Montgomery v. Nicely

301 S.W.2d 379, 42 Tenn. App. 223, 1956 Tenn. App. LEXIS 125
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedAugust 10, 1956
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 301 S.W.2d 379 (Montgomery v. Nicely) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Montgomery v. Nicely, 301 S.W.2d 379, 42 Tenn. App. 223, 1956 Tenn. App. LEXIS 125 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

HOWAED, J.

This suit involving a dispute over the location of a boundary line was originally filed in the Circuit Court of Carter County where the complainant herein, D. B. Montgomery, sued the defendant, B. H. Nicely, for damages for valuable timber alleged to have been wrongfully cut and removed from plaintiff’s land by defendant during the summer of 1953. Prior to and at the time the dispute arose the parties owned adjacent lands in the 4th Civil District of Carter County, the complainant’s track containing “200 acres * * * more or less,” and the defendant’s track, which lies to the south of the complainant’s, containing “ 35 acres, more or less.”

After issues were joined in the Circuit Court the case went to trial on October 27,1954, before a jury, and after hearing plaintiff’s evidence the Circuit Judge, on his own motion, decided the matters involved were of an equitable [225]*225nature and accordingly ordered the case transferred to the Chancery Court.

Thereafter, on December 10, 1954, complainant filed the hill herein in the Chancery Court, alleging in substance that he was the owner of the 200 acre tract which he acquired by deed from E. M. Miller, dated July 3,1946, on which there was growing ‘ ‘ a large number of very fine and expensive trees, consisting mostly of Hemlock, Oak and Poplar.”; that disregarding complainant’s ownership of the land the defendant wrongfully entered thereupon “and cut and destroyed over 112 valuable trees covering an area of approximately 4 or 5 acres, said timber being estimated at approximately 70,000 board feet, and in addition damaged all of the young growing timber * * * on same * *, and * * * that it would be proper for the Court to appoint * * * a disinterested and competent surveyor to go upon the tract in question and have the same surveyed so that the rights of the parties may be properly established as to the boundary line, and that a proper accounting be made as to the amount of timber * * * cut by the defendant * * * ”

The bill further alleges that because of the dispute over the proper boundary line it is a matter of equitable jurisdiction, and complainant “files this bill for the purpose of having the matter properly established.” The bill then prays (1) for an order appointing a competent surveyor to establish the boundary line, (2) that complainant be awarded adequate damages by reason of the defendant’s wrongful acts, and (3) for “such other and further relief as he may be entitled, and * * * for general relief. ’ ’

Answering the defendant denied any wrong doing on [226]*226Ms part, and averred that the timber cut and removed was from his land.

Upon the hearing, which was on depositions, the Chancellor finding there was a sharp conflict in the proof as to the location of the defendant’s northern boundary line, appointed the King Engineering Company of Kingsport, Tennessee, a reputable concern, “to make such survey only as may be necessary to determine whether or not the defendant cut any timber on the property of the complainant,” and the hearing was continued for 30 days for this purpose.

Thereafter the King Engineering Company having completed the survey on October 19,1955, filed its written report on November 1st reciting that the timber cut by defendant was not on complainant’s land, and the Chancellor by decree established the northern boundary of defendant’s land as “ ‘beginning on a Black gum stump on the side of the road,’ as mentioned in said deed, and over which there is no dispute, ‘and running North 45° 0' minutes West 1238.2 feet (75 poles) to the Creek,’ ” and denied complainant’s claim for damages.

The complainant has perfected an appeal to this Court and errors have been assigned, the first being that the Circuit Judge erred in transferring the case to the Chancery Court, because said Court having no jurisdiction of the subject matter, the decree rendered was void.

Under statute in this State the Chancery Courts have “jurisdiction to hear and determine all cases in which the boundary line or lines of adjoining or contiguous tracts of land is one, or the only question at issue in the case.” T. C. A. sec. 16-606; Code 1932, sec. 10368.

[227]*227 Next it is urged that the Chancellor erred in establishing the boundary line between the lands owned by the complainant and defendant because the relief granted was beyond the scope of the pleadings and prayer for relief.

As previously pointed out, the complainant not only alleged that because of the matters involved, “it would be proper for the Court to appoint * * # a disinterested and competent surveyor to go upon the tract in question and have the same surveyed so that the rights of the parties may be properly established as to the boundary line,” and “files this bill for the purpose of having the matter properly established,” but likewise prayed that this be done, and for “such other and further relief as he may be entitled, and * * * for general relief. ’ ’

It appears to us that the relief granted was not only in accordance with the averments of the bill, but substantially conformed with the prayer for special relief, i. e., locating and establishing the boundary line between the parties, which was the paramount issue in the case. Furthermore, the rule is well settled in this State, that under the prayer for general relief the Court may grant any relief other and different from that specifically indicated and prayed, which is justified by the averments of the bill and the proof. Gibson’s Suits in Chancery, 4th Ed., sec. 557, p. 474; Haralson v. Jones, 33 Tenn. App. 572, 232 S. W. (2d) 415; Rhodes v. Johnson, 32 Tenn. App. 127, 222 S. W. (2d) 38; Holston Nat. Bank v. Wood, 125 Tenn. 6, 140 S. W. 31; Tennessee Ice Co. v. Raine, 107 Tenn. 151, 64 S. W. 29.

Moreover, the complainant having invoked the jurisdiction of the Chancery Court to establish the boun[228]*228dary line, lie is now estopped to deny the jurisdiction of that Court to grant the relief sought, the applicable rule being stated in Gribson’s Suits in Chancery, 4th Ed., as follows:

“The principles underlying estoppels in general are applicable to judicial estoppel. The latter is the penalty or consequence visited upon those who mislead others by their attitudes in judicial proceedings. An adversary party may rightfully assume that the other party means what he says by word or conduct and that he will be consistent throughout the litigation. Hence we have the rule forbidding a change of position, contention or of affirmation once solemnly taken about a material issue in a case. This doctrine of judicial estoppel is different from common estop-pels in that the party relying upon the doctrine of judicial estoppel need not show prejudice. ’ ’ Sec. 67a.

In Stamper v. Venable, 117 Tenn. 557, 97 S. W. 812, 813, the Court said:

“ ‘If parties in court were permitted to assume inconsistent positions in the trial of their causes, the usefulness of courts of justice would in most cases be paralyzed. The coercive powers of the law, available only between' those who consented to its exercise, could be set at naught by all. But the rights of all men are in the keeping of the courts, and consistency of proceeding is therefore required of all those who come in or are brought before them.

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Bluebook (online)
301 S.W.2d 379, 42 Tenn. App. 223, 1956 Tenn. App. LEXIS 125, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/montgomery-v-nicely-tennctapp-1956.