Stallworth v. Roberts

51 So. 759, 165 Ala. 160, 1910 Ala. LEXIS 103
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedFebruary 10, 1910
StatusPublished

This text of 51 So. 759 (Stallworth v. Roberts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stallworth v. Roberts, 51 So. 759, 165 Ala. 160, 1910 Ala. LEXIS 103 (Ala. 1910).

Opinion

MAYFIELD, J.

— Appellants filed their bill of complaint against the appellees to quiet title (under section 809 et seq. of the Code of 1896) to several thousand acres of wild timber lands, describing same by government numbers. The lands do not form one complete body, but lie in perhaps as many different sections, some portions thereof being 7 or 8 miles from others, and in different townships and ranges. The complainants each claimed different parcels of land, and the respondents claimed title to, and possession of, separate and distinct parcels, and all denied the title and possession of complainants. The bill was repeatedly amended, by change of parties and otherwise, and the various defendants answered, some separately, and some jointly, and demurred, and made their answers cross-bills, etc. — all of which pleadings it is unnecessary to notice or consider fully.

The complainants (appellants here) demanded a jury trial upon several issues specified, as is provided by section 812 of the Code of 1896, now section 5446 of the Code of 1907. This section is as follows. “812. Jury [163]*163Trial on Demand; Decree. — Upon the application of either party, a trial by jury shall he directed to determine the issues, or any specified issue, of fact presented by the pleadings; and the court is bound by the result, but may, for sufficient reasons, order a new trial thereof; and when such trial is not requested, or as to the facts for which the same is not requested, the court shall consider and determine such title, claim, interest or incumbrance, and shall, upon the finding of the jury, or upon such consideration and determination, finally adjudge and decree whether the defendant has any right, title, or interest in, or incumbrance upon such lands, or any part thereof, and what such right, title, interest or incumbrance is, and in or upon what part of the lands the same exists; and such decree is binding and conclusive upon all the parties to the suit.”

The complainants’ demand was as follows: ' “Now come the complainants in the above-entitled cause, and respectfully demand a trial by jury of the following-issues between the complainants and the defendants 0. H. Brown, Henry Brannan, and Thomas Brannan, re-respectively; that is to say (1) Complainants demand trial by jury upon the issue of the possession of the complainants of the property involved in the litigation between the respective parties at the time of the filing of the original bill of complaint. (2) Complainants demand trial by jury upon the issue of the possession of the respective defendants of the land claimed by them at the time of the filing of the respective cross-bills. (3) Complainants demand a trial by jury upon the issue as to whether or not the said respective defendants owned the interests in the lands claimed by them in their answer. (4) Complainants demand trial by jury upon the issue with the respective defendants as to the complainants’ title to the lands in question. And the com[164]*164plainants now move the special chancellor for an order in said canse by which the said issues may be certified to the circuit court of Mobile county.”

These questions were certified to the circuit court, and a jury trial was there had as to such issues, with the following verdict thereon: “We the jury find the complainants were not in the peaceable possession of the lands .described in the bill when it was filed. We further find that each of the respective defendants were not in the peaceable possession of the lands described in their respective cross-bills at the time the same were filed. We further find that the respective respondents do not own the interest in the lands claimed by them, in their respective answer. We further find that the complainants do not own the lauds described in the bill.”

The complainants in the circuit court'moved the court to try the issues separately between the complainants and each of the defendants, as to that part of the land claimed by the respective defendants. The court overruled the motion, and tried all of the issues at the same time, but the verdict of the jury was separate and distinct upon each issue as to each defendant; and the judgment of the circuit court thus determined each Issue separately from the other issues.

The appellants reserved a bill of exceptions to the proceedings in the circuit court, and made it a part of their motion in the chancery court to set aside the verdict and finding of the jury, in so far as it was found that complainants had no- title, and were not in possession of the lands. The court declined to set aside the verdict and resubmit the issue to a jury, and the cause was set -down for a final hearing on the pleadings and proof; and the chancellor decreed that certain parts of the lands belonged to complainants, and that certain of the defendants as to whom decrees pro confesso had [165]*165been rendered, and probably others, had no title or claim to certain portions of the land; but held that as to that part of the lands claimed by these appellees, and as to which the title was contested, the complainants (appellants) have had no title or possession sufficient to support the bill; dismissing the bill as against these appellees, though decreeing that they had no title pr claim in accordance with the issues found by the jury. From that final decree this appeal is prosecuted.

Various errors are assigned as to the trial in the circnit court, and as to the chancellor’s declining to set aside the verdict and finding of the jury, in so far as it fonnd that complainants had no title or possession sufficient to maintain the bill, and to the decree of the chancellor in so far as it dismissed the bill as to these appellants, but did not seek to set aside the verdict or finding in so far as it found that respondents had no title or possession; that is, complainants contended in the court below, and here contend, that the findings of the jury, in so far as they were against complainants, should be set aside, but. that in so far as they were against respondents they should stand, and be binding on the chancery court. This contention is based upon the fact that complainants reserved and took a bill of exceptions to the trial in the circuit court, and had it certified back to the chancery court and made it a part of their motion for a new trial, and that respondents did not, and that for this reason the rulings or findings against respondents in the circuit court could not be reviewed in the chancery court or in this court. It is unnecessary for us to pass upon this question as to whether the verdict of the jury and the judgment of the circuit court thereon can be set aside in part and enforced in part by the chancery court, or by this court on this appeal, for the reason that the decree of the chancellor must be affirmed upon other grounds.

[166]*166It is likewise unnecessary for us to decide whether the decree or action of the chancellor, in denying the motion of the parties to set aside the verdict of the jury and the judgment of the circuit court and to award a new trial or venire' de novo, can he reviewed on appeal; for the reason that we have reached the conclusion that, so far as the rights of the appellants are concerned, the verdict of the jury, the judgment of the circuit court, and the decree of the chancery court were in all things correct, and the only proper verdicts, judgments, and decrees which could have been rendered under the issues and the proof, and that if there were any errors they were without injury to appellants.

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Bluebook (online)
51 So. 759, 165 Ala. 160, 1910 Ala. LEXIS 103, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stallworth-v-roberts-ala-1910.