McMann v. McMann

1926 OK 992, 252 P. 1093, 123 Okla. 26, 1926 Okla. LEXIS 471
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 14, 1926
Docket17417
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 1926 OK 992 (McMann v. McMann) 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
McMann v. McMann, 1926 OK 992, 252 P. 1093, 123 Okla. 26, 1926 Okla. LEXIS 471 (Okla. 1926).

Opinion

Opinion by

FOSTER, C.

This proceeding in error is prosecuted by W. J. McMann to reverse a judgment of the district court rf Alfalfa county excluding h’m from the ownership of any right or interest in 80 acres of land located in that county. The original action was commenced by Walter G. Mc-mann, as plaintiff, against Minnie Ward, formerly Minnie McMann, Wm. A. McMann, and Bertie Smith, formerly McMann, for the purpose of quieting the title to. said land in the plaintiff, Walter G. McMann. and the defendant Minnie Ward, against the claims of their father, Wm. A. McMann, who was then supposed to be living, and their mother, Bertie Smith.

Thereafter the plaintiff in error, Wm. J. McMann, intervened in the action and asserted title to the one-third undivided interest in the real estate involved, alleging that his father, Wm. A. McMann, was dead, and prayed judgment establishing Walter G. McMann, Minnie Ward, and himself to be each the owner of a one-third undivided interest in the land as against one Fred Pek-rul and' the heirs, executors, administrators, devisees, trustees and assignees of Wm. A. McMann, deceased, all of whom were made parties defendant.

Prior to the trial Fred Pekrul and Bertie Smith filed disclaimers and' issues were finally joined in the action between inter-vener, W. J. McMann, on the one side, and Walter G. McMann and Minnie Ward on the other side. The cause was submitted to and tried by the trial court upon an agreed statement of facts, resulting in a judgment against the intervener as stated above.

Fiona this judgment intervener excepted, and brings the cause- regularly on ¿ppeal to *27 this court by petition in error with case-made attached for review.

There is one question at issue and that is whether the trial court erred', as a matter of law, in rendering judgment in favor of the defendants in error upon the agreed statement of facts. The facts necessary to be considered are that prior to 1902 Wm. A. McMann and Bertie McMann, now Bertie Smith, were husband and wife. As a result of this union two children were born, namely, Walter G. McMann and Minnie Ward, formerly McMann, defendants in error herein.

Wm. A. McMann was the father of tne plaintiff in error, Wm. J. McMann, by a former wife. He owned 160 acres of land located in what is now Alfalfa county, which had been acquired by the joint industry of himself and wife, Bertie McMann.

In 1902 the district court of Woods county, in an action brought by Bertie McMann against her husband, Wm. A. McMann, for divorce, entered its judgment and decree granting the plaintiff a divorce by reason of the fault and aggression of Wm. A. McMann, committing the custody and control of their minor children to the plaintiff and vesting the title in fee simple to the south 80 acres owned by Wm. A. McMann in the defendants in error, absolutely, prohibiting its alienation until the youngest child reached the majority and giving Bertie McMann the right to reside upon the land and to control and have the same cultivated for the use of the minor children, and for her own support, so far as the same was necessary.

The husband was permitted to retain the north 80 acres, blit was enjoin!ed“from exercising any control over the land awarded to the minor children or with their peaceable possession thereof.

Pursuant to this judgment, Bertie Mc-mann, together with the two minor children, the defendants in error herein, resided upon and occupied the land until 1904. when they removed therefrom, but have at all times since ■their said removal had complete control and charge of said land and have received the rents and profits therefrom and paid all the taxes thereon and were in such possession and control at the time the instant act'on was commenced, being at all times residents of the state of Oklahoma.

It further appears that Wm. A. McMann died in the year 1905, and that thereafter, and in the year 1908, the plaintiff in error removed from the state of Oklahoma and has continuously since that time been a nonresident of Oklahoma.

The youngest of the two children, Walter G. McMann, reached his majority July 31, 1921, since which time the rents have been paid to the defendants in error, except one-third of the rentals for the year 1924 held by the clerk of the district court of Alfalfa county pending the final disposition of the cause.

It is contended by the plaintiff in error that the aforesaid judgment and decree of the district court of Woods county in the divorce action awarding the land in controversy to the minor children of the parties was wholly void and open to, collateral attack, and therefore the plaintiff in error upon the death of his father inherited the 80 acres equally with the defendants in error, unaffected by said divorce decree except so far as it appropriated the rents and profits therefrom for the maintenance and support of the defendants in error until the youngest of them became of age, and that during the minority of the youngest child the said decree was operative to the extent that it prevented the running of the statute of limitations against him.

We agree with the plaintiff in error that i he divorce decree vesting the title to any part of the real estate of Wm. A. McMann in the minor children was void and beyond the jurisdictional power of the divorce court to enter such judgment. Emery v. Emery (Kan.) 180 Pac. 451; Rodgers v. Rodgers (Kan.) 43 Pac. 779. We cannot agree, however, that open, continuous adverse possession of the land by defendants in error thereunder until the year 1924, when the plaintiff in error intervened in the action, did not give rise to an absolute title in the defendants in error by jjrescription.

Tbe qualified right of Bertie McMann, the mother of the defendants in error, to occupy the real estate during the minority of the defendants in error for her own support, so far as the same should he necessary, was given, as we construe tbe judgment, not for tbe purpose of creating a separate and independent right or estate in the defendants in error, but only for the purpose of aiding and confirming the absolute and indefeasible title theretofore attempted to be vested in them by the said judgment.

The judgment not only attempted to, vest the absolute title to the land in tbe minor children, but restricted its alienation during their minority and sought to place in tbe defendants in error not only tbe title but the *28 benefits flowing from the ownership thereof during their minority, ail'd to aicl in the accomplishment of this purpose it merely gave to the mother certain qualified rights in the proceeds from the land during minority.

This part of the judgment was so involved with that part of the judgment by which the absolute title was attempted to be vested in the defendants in error that it became tainted with the same invalidity, and the plaintiff in error cannot, therefore, claim that the running of the statute was interrupted by ■süch occupancy. Such occupancy was then, and at all times thereafter continued to 'be, adverse, open, and notorious under a void judgment and decree.

Sctions 8553, 8554, O. O. S. 1921. provide :

“Title by Occupancy.

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Bluebook (online)
1926 OK 992, 252 P. 1093, 123 Okla. 26, 1926 Okla. LEXIS 471, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcmann-v-mcmann-okla-1926.