Morton v. Orsdol

1950 OK 219, 222 P.2d 520, 203 Okla. 394, 1950 Okla. LEXIS 621
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 19, 1950
Docket33168
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 1950 OK 219 (Morton v. Orsdol) 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
Morton v. Orsdol, 1950 OK 219, 222 P.2d 520, 203 Okla. 394, 1950 Okla. LEXIS 621 (Okla. 1950).

Opinion

WELCH, J.

Glen D. Van Orsdol commenced action against Walter W. Morton and others to quiet title to certain described real estate.

The plaintiff in pleading asserted ownership and uninterrupted possession of the lands since he acquired a county commissioner’s deed thereto, following a resale of the lands to the county for delinquent taxes.

The named defendant, admittedly owner of legal title except for a county treasurer’s resale deed to the county, and the county commissioner’s deed to the plaintiff, in pleading attacked the validity of the resale proceeding and deed, and the commissioner’s deed and, prayed judgment quieting his title.

Judgment was for the plaintiff. The named defendant, hereinafter referred to as defendant, has appealed.

There were no conflicts in the testimony and evidence as to the material facts.

A county treasurer’s resale deed to the county, describing the land involved, and subsequent dated county commissioner’s deed to the plaintiff, each deed regular on its face, were *395 introduced in evidence. It was shown that plaintiff in the year of receipt of the commissioner’s deed entered on the premises and built a connecting fence at a cost of $25, and since has pastured or collected rent from others for pasturage of the land, and has paid the taxes levied against the land since the issuance of the commissioner’s deed. The commissioner’s deed was issued to the plaintiff 13 years before this action was instituted and the resale deed was issued 3 years prior to the commissioner’s deed.

It was shown that notice of resale was not given and published prior to the issuance of the resale deed and that defendant was then record owner of the land and has remained the record owner except for the resale deed and the commissioner’s deed.

In Rucker et al. v. Burke et ux., 170 Okla. 243, 39 P. 2d 6, it was said:

“Advertisement of the sale of property for taxes is jurisdictional, and the presumption arising from the execution and recording of a resale tax deed that such advertisement has been made may be overcome by proof that the same was not made.”

And in Jones v. Storie, 172 Okla. 473, 40 P. 2d 1067, said the court:

“A tax deed based upon a sale of property which was not included in the notice of sale renders both the sale, so far as that particular property is concerned, and the deed based thereon, void.”

And in Wilhite v. Pease et al., 196 Okla. 400, 165 P. 2d 139, in syllabus it is said:

“A deed by the chairman of the board of county commissioners purporting to convey land acquired by the county at resale, when there had been no previous resale pf same, does not pass any title, nor operate as a transfer of any existing tax lien on the land.”

In application of the above stated rules to the undisputed evidence herein, we hold there was no valid resale of the land and no valid resale deed, and that plaintiff, acquired no title to the land by virtue of deed from the chairman of the board of county commissioners.

The plaintiff contends the defendant, was barred from attacking the resale deed and the commissioner’s deed by statute of limitation and laches.

In Jones et al. v. McNabb et al., 184 Okla. 9, 84 P. 2d 429, the court, in the syllabus, stated:

“The question of whether a claim is barred by laches must be determined by the facts and circumstances in each case and according to right and justice. Laches, in legal significance, is delay that works a disadvantage to another and causes change of condition or relation during the period of delay.
“The failure of the owner of real estate to pay taxes thereon from 1911 to 1936, and the payment of such taxes by the purchaser at a tax sale, and the increase in value of the property by the discovery of oil nearby, held not sufficient to sustain a defense of laches in favor of the holder of a void tax deed.”

Here there was a long period of inaction on the part of the defendant in asserting the invalidity of the resale and the commissioner’s deed, and in interfering with the plaintiff’s pasturage of the land, but there is no proof that plaintiff suffered any irreparable damage or loss because of a change of conditions in reliance on the inaction and indifference of the defendant. The plaintiff erected a connecting fence on his commencement of pasturage of the land, and paid the taxes on the land during his use of the land, and the land has increased in value, but through no effort of the plaintiff. These facts do not reflect a detriment to plaintiff growing out of defendant’s delay in attacking plaintiff’s claim of title as sufficient to justify application of the doctrine of laches.

In contention that defendant’s defense and attack is barred by statute, plaintiff refers to 12 O. S. 1941 §93, and the *396 fourth subdivision thereof. The statute provides:

“Actions for the recovery of real property or for the determination of any adverse right or interest therein, can only be brought within the periods hereinafter prescribed, after the cause of action shall have accrued, and at no time thereafter; . . .
“4. An action for the recovery of real property not hereinbefore provided for, within 15 years.”

For application of the statute the plaintiff suggests that more than 15 years has passed since the recording of the treasurer’s resale deed and before the institution of this action.

As we have noted, the resale deed was void for lack of authority or power of the treasurer to make resale of the property. In the circumstances the lack of authority or power is reflected in the record of the sale proceedings which record is referred to in the face of the deed. If it be said that the resale deed was notice to the defendant owner of the land of a claim of title by the county, then with equal force it must be said that the record of the resale proceeding was notice to the defendant of the invalidity of such deed. In such circumstances the mere recordation of resale deed does not constructively oust the original owner, and actual occupancy by the county would be required to set in motion the statute of limitation, supra.

In Keller v. Hawk, 19 Okla. 407, 91 P. 778, it is held the statute of limitations cannot be invoked in aid of a tax deed which is void upon its face. Therein is cited an early Kansas case wherein we note this expression:

“There would seem to be no reason why a void tax deed should cause the statute of limitations to run in its favor. Does a party holding such deed constructively oust the original owner by simply putting his deed on record, whether the original owner be in actual possession of the property covered by the tax deed or not? A void deed cannot draw after it, nor to it, the constructive possession of the property although the property may be vacant and unoccupied.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Davis v. Mayberry
2010 OK CIV APP 94 (Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 2010)
Holt v. Baker
2005 OK CIV APP 107 (Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 2005)
Dearing v. State ex rel. Commissioners of the Land Office
1991 OK 6 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1991)
Dearing v. COM'RS OF LAND OFFICE
808 P.2d 661 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1991)
Luster v. Bank of Chelsea
1986 OK 74 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1986)
Hawthorne v. Wener
2 Navajo Rptr. 62 (U.S. District Court, 1979)
Phillips v. Ladd
1965 OK 31 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1965)
Collins v. Smith
1962 OK 128 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1962)
Shellenberger v. Hicks
370 P.2d 292 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1962)
Kizzire v. Sarkeys
1961 OK 111 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1961)
Chapman v. Tiger
1960 OK 181 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1960)
Stern v. Franklin
1955 OK 250 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1955)
Grandin v. Gardiner
63 N.W.2d 128 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1954)
Priddy v. Massey
1953 OK 125 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1953)
Jenkins v. Frederick
1952 OK 456 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1952)
Sarkeys v. Simpson
1952 OK 194 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1952)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1950 OK 219, 222 P.2d 520, 203 Okla. 394, 1950 Okla. LEXIS 621, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morton-v-orsdol-okla-1950.