Ratcliff v. Ratcliff

161 S.W. 30, 1913 Tex. App. LEXIS 968
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 11, 1913
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 161 S.W. 30 (Ratcliff v. Ratcliff) 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
Ratcliff v. Ratcliff, 161 S.W. 30, 1913 Tex. App. LEXIS 968 (Tex. Ct. App. 1913).

Opinion

McMEANS, J.

Action of trespass to try title brought by Eli Ratcliff against Sarah Ratcliff to recover one-half of a certain tract of land in Jefferson county. In addition to the ordinary allegations in suits of trespass to try title, the plaintiff pleaded the statute of limitations of ten years. Defendant answered by general denial and a plea of not guilty and further pleaded that in 1893 the land in controversy was deeded to her by one George Turner, the deed reciting a consideration of $1 paid and love and affection, but that said deed was in fact a deed in trust, and that no title passed or was intended to be passed thereby, and that there was no real consideration for its execution, but that said deed was made by said George Turner to her in order that she and the plaintiff, Eli Ratcliff, who was then her husband, might get a house built on the land, and with the understanding and agreement that the land would be reconveyed by plaintiff and defendant to said George Turner at some future date. Lou Turner, alleging that she was the widow of George Turner, deceased, and that he left no children, that the land -in question was community property and that she was his sole heir, that there had been no administration of the estate of said George Turner, deceased, and no necessity for any, intervened in the suit, alleging in substance the same facts alleged by Sarah Ratcliff, and further pleading the statutes of limitation of five and ten years. The case was tried before the court without a jury and resulted in a judgment for the intervener, Lou Turner, and from this judgment the plaintiff has appealed.

*31 The court upon proper request of appellant filed findings of fact and conclusions of law. The evidence in the record justifies the following fact findings, which in substance accord with the court’s findings of fact: The land in controversy was deeded to George Turner, the husband of intervener, Lou Turner, by Long & Co. on March 16, 1882. On October 5, 1893, George Turner conveyed to defendant Sarah Ratcliff, his stepdaughter, the land in controversy; the deed reciting as a consideration the payment of $1 and love and affection, and was so conveyed for the purpose of enabling said Sarah Ratcliff and her husband, the plaintiff, Eli Ratcliff, to mortgage the land, in order to secure lumber to build a house thereon for a home. It was understood and agreed between George Turner and Sarah and Eli Ratcliff at the time of the execution and delivery of this deed that Eli should build the house and pay for it, and that he and his wife, Sarah, should use and occupy the same as their home. It was also understood and agreed at the time said deed was made that, after the purposes above stated had been accomplished, the land should be reconveyed to George Turner by Sarah and Eli, but said conveyance was never made. The house was built in the spring of 1895 by George Turner and Eli Ratcliff. Turner paid part of the purchase money for the lumber that went into the house, and Eli paid the balance. Eli and Sarah moved into the house July 4, 1895, and occupied it continuously Until the spring of 1901, at which time they moved to the city of Beaumont and occupied a house belonging to George Turner, where they resided for three years without paying any rent therefor, and during said time George Turner had the actual possession of the land in controversy occupying and using it, keeping up the fences, raising crops on it, and rented the house to tenants, and collecting and keeping the rents. In April, 1903, Eli and Sarah moved back on the land and lived there until September 28, 1911, when Eli abandoned Sarah and moved into the city of Beaumont, but Sarah retained possession of the land through a tenant. Thereafter Sarah sued Eli for and obtained a divorce, and it was after this that Eli brought this suit for a half interest in the land. The court found as a fact, and the evidence-in the record justified the finding, that George Turner was in possession of and exercised ownership over said land, except that actually used by Eli and Sarah during their periodical occupancy, continuously from 1893 to the time of his death in 1912; that he paid all taxes on the land from 1883 to 1911, inclusive; from 1893 to the time of his death he cultivated a portion of the land each year and kept up the fences and at various times sold off portions of the land to various persons. He died in February, 1912, and there is no administration upon his estate and none necessary. Lou Turner, the intervener, is his surviving wife and his sole heir. After George Turner purchased the land in 1882 from Long & Go., suit was brought against him in the district court of Jefferson county therefor, and the land was recovered by the plaintiff, and thereafter the successful party to that suit, Y. A. Collins, conveyed the land by quitclaim deed to Sarah Ratcliff, George Turner, and J. Y. Flemming.

On the trial in the court below Eli Rat-cliff did not claim the land in controversy under the deed from George Turner to Sarah Ratcliff but asserted title only under the ten years’ statute of limitation, and Sarah Ratcliff asserted that she was holding the legal title thereto in trust for George Turner.

Under substantially the foregoing facts the court concluded as a matter of law, and we think correctly so, that the proof failed to show title in Eli Ratcliff under the ten years’ statute of limitation, and that plaintiff therefore having no title to the land, and defendant Sarah Ratcliff asserting that her possession was for George Turner, Lou Turner, his sole heir, was entitled to recover, and rendered judgment accordingly.

Appellant by his first and second assignments of error complains of the refusal of the court to sustain his general demurrer to the intervener’s petition; his contention being: First, that there was no allegation therein of fraud or mistake in the execution of the deed by George Turner to Sarah Rat-cliff ; and, second, that the facts stated therein were not sufficient for setting the deed aside.

As stated in our fact findings, appellant did not claim under the deed in question but only under his claim of adverse occupancy for a period of time sufficient to perfect the-title in himself by limitation, and therefore the question of whether Sarah Ratcliff held the absolute title to the land under the deed to herself from George Turner, or whether she held the legal title in trust for him, were matters of no concern to appellant. We think the averments of the pleading assailed, when tested by general demurrer, were sufficient. It is not true that in cases such as this a trust cannot be ingrafted upon a deed which upon its face shows the legal title in the grantee, except where there, are other allegations to show that the failure to express the trust in the deed itself was the result of accident, fraud, or mistake. Du Perier v. Du Perier, 126 S. W. 10.

Appellant’s third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth assignments of error are predicated upon the alleged refusal of the court to sustain his several special exceptions to the answer of the intervener. The record does not disclose that these exceptions were called to the attention of the trial court or that they were ruled upon; therefore they must be regarded as waived. Miller v. Barler, 26 S. W. 1105; Pullman v. Vanderhoeven, 48 Tex. civ. App. 414, 107 S. W. 147; Sterling v. Railway co., 38 Tex. civ. App. 451, 86 S. W. 659.

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Bluebook (online)
161 S.W. 30, 1913 Tex. App. LEXIS 968, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ratcliff-v-ratcliff-texapp-1913.