Singer-Fleischaker Royalty Co. v. Whisenhunt

1964 OK 268, 402 P.2d 886, 23 Oil & Gas Rep. 655, 1964 Okla. LEXIS 526
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 22, 1964
Docket40323
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 1964 OK 268 (Singer-Fleischaker Royalty Co. v. Whisenhunt) 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
Singer-Fleischaker Royalty Co. v. Whisenhunt, 1964 OK 268, 402 P.2d 886, 23 Oil & Gas Rep. 655, 1964 Okla. LEXIS 526 (Okla. 1964).

Opinion

IRWIN, Justice.

Singer-Fleischaker Royalty Company, successor to Provident Royalties Corpora *888 tion, hereinafter referred to as plaintiff, commenced proceedings against defendants in error, referred to as defendants, to quiet title to an undivided one-half interest in the minerals under a 120 acre tract of land in Beaver County, Oklahoma, and for other relief in connection therewith. In such proceeding plaintiff sought to invoke the equitable doctrine of estoppel by deed and asserted its title by virtue of Title 16 O.S. 1961, § 17.

The trial court sustained defendants’ demurrers to plaintiff’s amended petition and on plaintiff’s election not to further plead, the cause was dismissed. Plaintiff perfected the present appeal.

FACTS

Provident Royalties Corporation, plaintiff’s predecessor in title, acquired its mineral interest in 1927, and such interest was subject to a mortgage executed by William A. Mulberry and his wife in 1916, which was due and payable in 1921. The time for paying the mortgage indebtedness had been extended in 1921 and 1926, by written extensions after the Mulberrys had conveyed the property in 1921, and the mortgage was foreclosed in 1935. A Sheriff’s Deed was issued in 1936, and in 1943 the original grantor-mortgagor, William A. Mulberry, re-acquired title to property. It is by virtue of the re-acquisition of the property by the original grantor-mortgagor, William A. Mulberry, that plaintiff sought to invoke the doctrine of estoppel by deed and quiet its title against the defendants who deraign their title through William A. Mulberry after he reacquired the property in 1943.

Plaintiff’s action is based on the covenants of warranty contained in the deed when William A. Mulberry conveyed the property in 1921. Plaintiff’s theory is that by virtue of Title 16 O.S.1961, § 17, title to plaintiff’s mineral interest accrued and inured to the benefit of and became immediately vested in Provident Royalty Corporation, plaintiff’s predecessor, by operation of law, upon re-acquisition of the property by William A. Mulberry in 1943.

In order to clarify the facts and issues, a summary of the conveyances affecting title to the premises is set forth.

On November 25, 1916, William A. Mulberry, the then owner of the fee simple title to 160 acres of land, and his wife, executed a mortgage for $1400.00 covering the 160 acres. This mortgage was filed for record on November 26, 1916, and was due and payable on November 25, 1921.

On April 2, 1921, William A. Mulberry and his wife, conveyed the 160 acre tract to W. G. Flint by warranty deed and the mortgage was excepted from the covenant against encumbrances.

On July 30, 1921, W. G. Flint, conveyed the premises to Alexander Heinz and Mary K. Heinz, by warranty deed and the mortgage was excepted from the covenant against encubrances.

On November 25, 1921, the day the mortgage indebtedness was due and payable,. Alexander Heinz and Mary K. Heinz, the then owners of the property, entered into a written extension agreement with the as-signee of the mortgage and the interest on the coupons was increased from six percent to seven per cent per annum. In this extension agreement the time for payment of the mortgage was extended five years and Alexander Heinz and Mary K. Heinz assumed and agreed to pay the debt secured' by the mortgage. This extension agreement was not filed for record and William-A. Mulberry was not a party thereto.

On July 9, 1924, Alexander Heinz conveyed the premises to Mary K. Heinz by warranty deed and the mortgage was excepted from the covenant against encumbrances and Mary K. Heinz assumed and', agreed to pay the mortgage indebtedness.

On January 17, 1925, Alexander Heinz- and Mary K. Heinz, conveyed the premises, to George Merrett by warranty deed and' the mortgage was excepted from the covenant against encumbrances.

*889 On May 26, 1925, George M. Merrett conveyed the premises to Clarence E. Still by warranty deed and the mortgage was excepted from the covenant against encumbrances.

On June 10, 1925, Clarence E. Still conveyed the premises to Ellen Sanger by warranty deed and the mortgage was excepted from the covenant against encumbrances.

On February 4, 1926, Ellen Sanger conveyed the premises to Walter Mulberry by warranty deed and the mortgage was excepted from the covenant against encumbrances. It is to be noted that Walter Mulberry is not the same as William A. Mulberry, the original mortgagor.

In December, 1926, Walter Mulberry conveyed the premises to Seneca Shelinbarger by warranty deed. The mortgage was ex•cepted from the covenant against encumbrances and Seneca Shelinbarger assumed •and agreed to pay the mortgaged indebtedness.

On December 2, 1926, Seneca Shelin-barger and his wife, entered into a written ■extension agreement with the assignee of the mortgage. In the extension agreement the time for payment of the mortgage was extended five years from November 25, 1926, and Seneca Shelinbarger and his wife ■assumed and agreed to pay -the debt secured by the mortgage. This extension agreement was not filed for record and William A. .Mulberry was not a party thereto.

On December 8, 1926, Seneca Shelin-barger and his wife conveyed an undivided ■one-half interest in the minerals under the 160 acre tract to Walter Mulberry by warranty deed. The mortgage was not mentioned.

On October 4, 1927, Walter Mulberry ■conveyed to Provident Royalties Corporation (plaintiff’s predecessor) by warranty deed an undivided one-half mineral interest in and to 120 acres of the 160 acre tract. The mortgage was not mentioned. The interest conveyed in this deed is the interest to which plaintiff asserts its title by virtue of the re-acquisition of the property by William A. Mulberry.

In 1935, mortgage foreclosure proceedings were commenced. In this foreclosure proceeding, the assignee of the mortgage sought personal judgment only against the Shelinbargers- who had entered into the last extension agreement for payment of the mortgage and who had assumed and agreed to pay the mortgage indebtedness.

In 1936, a Sheriff’s Deed was issued and in 1943, William A. Mulberry' re-acquired the premises. The defendants have an interest in the premises acquired from or through William A. Mulberry after he reacquired the property in 1943. The validity of the foreclosure proceedings, the sale and the issuance of the Sheriff’s Deed are not questioned.

CONCLUSION

A terse definition of the doctrine of es-toppel by deed, which plaintiff seeks to invoke, is found in Section 6, 19'Am.Jur., Estoppel, page 603, wherein it is stated:

“Estoppel by deed is a bar which precludes one party to a deed and his privies from asserting as against the other party and his privies any right or title in derogation of the deed or from denying the truth of any material facts asserted in it. * * * ”

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

Related

BUTTERFIELD v. TRUSTEE OF MCCOY REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST
2024 OK CIV APP 2 (Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 2023)
Wood v. Sympson
1992 OK 90 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1992)
Campbell v. Butler
1988 OK 75 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1988)
Branch Banking & Trust Co. v. Kenyon Investment Corp.
332 S.E.2d 186 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 1985)
Palmer v. Crews Lumber Co., Inc.
1973 OK 38 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1964 OK 268, 402 P.2d 886, 23 Oil & Gas Rep. 655, 1964 Okla. LEXIS 526, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/singer-fleischaker-royalty-co-v-whisenhunt-okla-1964.