Shepherd v. Lyle

1964 OK 204, 395 P.2d 641, 1964 Okla. LEXIS 421
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 29, 1964
DocketNo. 40260
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1964 OK 204 (Shepherd v. Lyle) 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
Shepherd v. Lyle, 1964 OK 204, 395 P.2d 641, 1964 Okla. LEXIS 421 (Okla. 1964).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, Justice.

The question for determination in this appeal is whether one in possession of real estate who by a judgment has title quieted against him may remain in possession and acquire title by adverse possession without first bringing notice home to the owner that he is seeking to acquire such a title by prescription. Our decision is that he may not.

Defendant in error as plaintiff initiated this action to quiet title to certain hereinafter described lands in Noble County. The plaintiffs in error, defendants below, residents of Choctaw County, are the surviving children and heirs of Robert L. Tyer, record owner of the lands here involved. Our continued reference to the parties is as they appeared in the trial court.

In a judgment previously rendered on September 10, 1931, the trial court had adjudged that: “ * * * the plaintiff and the defendants, Stephen and Stella Mayfield, have no interest in said real estate, and that they are barred and enjoined from having or claiming to have any interest in the real estate and the title of Robert Tyer is quieted against the claims of the plaintiff and the defendants, Mayfield, and Robert Tyer is awarded judgment for his costs.”

In the trial below of the case from which this appeal arose the parties stipulated that “on September 11, 1931, Stephen Mayfield was in possession of this property which is the subject matter of this action and that he remained in possession of this property up to the date of his death”. Such stipulation was referred to by counsel for plaintiff in his opening statement, as follows: “It is stipulated and it’s not a matter of dispute, that at the time of the rendition of that judgment in 1931 Stephen Mayfield was in [642]*642possession of this property and stayed in possession of this property until the date of his death in 1942.”

In its judgment from which the present appeal was taken, the trial court found that "under and by virtue of a [the former] judgment heretofore rendered in this court on the 10th day of September, 1931, in case No. 3820, Robert Tyer was the owner of that certain real property described as: ‘The West Half (WJ4) of the Northwest Quarter (NW14) of Section Thirty-four (34), Township Twenty (20) North, Range One (1) East of the Indian Meridian in Noble County, Oklahoma/ free and clear of any right, title, claim or equity in and to said real property on the part of Stephen Mayfield, or any person claiming by, through or under him.

“That thereafter, and prior to the death of the said Stephen Mayfield, the said Stephen Mayfield went into the adverse possession of the above described real property, claiming to be the owner thereof against all persons, including the said Robert Tyer, and all persons claiming by, through or tinder him, and that said adverse possession on the part of the said Stephen Mayfield was adverse, open, visible, continuous, uninterrupted and exclusive, and was of such nature as to put any person upon notice of such claims on the part of the said Stephen Mayfield, and that such possession continued in the manner aforesaid up to and including the date of the death of Stephen Mayfield, which occurred on January 22, 1942.

“That at all times thereafter, possession of the same has been claimed by Sarah Lyle, Administratrix of the estate of Stephen Mayfield, deceased, in the same manner and to the same effect as was claimed by the said Stephen Mayfield during his lifetime, and that such possession continued from the date of the death of the said Stephen Mayfield up to and including the present day, .and that such possession by said administratrix was a continuation of the same possession held by Stephen Mayfield at the time of his death, and said possession, being for more than fifteen (15) years, was sufficient to and did vest the absolute fee simple title in and to the West Half of the Northwest Quarter of Section 34, Township 20 North, Range 1 East of the Indian Meridian in Noble County, Oklahoma, in the heirs at law of Stephen Mayfield, deceased, and Sarah Lyle, as- Administratrix of the Estate of Stephen Mayfield, deceased, free and clear of any right, title, interest or equity therein on the part of the said Robert Tyer, or any person claiming by, through or under him.” From this later judgment and •the overruling of their motion for a new trial, defendants appeal.

For reversal defendants advance four propositions. We consider their fourth proposition determinative of this appeal. It is as follows :

“Independent of the point that plaintiff’s evidence was insufficient to show open, notorious, continuous, hostile and adverse possession with the degree and certainty required by law, the judgment of the district court in Case No. 3820, entered on September 10, 1931, in favor of Robert Tyer, (Predecessor in title of appellants), and against Stephen Mayfield (through whom plaintiff claims), wherein Stephen Mayfield was: ‘ * * * barred and enjoined from having or claiming to have any interest in the real estate, and the title of Robert Tyer is quieted against the claims of plaintiff, and the defendant, Mayfield * * * ’ Precludes the claim that the possession of Stephen Mayfield and his successors in title was adverse in its legal nature.”

In answer to such proposition plaintiff argues that “the evidence conclusively proves that Stephen Mayfield was admittedly in possession of the real property which is the subject matter of this action from 1931 until the date of his death in 1942”; that Stephen Mayfield appeared on the tax rolls as the owner of the property continuously since 1938; that "the record is absolutely void of any evidence that either he or plaintiff was holding possession in subordination [643]*643to any person”; that “the record affirmatively shows that title was claimed by Stephen Mayfield during his lifetime and subsequently by his administratrix, against all persons”.

In 2 C.J.S. Adverse Possession § 120, p. 672, is the following language:

“ * * * Where a defendant in a suit to quiet title remains in possession or assumes possession after a decree adverse to him and vesting title in another, his possession is presumed to be in subordination to the true owner and does not become adverse without express notice of his adverse claim brought home to said owner.”

In the case of Green v. Vance, Tex.Civ.App., 311 S.W.2d 738, 739, 740, 741, 742, an action “for title and possession of 5 acres of land known as Farm Tract No. 2408” wherein the facts are similar to those of the instant case, the court said:

“The appellant’s [Green’s] claim is based upon his asserted adverse possession for a period of ten years or more between March 12,1940, and August 16, 1956, the date of the filing of this suit. Appellant offered proof to establish that he either personally or by tenants occupied and used the land within the enclosure continuously from 1940 until August 16, 1956. * * * ”
⅜ ⅜ ⅜ ⅜ ⅜ ⅜
“The tax records reflected that both the appellant and appellee, Cullen B. Vance, rendered Tract No. 2408 for taxes beginning with the year 1943 and continuing through 1956 and paid taxes thereon during the same period.
“It was shown that on October 1, 1939, appellant, Rowen Green, filed a trespass-to-try-title suit against Margaret Bateman, appellees’ predecessor in title, * * * for the title and possession of * * * Tract No. 2408.

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Bluebook (online)
1964 OK 204, 395 P.2d 641, 1964 Okla. LEXIS 421, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shepherd-v-lyle-okla-1964.