Turk v. Wood

1949 OK 222, 210 P.2d 662, 202 Okla. 112, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 422
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 11, 1949
DocketNo. 33315
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 1949 OK 222 (Turk v. Wood) 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
Turk v. Wood, 1949 OK 222, 210 P.2d 662, 202 Okla. 112, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 422 (Okla. 1949).

Opinion

LUTTRELL, J.

This action was brought by Fox Wood and others, as plaintiffs, to enjoin the defendants Dr. A. B. Turk, Willis G. Sautbine, Estelle Clason and Mrs. J. T. Armstrong, from alleged violations of plat restrictions in the plat of blocks 9 to 22, Winans Highland Terrace addition to Oklahoma City. From the record it appears that the defendants all own their properties in the addition; that each property has erected thereon a residence; that the defendant Turk operates a dentist’s office in his residence; that the defendant Sautbine has in his residence owned by him a termite business and receiving station for a cleaning shop, both operated by his tenants; that the defendant Clason operates a naturopathic clinic in her residence, and the defendant Armstrong operates a beauty shop in the residence occupied by her.

Plaintiffs alleged in their petition that the conducting of these businesses in the residences erected upon the various lots occupied by the defendants was detrimental to the value of residence property owned and occupied by plaintiffs in said addition, and was in violation of the plat restrictions which, as interpreted by them, permitted the use of property in said addition for residence purposes only. Defendants contend in the trial court, and here contend, that under the plat restrictions they could use their residences for any business except merchandising or manufacturing. The trial court rendered judgment for plaintiff, enjoining defendants from operating the businesses conducted by them, and defendants appeal.

On August 8, 1907, John F. Winans and wife, being the owners of the northeast quarter of section 28, township 12 north, range 3 west in Oklahoma county, platted a portion thereof as Winans Highland Terrace addition, at the same time filing with the plat, in the office of the county clerk, restrictions as to buildings on and use of the property described in the plat. The blocks in [113]*113this plat were numbered 1 to 8. Thereafter, and on March 3, 1909, Winans and wife platted another portion of said quarter section as Winans Second addition, filing with such plat restrictions as to buildings on and use of the property included in that addition. Thereafter, on May 16, 1910, Win-ans and wife platted the remainder of the quarter section as blocks 9 to 18, inclusive, and blocks 19 to 22, inclusive, of Winans Highland Terrace addition, and placed thereon the restrictions which are hereinafter set out. No reference is made,' in any of the plats or restrictions filed, to the restrictions applicable to any of the other subdivisions, no attempt being made to incorporate by reference restrictions applicable to another plat into the restrictions applicable to and filed with •the last plat.

From the record it appears that the addition in question lies between Broadway avenue on the east, Walker avenue on the west, Nineteenth street on the south, and Twenty-Third street on the north, and that it comprises all this territory except six blocks lying between Robinson avenue and Hudson avenue, and Twentieth and Twenty-Third streets, which six blocks compose Winans Second addition. The property north of Twenty-Third street is unrestricted. All the properties occupied and used by defendants, except that of defendant Sautbine, are upon the south side of Twenty-Third street. The property occupied and used by Sautbine is between Twenty-Second and Twenty-Third streets on Broadway and upon lots facing east. That portion of the plat restrictions pertinent to the controversy in this case reads as follows:

“Any person becoming the owner of any lot in said Addition shall take and hold the same subject to the following conditions, restrictions and reservations, to wit:
“First, . . .
“Second, upon none of said lots shall any business of merchandising or manufacturing be carried on and a space not less than ten feet in width along the east side of each of said lots, excepting corner lots and lots next to an alley, shall be reserved for parking and passage, providing, however, that the' owner or owner of adjoining lots may establish a joint drive-way in which case neither party shall place his building nearer than six feet to his east line, and providing further that the said ten feet for passage and parking may be reserved along the west side of lots if deemed expedient by owner, in which case the same rule as to joint drive-ways and reservation of space on opposite side of lot must be observed.
“Third, ... ■
“Fourth, upon said lots facing north or south, but one residence building and that facing with the lot, will be allowed, but a stable or other subsidiary building may be erected, and on the rear of any corner lot, if preferred, a second residence may be erected facing the side street, but not nearer than ten feet to said side street, and meeting also the requirements as to the cost of construction applicable to the particular lot.”

Defendants contend that the only restriction imposed upon them as .to the use of their properties in the addition is that only residences shall be erected upon the various properties and that no merchandising or manufacturing, shall be carried on in said residences..

The defendant Sautbine, whose lot faces east and west (the lots of the other defendants being lots which face north) contends that even these restrictions do not apply to his property, since they expressly cover only lots running north and south.

Plaintiffs do not contend that the businesses carried on by the defendants come within the definition of merchandising or manufacturing, but assert that Winans, the owner, intended that the addition should be a purely residential district; that it was part of a general plan furthered by him in platting the 160-acre tract of land owned by him, and that the conducting of any business within said addition is in violation of the restrictions.

[114]*114Defendants urge that the above-quoted restrictions are worded in plain and unambiguous language, and do not prohibit the carrying on of any business in any residence or upon any lot in said addition save that of merchandising or manufacturing, and defendant Sautbine contends that this restriction applies only to the lots fronting north and s'outh. Defendants say that regardless of whether there was a general plan or scheme of development, as contended by plaintiffs, where the language in the restriction is plain and unambiguous, the restriction may not be enlarged or extended by implication to situations unexpressed in the instrument, citing in support of this contention, Cooke v. Kinkead, 179 Okla. 147, 64 P. 2d 682; Test Oil Co. v. La Tourette, 19 Okla. 214, 91 P. 1025, and-other cases, and the general rule announced in 14 Am. Jur., §212. This contention is well taken and must be sustained.

In the early case of Test Oil Co. v. La Tourette, supra, we said:

“Hence restrictions upon the alienation of the fee in land are repugnant to trade and commerce, and are looked upon with disfavor by the law. Nothing will be taken by implication or intendment. New conditions will not be inserted by construction. The expression of the intention of the parties will be gathered strictly from the terms employed, and the inquiry at the close of the examination will be: “Is it so nominated in the bond?’ ”

In Cooke v. Kinkead, supra, we said:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1949 OK 222, 210 P.2d 662, 202 Okla. 112, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 422, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/turk-v-wood-okla-1949.