Sawey v. Barr

198 P.2d 801, 52 N.M. 358
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 8, 1948
DocketNo. 5069.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 198 P.2d 801 (Sawey v. Barr) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sawey v. Barr, 198 P.2d 801, 52 N.M. 358 (N.M. 1948).

Opinion

SADLER, Justice.

We are asked to determine whether mineral rights in described real estate, secured by deed dated June 22, 1929, which was not recorded until May 23, 1931, are extinguished by a sale for 1931 taxes, delinquent on the real estate, where the sale was on account of the 1932 and 1933 delinquencies as well, and the property was struck off to the purchaser for a lump sum bid aggregating the amount due on account of taxes for all three years.

On June 22, 1929, S.C. Rundle and Edith M. Rundle, his wife, by deed bearing that date conveyed to C. M. Barr, one of the appellants, a specified mineral interest (undivided one-half) in the minerals under certain described lands, only a portion of which are involved in this suit. The deed was not immediately placed of record, having been filed for record on May 23, 1931. In the meantime, the property became subject to assessment for the 1931 taxes, the lien of which attached as of January 1, 1931.

The land in which the mineral interest is claimed was assessed for 1931 to S. C. Rundle. It stood of record in his name on January 1st and the taxes for that year, as well as for 1932 and 1933, becoming delinquent and being in default, the property was struck off and sold to the state on December 7, 1934, at the annual delinquent tax sale held in December of that year. Tax sale certificate No. 455, issued and recited a sale of a portion of the lands described in the deed mentioned above from Rundle and wife to Barr for the lump sum of $359.59 including interest, penalty and costs. Likewise, on the same day, to-wit, December 7, 1934, and at the same tax sale, certain other of the property described in the deed from Rundle and wife to Barr was struck off and sold to the state for 1931, 1932 and 1933 taxes, for the lump sum of $51.89, including interest, penalty and costs, as evidenced by tax sale certificate No. 969, dated December 7, 1934.

Thereafter, and on April 15, 1937, the period of redemption having expired, tax deed to the state was issued by the county treasurer covering a portion of the lands described in tax sale certificate No. 455, reciting a sale of the property conveyed pursuant to said certificate for taxes, penalties, interest and costs in the sum of $161.12. And on May 21, 1937, following, no redemption .having occurred, the county treasurer also issued a tax deed to the state covering the lands described in tax sale certificate No. 969, reciting sale of the property pursuant to said certificate for taxes, interest, penalties and costs in total sum of $140.03.

Tax deeds to the state having issued, its title to the premises in controversy between the appellant, C. M. Barr, and the appellee, Charles M. Sawey, Sr., passed to the latter by mesne conveyances purporting to convey the entire interest in the lands decribed. Thereafter, Sawey, Sr., as plaintiff below, with his co-plaintiff, A. W. Hockenhull, instituted the present suit to quiet title in severalty to a large acreage, including the premises in which Barr claims a mineral interest as against Sawey, Sr. The trial court’s judgment quieted title in the latter to the entire interest, both surface and mineral, in certain described lands. It also quieted title in him to the entire interest in the surface, and a specified mineral interest in other described lands, including those in controversy between the appellant, Barr, and the appellee, Sawey, Sr. It adjudged Barr to be without right or interest in the lands in dispute. He prosecutes this appeal for a review of the judgment so rendered against him.

Findings of fact and conclusions of law consistent with the judgment appear in the decision filed of record by the trial court. The rationale of its decision is that the premises in controversy, having been duly assessed for 1931 under a description purporting to cover the entire interest and the tax lien of the state having attached prior to the severance of the mineral interest of record, the tax sale for 1931 taxes carried with it the entire interest, mineral as well as surface. A review of our previous decisions compels us to agree with this conclusion.

The appellant places strong reliance on the case of Sims v. Vosburg, 43 N.M. 255, 91 P.2d 434. It is not in point. The distinction between it .and the present case is brought out by the facts stipulated in the former. The question was whether the mineral rights under a- certain 320 acres of land passed by a, tax sale under an assessment of the property according to government surveys for the year 1931, where the mineral rights therein, prior to asssessment, had been severed by conveyances to various persons, admittedly of record, even though such persons, themselves had failed to return the property for taxes. We held the mineral rights did not pass by a tax sale under the facts stated.

Furthermore, we felt called upon to note that nothing in our opinion was inconsistent with our former decisions in Alamogordo Improvement Co. v. Hennessee, 40 N.M. 162, 56 P.2d 1127, and Alamogordo Improvement Co. v. Prendergast, 43 N.M. 245, 91 P.2d. 428, 122 A.L.R. 1277, holding title conveyed by tax deed .is a new and paramount title in fee simple absolute, striking down all previous titles and interest in property; and, based on the same consideration, that nothing said in Sims v. Vosburg was inconsistent with our previous holdings in Hood v. Flood, 42 N.M. 295, 77 P.2d 180, and N. H. Ranch Co. v. Gann, 42 N.M. 530, 82 P.2d 632, touching the effect of curative and other provisions found in the statutes for the protection of tax titles.

Certain language employed in our opinion in Sims v. Vosburg, supra [43 N.M. 255, 91 P. 20, 436], emphasizes the distinction between its facts and those in the present case. It is stated:

“It is true that owners of property are required by statute to list it for taxation, and that a tax levied against land in the name of one not the owner does not invalidate the tax. But unless it appears that the severed mineral interests in land evidenced by a duly recorded deed have actually been taxed in the name of the owner of the remainder of the estate as shown by the record, the taxes levied on land merely described by government surveys or metes and bounds, is not against the severed mineral rights.
“It is evident from the facts in this case that the taxing authorities did not take into consideration the severed mineral interests in this property in valuing it for taxation. It was classed as grazing land and its value fixed at exactly the same value as that of other grazing land, from which the minerals have been severed. The severed mineral interests were neither assessed nor sold for taxes and the appellant obtained no title thereto by virtue of his certificates and tax deed.” (Emphasis ours.)

Just as it was evident to us in Sims v.

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Bluebook (online)
198 P.2d 801, 52 N.M. 358, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sawey-v-barr-nm-1948.