Potka v. Potka

205 S.W.2d 51, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 766
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 22, 1947
DocketNo. 2612
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 205 S.W.2d 51 (Potka v. Potka) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Potka v. Potka, 205 S.W.2d 51, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 766 (Tex. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

LESTER, Chief Justice.

On February 4, 1941, Mrs. Mary Okolek and Mrs. Katie Spider Biko brought this suit in the nature of a trespass to try title against Joe Potka, individually and as executor of the estate of Mrs. Annie Potka, deceased, Stash Potka, Mrs. Josie Hortsch, Henry Potka and Antone Wilganowski, and certain other heirs of Nick and Annie Potka. The record in this case discloses the following:

Nick Potka died intestate prior to 1918. His wife, Mrs. Annie Potka, and seven children survived him. At the time of his death the community property consisted of a 159 acre farm in Falls county and a lot with two houses situated thereon in the city of Marlin.

On April 23, 1918, Mrs. Annie Potka executed a deed to her daughters, Mrs. Mary Okolek, Mrs. Kate Spider and Mrs. Josie Hortsch, in which she conveyed to them her undivided one-half interest in the 159 acre farm, reserving only a life estate therein. This deed was recorded in the deed records of Falls county on April 25, 1918.

On August 17, 1932, a partition suit was filed against Henry Potka, seeking to partition the 159 acre farm, in which the mother, Mrs. Annie Potka, and Mrs. Mary Pot-ka Okolek, Mrs. Kate Spider, now Mrs. Kate Biko, and all the rest of the children except Henry Potka, were listed as plaintiffs. Said petition alleged that the mother, Mrs. Annie Potka, owned an undivided one-half interest in the entire tract; that each of the children, including Mrs. Mary Potka Okolek, Mrs. Kate Spider and Mrs. Josie Hortsch, owned an undivided ½2 interest in said tract, said interest representing the part the three daughters were entitled to as heirs of their deceased father. The petition was wholly silent in respect to the 1918 deed or the interest the three daughters had acquired under [53]*53the same. On September 24, 1932, the court entered its order decreeing that Mrs. Annie Potka owned an undivided ⅜ interest in said tract and that the children each owned an undivided ⅛ interest, ordered the land partitioned and appointed commissioners to make the partition, which duty they performed by dividing the land into nine separate tracts. A tract was awarded to the mother, Mrs. Annie Potka, a tract was set aside to each of the surviving six children, and a tract to each of the two children of Mike Potka, deceased. Each tract was properly described by metes and bounds. On the 29th day of October, 1932, the report of the commissioners was by the court approved and confirmed.

On December 3, 1937, Mrs. Annie Potka executed a will, in which she bequeathed all of her property to Mrs. Josie Hortsch, Joe Potka and Stash Potka. On January 31, 1939, Mrs. Annie Potka died and her will was admitted to probate and on February 6, 1939, Joe Potka qualified as executor of her estate.'

On August 28, 1939, Joe' Potka, Louise Potka, Stash Potka and Mrs. Josie Hortsch conveyed by warranty deed the 79.75 acres that had been awarded to Mrs. Annie Pot-ka in the 1932 partition suit, to Antone Wilganowski.

The attorney who filed the partition suit had no actual knowledge of the 1918 deed, and in fact only two of the children had any actual knowledge of its existence. The farm being community property, the suit was instituted and carried through on the theory that Mrs. Potka was the owner of an undivided ½ interest as community survivor and each of the children were the owners of a ⅛ undivided interest in their father’s half.

At the conclusion of the evidence the court withdrew the case against Wilganow-ski and rendered judgment in his favor. Appellants say that such action on the part of the court was error; that the 1918 deed from their mother, being of record, was ir-rebuttable notice to Wilganowski of the interest of the plaintiffs in the 79.75 acre tract.

It is a well-settled rule of law that a deed, properly executed, acknowledged and recorded in the deed records of the county in which the land is situated, is notice to any and all subsequent purchasers and creditors of its existence and of the rights which it secures, and any person dealing with said property contrary to said instrument does so at his peril. Article 6646, Vernon’s Ann. Civ.Stats.; 36 Tex. Jur., sec. 44, p. 463. Appellants having their deed duly recorded in the deed records of Falls county, it was notice to Wilga-nowski of the appellants’ ownership of said land and would operate to prevent him from becoming an innocent purchaser, unless the partition judgment of 1932 has intervened in his favor and against the appellants.

Appellants denying having any knowledge or information of the filing of the partition suit and say that they did not consent to its being filed. The first issue the court submitted' was: “Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that Mrs. Mary Okolek did not consent for the partition suit of 1932, styled Mrs. Annie Potka et al. v. Henry Potka, being No. 11078, to be filed in the district court of Falls county, Texas?” To which the jury answered that she did consent. Issue No. 2 was in the same form in respect to the consent of Mrs. Kate Biko-, and the jury found that she consented to the filing of said suit. So that this contention of appellants has been, foreclosed against them by the jury.

Appellants having consented to the filing of the partition suit; it was their duty to assert their superior title to said land in said suit, and since they failed to do so and permitted judgmentfo be entered and become final, in which their mother was found to be the owner of one-half of said property, and since the rights of a third party have intervened, they are now estopped and have waived any right or claim that they had under the 1918 deed. De La Vega v. League, 64 Tex. 205, 217; 26 Tex.Jur., pp. 208, 311, sec, 494; Richardson v. Trout, Tex.Civ.App., 135 S.W. 677, 678., writ refused; Dean v. Dean, Tex.Civ.App., 165 S.W. 90, 92; Shook v. Shook, Tex.Civ.App., 145 S.W. 699, 703, writ refused; Layne v. Layne, 177 Ky. 592, 197 S.W. 1062; Crow v. Van Ness, Tex.Civ. [54]*54App., 232 S.W. 539; Jones v. Sun Oil Co., 137 Tex. 353, 153 S.W.2d 571.

Article 6083, Vernon’s Civil Statutes, provides that a joint owner or claimant may file his petition in the district court of the county in which the real estate, or any part thereof, sought to be partitioned, is situated, which petition shall state: (1) the name and residence) if known, of each of the other joint owners, or joint claimants of such property; (2) the share or interest which the plaintiff and the other joint owners, or joint claimants, of same own or claim so far as known to the plaintiff; and (3) that the land sought to be partitioned shall be properly described.

Civil Procedure Rule 760 provides that upon the hearing of the cause the court shall determine the share or interest of each of the joint owners or claimants in the real estate sought to be divided, and all questions of law or equity affecting the title to such land which may arise.

Rule 761 provides for the appointment of commissioners, and Article 6100 provides that the decree of the court confirming the report of the commissioners in partition, when a partition has been made, shall vest the title in each party to whom a share has been allotted, to such share as against the other parties to such partition suit, their heirs, executors, administrators or assigns, as fully and effectually as the deed of such parties could vest the same, and shall have the same force and effect • as a full warranty deed of conveyance from such other parties and each of them.

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Bluebook (online)
205 S.W.2d 51, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 766, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/potka-v-potka-texapp-1947.