Taylor v. . Millard

23 N.E. 376, 118 N.Y. 244, 28 N.Y. St. Rep. 694, 73 Sickels 244, 1890 N.Y. LEXIS 963

• Court: New York Court of Appeals
• Decided: January 14, 1890
• Status: Published

Opinion

Vann, J.

It is not open to discussion in this state that a paroi partition may be made of lands owned by tenánts in common, provided each party takes and retains exclusive possession of the portion allotted to him. (Wood v. Fleet, 36 N. Y. 499; Mount v. Morton, 20 Barb. 123; Ryerss v. Wheeler, 25 Wend. 434; Jackson v. Livingston, 7 id. 136; Jackson v. Christman, 4 id. 277; Jackson v. Sellick, 8 J. R. 270; Jackson v. Harder, 4 id. 202; Freeman on Co-tenancy and Partition, § 398; Knapp on Partition, 465.)

A tenancy in common exists when there is merely unity of possession, either with or without a union of other interests. The result of a paroi partition, when carried into effect by each tenant taking exclusive possession of his own share and surrendering possession of all the other shares according to the allotment, is to destroy the unity of possession, and thus the parties by tlieir acts only, without a deed, cease to be tenants in common of the whole, and each becomes the tenant in severalty of a part. The unity of possession is severed and the. partition is effected by the acts of the parties in taking exclusive possession of their respective shares by common consent. While the form of the transaction is a paroi agreement followed by the act of talcing exclusive possession, each of his part, the substance is the act itself. A paroi agreement simply cannot terminate the unity of possession. Standing alone it would be ineffectual for any purpose. The partition springs from the act of each tenant', with the consent of the others. Although practically a substitute for, it is not equivalent to mutual conveyances, which would sever the unity of possession, even if not followed by actual possession. No title is transferred by a paroi partition, even when it is carried into effect, as it acts only upon the unity of possession and by ending that, accomplishes the object in view. It ascertains and defines the limits of the respective possessions. Possession under a tenancy in common, is per rme and not per tout, and as each tenant owns an undivided fraction, he cannot know where that fraction is until a division has been made. (4 Kent, 367, 371; 2 Black. Com. 191, 194.) While his title remains the same after partition as it was before, his part is separated and identified by the division. (Allnott on Partition, 124, 129; Corbin v. Jackson, 14 Wend. 621, 625.) It follows from these views, which are supported by the authorities already cited, that a right in the nature of an easement cannot be created by a paroi agreement for the partition of lands, because that involves something besides a severance of the unity of possession. It implies a grant, by which the right is either reserved or conveyed. (Wis eman v. Lucksinger, 84 N. Y. 31.) It is something carved out of one parcel of land, the servient, for the benefit of another, the dominant. “ It is an interest in or over the soil,’"' and “ can only be acquired by grant, and ordinarily by deed * * * a paroi license being sufficient for the purpose.” (Washburn on Easements, 3-7.) Considering the nature of an easement and the means necessary to create it, we do not think that a right of that character was acquired by the owner of" the seventy acres with reference to the remainder of the tract.

If, by virtue of the paroi agreement, the right in question was to belong to Elijah Millard, as a personal interest independent of his ownership of the seventy acres, it was not an easement, proper, but an estate in the land itself. The right to take a part of the soil or produce of land, known as profit a prendre, requires a grant, or prescription from which a grant is presmned. (Pierce v. Keator, 70 N. Y. 419, 422; Post v. Pearsall, 22 Wend. 425, 433; 2 Washburn on Real Property, 276, 338; Rapalje & Lawrence Law Diet, title Profit.) It is inconsistent with possession or ownership in severalty, which is the sole and exact result of an effective paroi partition. When unity of possession ends, possession in s.everalty begins and the partition is accomplished. It cannot fall short of this result, if it takes effect at all, and it cannot go beyond it.

If the right to enter and take away apples, as contended for, was merely a paroi license, it was revocable at pleasure and the conveyance of the hundred acres without reference thereto effected a revocation. (Cronkhite v. Cronkhite, 94 N. Y. 323; Shepherd v. McCalmont Oil Co., 38 Hun, 37; Washburn on Easements 7.)

But, whatever the nature of the right, as claimed, was, we agree with the learned General Term that, as it was not, and could not be, made a matter of record, the recording act, supervened and protected the plaintiff. Subsequent to the paroi partition the parcel of one hundred acres was twice conveyed by deeds duly recorded, neither of which contained any reference to the right or claim in question. There was no visible sign of its existence and nothing apparent in the use or possession of either tenement to put a purchaser upon inquiry, while the record title contained no suggestion upon the subject. If the verbal agreement had not been limited simply to one-half of the apples, but had embraced one-half" of all the annual products of the farm, it would have been the same in principle. Unless the right was a paroi license it required a grant, duly placed upon record, in order to be valid against one purchasing in reliance upon the recording act. (4 R. S. [8th ed.] 2469.) The will of Elijah Millard was not constructive notice to the plaintiff because, aside from any other question, it was not recorded in the county cleric’s office, but in the surrogate’s office only. Section 2633 of the Code of Civil Procedure was not in force on the 26th day of March, 1880, when the plaintiff’s deed was recorded. (Code C. P. §§ 2633, 3356.)

We think that the judgment should be affirmed, with costs.

All concur, except Haight, J., not voting.

Judgment affirmed.