Hopkins v. Black

310 P.2d 702, 150 Cal. App. 2d 756, 1957 Cal. App. LEXIS 2237
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 9, 1957
DocketCiv. No. 9064
StatusPublished

This text of 310 P.2d 702 (Hopkins v. Black) 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
Hopkins v. Black, 310 P.2d 702, 150 Cal. App. 2d 756, 1957 Cal. App. LEXIS 2237 (Cal. Ct. App. 1957).

Opinion

SCHOTTKY, J.

Plaintiffs commenced an action to quiet title to 6.2 acres of land, for damages for removal of some timber on said 6.2 acres, and for damages for the pollution of a spring. Following a trial, the court, sitting without a jury, decided in favor of plaintiffs as to the ownership of the 6.2 acres, and awarded plaintiffs damages. Defendants’ motion for a new trial was denied by operation of law, and they have appealed from the judgment.

The parties are the owners of adjoining parcels of land. The correct location of the boundary separating such parcels is the core of the dispute between them. Through separate chains of title they derive from a common owner, one Zada J. Sehauer.

Respondents’ chain of title is as follows: (a) In 1932, Sehauer conveyed to one Whims a parcel of property with respect to which the easterly and southerly boundary is described as: “The center of the County Road from Flea Valley to Coneow.” This deed contained no reference to the area or acreage so conveyed, (b) In 1937, said Whims conveyed a parcel of land to one Stowell. The description of the land so conveyed is identical to the description in the deed to Whims, above referred to, except that following the description of the land there appear the words, “containing 3 acres, more or less.” (e) In 1947, said Stowell conveyed the same land to respondents, using the identical description as contained in the deed to Stowell.

[758]*758Appellants’ chain of title is as follows: (a) In 1938, Sehauer conveyed to one DeAlberts certain lands, excepting therefrom, however, a certain parcel of land, the description of which is identical to that found in the deed from Sehauer to Whims, above referred to. Such exception, likewise, carries no reference to acreage, (b) In 1943, said DeAlberts conveyed the land (less two further exceptions which are not pertinent to the issues herein) to one Smith. This conveyance contained the same description of the land excepted in the deed from Sehauer to Whims, above referred to, except that following the reference to the conveyance to Whims the following words are added: “containing 3 acres, more or less.” (c) In 1949, said Smith conveyed the land to the appellants, using the identical description as contained in the deed to Smith.

It was and is the position of appellants that the easterly and southerly boundary of the parcel so acquired by respondents is the center line of a certain road other than the road contended by respondents and found to be the correct road by the trial court. Consistent with the position of appellants, the area of the parcel so acquired by respondents would be approximately 3 acres, whereas, the area of the parcel contended for by respondents, and so found by the trial court, is approximately 9.2 acres. Thus it is the difference of 6.2 acres which is in dispute. At the present time the road contended for by the respondents is the main Plea Valley Road.

Section 2077 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides:

“The following are the rules for construing the descriptive part of a conveyance of real property, when the construction is doubtful and there are no other sufficient circumstances to determine it:
“2. When permanent and visible or ascertained boundaries or monuments are inconsistent either with the measurement, either of lines, angles, or surfaces, the boundaries or monuments are paramount.”

Appellants concede that if there was only one Plea Valley Road, the natural boundary, a road, would be conclusive as against the measurement of three acres. However, appellants contend that in 1932, when this property was all owned by one person and sold in two parcels, there were two Plea Valley Roads, and since it cannot be ascertained which of the roads was the one referred to in the deed, the natural boundary is not controlling, but the boundary is controlled by the measurement of the three acres, and therefore the road on [759]*759the west is the boundary meant by all the parties. Appellants refer to that road contended for by them as the west road, and the road contended for by the respondents as the east road, while the respondents refer to the former as Road Number 2 and the latter as Road Number 1. For convenience we will adopt the respondents’ designation.

Appellants contend that the evidence is conclusive that Road Number 2 was the one intended, that there is not only no conflict in the testimony, but that the two witnesses produced by the plaintiffs also corroborated the fact that in 1932 there were two Flea Valley Roads. Appellants then set forth the testimony of certain witnesses as follows: (1) J. A. Bumgarner, a civil engineer, who testified for plaintiffs to the effect that both roads were there before Butte County had any roads, and that he didn’t know whether Road Number 2 went to Flea Valley or not. (2) Warren H. Peek, another witness for plaintiffs, testified in effect that Road Number 2 went from the Witherow Place, then to Saw Mill Peak, and then you could come out at Flea Valley, and that this was so at least from 1906. (3) Warren Pittman, a real estate operator living in Butte County for many years, testified in effect that while he had never been to the end of it, Road Number 2 had been known as the old Flea Valley Road. (4) Bari Simmons, a defendant, testified in effect that in 1938, his uncle logged off the land now owned by Hopkins and also the land owned by Black, and that at that time Stowell owned the Hopkins land and Mrs. DeAlberts owned the land now owned by Black, and that Stowell was paid by Simmons’ uncle for the logging off of the land up to the Road Number 2, namely, the 3 acres, but that his uncle logged off and paid DeAlberts for all of the logging off of the land on the balance of the 9.3 acres, being the land lying between Road Number 2 and Road Number 1, and Stowell was present during the logging off of the latter parcel for DeAlberts and offered no objection whatsoever. (5) Louis Kirby, who lived in the area between 1880 and 1900, testified in effect that among the old-timers Road Number 2 was called Concow-Saw Mill Peak Road, and from Saw Mill Peak it was called the Saw Mill Peak-Flea Valley Road, but was all one road.

Notwithstanding the earnest and able argument of appellants, we are unable to agree with them that the evidence shows without conflict that Road Number 2 was the road intended. For, as pointed out by respondents, there is the following testimony in the record: (1) J. A. Bumgarner, [760]*760Assistant County (Butte) Road Engineer from 1919 to 1927, and County Road Engineer from 1927 to 1943, testified that Road Number 1 has been known to him since 1911. The road was known as Oroville-Fallbrook Road at one time. In 1911 it was known as Oroville-Flea Valley Road. He has never known of any other road in the area called Oroville-Flea Valley Road. (2) Warren H. Peck testified that Road Number 1 has been known as Flea Valley-Coneow Road, or ConcowFlea Valley Road ever since 1906, and its course has not changed. Road Number 2, by which one could leave ConcowFlea Valley Road (Number 1), arrive at Saw Mill Peak and from there a brushed out road or trail would enable one to reach Flea Valley, has never had a name. (3) Earl Simmons, an appellant, testified that Road Number 2 is a means to reach Saw Mill Peak, from whence one may reach Flea Valley, but is not now in use, nor has he ever been to Flea Valley via Road Number 2. (4) Louis Kirby testified that Road Number 2 was his father’s private road called ConcowSawmill Peak Road before it was abandoned in 1900.

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Bluebook (online)
310 P.2d 702, 150 Cal. App. 2d 756, 1957 Cal. App. LEXIS 2237, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hopkins-v-black-calctapp-1957.