Payne Land & Livestock Co. v. Archuleta

180 F. Supp. 651, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5324
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Mexico
DecidedFebruary 1, 1960
DocketCiv. No. 3904
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 180 F. Supp. 651 (Payne Land & Livestock Co. v. Archuleta) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Mexico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Payne Land & Livestock Co. v. Archuleta, 180 F. Supp. 651, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5324 (D.N.M. 1960).

Opinion

ROGERS, District Judge.

This is an equity action to quiet the title of the plaintiff corporation in and to a tract of land in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, which is within the perimeter of the Tierra Amarilla Grant. The case was filed in this court by the plaintiff, a Delaware corporation, against a number of defendants in excess of fifty, who are each residents of Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The premises involved are some 7,000 acres in area, with water rights, and many times the $10,000 jurisdictional amount are involved in this cause.

At the threshold of the case, we are met with the problem of some of the parties defendant and intervenors being in possession of small areas of the contested acreage, but the acreage involved would not exceed some 75 acres. While the New Mexico Statute, Comp. St.1929, § 105-2001, relative to actions to quiet title expressly provides that such action may be brought by a person either in or out of possession of the quieted premises, it has been expressly decided in Quintana v. Vigil, 46 N.M. 200, 125 P.2d 711 that in the absence of the waiver, the defendant in possession of the premises is entitled as a matter of right, to a jury trial. In other words, ejectment would be the proper remedy to be invoked in such a situation.

In the case at bar, the first attorneys for the defendants raised this question and demanded a jury trial. One of the Judges of this court directed that the defendants file an answer in the suit to quiet title. By virtue of having early invoked the right to trial by jury, [653]*653and in view of the philosophy expressed by Mr. Justice Black in Beacon Theatres, Inc. v. Westover, U.S.D.C., 359 U.S. 500, 79 S.Ct. 948, 3 L.Ed.2d 988, this court has declined to pass upon the title and ownership of the fenced tracts, and will relegate the parties to an action of ejectment. In passing, it may be said that the remaining tracts so fenced as above stated, probably have not the statutory value upon which to predicate a suit in this court, so it will be assumed that full and complete justice will be accorded the plaintiff, Payne Land & Livestock Company, in the District Court of Rio Arriba County, New Mexico.

The Tierra Amarilla Land Grant, a grant from the Republic of Mexico, has received the careful and detailed attention of the U. S. District Court of this district, the State District courts of New Mexico, the Supreme Court of New Mexico, and of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Acting within the purview of an Act of Congress approved July 22, 1854, 10 Stat. 308, the Surveyor General of New Mexico recommended to Congress the confirmation of the Tierra Amarilla Grant to Francisco Martinez. The grant was subsequently approved and confirmed to the said Francisco Martinez as Private Land Claim Number 3 by the Act of Congress approved June 21, 1860, 12 Stat. 71. See Appendix 1. A reading and thorough study of the Congressional Act just mentioned, conclusively established that Congress confirmed the title to the Tierra Amarilla Grant in Francisco Martinez as a private land grant, and its action is final and not subject to judicial review.

The leading case on the proposition that Congress’ action in this sphere is not subject to judicial review is Tameling v. United States Freehold & Emigration Co., 93 U.S. 644, 23 L.Ed. 998. See also Yeast v. Pru, D.C.N.M., 292 F. 598; United States v. Maxwell Land-Grant Co., 121 U.S. 325, 7 S.Ct. 1015, 30 L.Ed. 949 and 122 U.S. 365, 7 S.Ct. 1271, 30 L.Ed. 1211 and Astiazaran v. Santa Rita Land & Mining Co., 148 U.S. 80, 13 S.Ct. 457, 37 L.Ed. 376.

After the Congressional confirmation, a patent (see Appendix 2) for the grant was issued to Francisco Martinez February 21, 1881, and was subsequently duly recorded in the office of the County Clerk of Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, on the 9th day of October, 1901.

It appears from the evidence adduced on the trial of this cause, including oral testimony and voluminous abstracts, that the plaintiff corporation is through mesne conveyances under the deed of Francisco Martinez and wife to one Manzanares, the holder of such title as conveyed to said premises by said muniments of title. It is unnecessary to relate each conveyance, but suffice it to say that Francisco Martinez and wife executed a deed to said premises to F. A. Manzanares under date of June 1, 1871. Manzanares conveyed the premises to Thomas B. Catron on December 31, 1878. Thomas B. Catron executed various conveyances of various tracts of land to certain individuals who, by conveyances to corporations and individuals, and by conveyances from the latter groups, have conveyed title to the Payne Land & Livestock Company, a corporation. A search of the abstracts of title reveals not only the conveyance of title, as above recited, but also the perfection of title by adverse possession in plaintiff company and its predecessors.

The defendants seek to establish title by adverse possession and “Hijuelas” (see Appendix 3), and easements for pasturage and wood hauling and timber cutting by prescription. Before title can ripen by adverse possession in New Mexico, three elements must be presented: (1) Actual, visible, exclusive, hostile and continuous possession; (2) under color of title; (3) for a period of ten years. See Flores v. Brueesselbach, 10 Cir., 149 F.2d 616. In this connection see also Catron v. Laughlin, 11 N.M. 604, 72 P. 26. This case deals with the Eaton Land Grant in Santa Fe County, but it is equally applicable to the case at bar, insofar as it holds that there was [654]*654no proof in the record sufficient to support a finding that the defendants had title to the grant by adverse possession against their co-tenants. The case also stands for the proposition heretofore enunciated that the action of Congress confirming a claim for land under a grant made by Mexico is to be treated as an adjudication, and the courts cannot revise what has been done by Congress.

Under the dual claims of adverse possession and prescriptive right, none of the defendants established to the satisfaction of the court, any rights by adverse possession or prescription, which would establish such rights, but the past actions they testified to consisted, for the most part, of occasional, sporadic and isolated instances of trespass on the lands in question, together with some isolated instances of specific permission being given from time to time.

The instant lands were not completely fenced until a year or so prior to the filing of this action, and access to the premises to the defendants has only been accomplished by surreptitious destroying of fences and some further isolated trespass.

A brief discussion should be had on the “Hijuelas” which are relied on by the defendants. These documents originated in the Kingdom of Spain, and have been described as documents given to parties entitled to distribution of an estate of a person deceased, and which contain the precise account of the distributive share. See Velasquez’ Spanish Dictionary and Martinez v.

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

Related

R. A. Beaver v. United States
350 F.2d 4 (Ninth Circuit, 1965)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
180 F. Supp. 651, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5324, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/payne-land-livestock-co-v-archuleta-nmd-1960.