the sale was made subject to these liens. This sale was on motion confirmed by the court, and the sheriff was directed to place the purchaser in possession. The sheriff did not execute conveyances of the .property. A short time after this sale was made and confirmed conveyance was .executed by Oklahoma Salvagé & Supply Company, reciting the sale by the sheriff, the purchase of the property by Oklahoma Salvage & Supply Company, and conveying, to the plaintiff, R. T. Curley and Joe M. James, trustees, all the right, title, interest, and estate of the Oklahoma Salvage & Supply Company to the property so purchased at such sale. This conveyance recites that all parties interested in said property by reason of lien claims, judgments, etc., have agreed that said property be assigned to R. T. Curley and Joe M. James, trustees. As such trustees, plaintiffs took possession of the' plant and the leasehold estate ánd the land described in these instruments. The pipe line in controversy was' connected with the plant of the Indian Gasoline Company, and extended from that plant a distance of something like two miles to certain land upon which Gladys Belle Oil Company had a lease and from which it was taking gas, and the pipe line was used to bring gas from this lease to the plant of the gasoline company. The question of the possession of the pipe line is disputed; both parties claim to have had possession thereof. Defendant, Gladys Belle Oil Company, claims title to the pipe line by virtue of a purchase made on September 9, 1920, bill of sale having ■been executed on 'that date by the gasoline company to Gladys Belle Oil Company, and the purchase price of $12,000 having been paid on that date. It is claimed by the plaintiffs that the present pipé line had not been constructed at the time the bill of sale was executed, and that the particular pipe furnished by Oklahoma 'Salvage & Supply Company was furnished subsequent to the 9th day of September, 1920, and used in the construction of this line. The leasehold estate of the Indian Gasoline Company consisted of approximately ten acres of land, and was surrounded by a fence. At the time this action was begun defendant was taking up the pipe line lying outside of the leasehold estate and outside the fence. Defendant executed a supersedeas bond herein, and has retained possession of the pipe line.

Defendant has assigned various errors, but in view of the conclusion we have reached as to the title of the plaintiffs, and the fact that this cause will in conformity with such conclusions have to be remanded for further proceedings, at which the questions presented here may not again arise, we will pass upon only those assignments *138 of error directed at the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the judgment, and the assignment alleging that the judgment is contrary to law. The burden was upon the plaintiffs' to prove title to the pipe line in order to justify, judgment in favor of the plaintiffs for its recovery. ’

There is no question that the title of the plaintiffs is derived from the judgments foreclosing the lien of the Oklahoma Salvage & Supply Company. Following the judgment, in ordinary course, we find the court’s order of sale, the sale by the sheriff, the return of the order of sale, and the confirmation of the sale by the court. The order of sale is merely the machinery used to carry into effect the judgment of the court. The sale under such order and the .approval of the sale cannot add to the judgment except in performing their office of making the judgment effective.

In the case of Needles v. Frost, 2 Okla. 19, 35 Pac. 574, it is stated in the opinion:

“An action is finally .disposed of, so far as the jurisdiction of the court goes, when final judgment is rendered. The collection of the judgment is no part of the duty of the court. The law furnishes the remedy for collection or enforcement of personal judgments by execution, levy, and sale of property.”

And it is further stated in the opinion;

“Judgments are not self-executory, but ■the issuing of executions, levy and sale of property are ministerial acts, and are performed by such executive or clerical officers as the law may designate for such purposes.”

See, also, Annis v. Bell, 10 Okla. 647, 64 Pac. 11.

Section 662, Comp. Stat. 1921, defines “judgment” as follows:

“A judgment is the final determination of the rights of the parties in an action.”

It is stated in 16 R. C. L. 23, sec.

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Bluebook (online)
1924 OK 561, 227 P. 119, 102 Okla. 136, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 152, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gladys-belle-oil-co-v-james-okla-1924.