Lewis v. Kohls

160 P.2d 199, 70 Cal. App. 2d 20, 1945 Cal. App. LEXIS 1031
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 29, 1945
DocketCiv. No. 7142
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 160 P.2d 199 (Lewis v. Kohls) 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
Lewis v. Kohls, 160 P.2d 199, 70 Cal. App. 2d 20, 1945 Cal. App. LEXIS 1031 (Cal. Ct. App. 1945).

Opinion

ADAMS, P. J.

Plaintiff brought this action upon a lease of a certain mining claim, executed by her and A. A. Bradley as lessors, and R. V. Kohls as lessee, on July 23, 1941. The complaint was in two counts. The first alleged that plaintiff was, at the time of the execution of the lease, the owner of an undivided five-sixths interest in the mining claim and that A. A. Bradley was the owner of an undivided one-sixth interest; that defendants were in possession under said lease, but that they had not paid the rentals or sums provided for therein, except the sum of $500; that a balance of $2,000 was due and that plaintiff was entitled to recover five-sixths thereof, or the sum of $1,666.66%. The second count alleged that a controversy had arisen between plaintiff and defendants relating to plaintiff’s rights and defendants’ duties under the lease; that defendants had violated certain specified provisions [22]*22thereof, but that defendants contended that plaintiff had no right to require defendants to fulfill the contract in those respects. The prayer of the complaint was for a. judgment for the sum of $1,666.66% and for a declaration of plaintiff’s rights under the contract, and judgment that defendants fulfill the terms thereof within such time as the court might consider reasonable, or, in default thereof that they surrender the premises to plaintiff and that they “execute to-plaintiff a conveyance of any and all title which said K. Y. Kohls may have acquired in and to said premises”; and for general relief.

Defendants answered, denying for lack of information or belief that plaintiff was owner of a five-sixths interest in the property described in the lease or that she owned in excess of an undivided one-half. They alleged that they were not in default as to payments under the lease, asserting tender and refusal of plaintiff to accept the amount tendered. As to the second cause of action they admitted that a controversy had arisen between plaintiff and defendants regarding the terms of the lease, but denied that they had violated any of same; they further alleged that they had acquired Bradley’s one-sixth interest in the leased property, and also that they had “acquired other outstanding- interests, and said defendant corporation is now the owner and holder of an undivided one-half interest in and to said premises,” but that plaintiff was the owner and holder of the remaining undivided one-half interest. They prayed that defendant Nevada-Wabash Mining Company be adjudged the owner of such one-half interest; that plaintiff be adjudged entitled to the proportionate part of moneys due under the lease, as evidenced by the percentage of her ownership, and that defendants, on making payment to plaintiff be adjudged the owners of an undivided one-half of the premises, or in the alternative, that it be adjudged that the lease be cancelled. Plaintiff made a motion for judgment on the pleadings, which was denied. When the cause came on for trial she introduced evidence which showed the acquisition by defendant Nevada-Wabash Company of the one-sixth interest previously held by A. A. Bradley, the failure of defendants to comply with certain provisions of the lease, and that the sum of $2,000 under its terms was due and unpaid. She then proceeded to introduce documentary evidence to establish her ownership of an undivided five-sixths interest in the property and her consequent right. to recover five-sixths of the $2,000 unpaid upon the lease.

[23]*23Respondent, in her brief, asserts that the chain of her title as shown by the conveyances introduced by her leads inevitably to the conclusion that she owns five-sixths of the Wabash mining claim; that her interest originates either in an agricultural patent by the United States to Thomas E. Middleton issued in 1875, or a mining location made by Thomas J. Burke, Calvin Hammack and William Pleehart, in 1876, depending upon what portion of Section 6, T. 6 N., R. 11 E., M.D.B.&M., contains the claim involved and upon whether Middleton, in obtaining the agricultural patent fraudulently failed to disclose that the land was mineral; but that her interest is the same, under either the patent or the mining location. Specifically, she relies upon a grant deed from one J. W. C. Hammack to one Simon Prouty, executed in 1877, and subsequent conveyances by Prouty and his grantees. The construction to be put upon the said conveyance by J. W. C. Hammack to Prouty is thus conceded to be determinative of the extent of plaintiff’s interest. That deed purported to “grant, bargain, sell and convey” to the grantee “all right and title in and to the following mining ground, described as follows, to wit: Bounded on the North by the Talisman Mining Claim; on the South by the Comet Company’s Mining Claim; on the West by the North Star# Mining ground; and on the East by agricultural land; the interest hereby conveyed, is one third undivided invest in and to the mining claim known as the Wabash mining ground situate in Section Six (6) in Township Six (6) North, Range Eleven (11) East, Mont. Diablo Base and Meridian, Amador County, California. Together with all and singular the tenements, hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining and the reversion and reversions, remainder and remainders, rents, issues and profits thereof; TO Have and to Hold all and singular, the said premises, together with the appurtenances unto the said party of the second part, and to his heirs and assigns former.”

Appellants contend that the foregoing deed conveyed but an undivided one-third interest, while respondent contends that it conveyed the whole of the interest of J. W. C. Ham-mack. If respondent is correct, she, by conveyances subse: quent to the deed to Prouty, became the owner of the whole claim, and, as she thereafter conveyed a one-sixth interest to Bradley, she retained the five-sixths interest claimed by her. [24]*24If, however, the disputed deed conveyed only a one-third interest, respondent at the time of the execution of the lease had acquired but a one-half interest, as claimed by appellants.

We shall therefore consider first the effect of the disputed deed. Respondent cites 9 California Jurisprudence 294, section 159, which states that “A general description of land, or interest therein, will not be restricted by a subsequent erroneous, uncertain or inconsistent particular description. . . . Thus, a grant of all the ‘right, title and interest’ of the grantor, followed by words particularly describing the interest granted, such as ‘being a one-half undivided interest’ ... is not limited by the particular recital.” She also cites McLennan v. McDonnell, 78 Cal. 273 [20 P. 566],

In the latter case the deed granted ‘ ‘ all the right, title, and interest of the party of the first part, the same being a one-half undivided interest in and to” described real property. It was contended that this deed conveyed only a one-half interest, but the court said, page 277:

“This deed clearly conveys ‘all the right, title, and interest’ of Campbell. The words ‘being a one-half undivided interest’ are ‘not words limiting the extent of the previous terms of conveyance, or excepting out any interest conveyed by the previous terms.’ (Dodge v. Walley, 22 Cal. [224] 228 [83 Am.Dee. 61]; Wilcoxson v. Sprague, 51 Cal. 640.)”

In Costello v. Graham, 9 Ariz. 257 [80 P.

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Bluebook (online)
160 P.2d 199, 70 Cal. App. 2d 20, 1945 Cal. App. LEXIS 1031, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lewis-v-kohls-calctapp-1945.