Williams v. Smith

409 S.W.2d 572, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2984
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 18, 1966
DocketNo. 16753
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 409 S.W.2d 572 (Williams v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williams v. Smith, 409 S.W.2d 572, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2984 (Tex. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

OPINION

LANGDON, Justice.

The appellants as plaintiffs being owners of single family dwellings in Ridglea Hills, brought this suit under the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act, Art. 2524-1, Vernon’s Ann.Tex.Civ.St, to have the district court declare that the single family residential restrictions originally placed upon the Ridglea Hills addition in Fort Worth are in force and effect and that the ap-pellees (defendants) cannot build apartments, condominiums, or multi family dwellings within such addition.

Trial before the court without a jury resulted in a take nothing judgment against appellants. The trial court indicated that there was little conflict, if any, in the evidence including testimony and numerous exhibits bearing upon the material facts and that disposition of the case depended upon the application of the law to the undisputed facts adduced upon trial. No formal findings were requested and none were filed.

The court by its judgment held that all of the restrictions contained in the original dedication of the Ridglea Hills Addition in 1946 have been completely abandoned and waived by the adoption of seven revisions and amendments to the original dedication which were made and filed in 1953, 1954 and 1955, when taken in connection with the actions and conduct of the various owners and their assigns in the years that followed. That finally, while not controlling, the matter of balancing equities should be taken into consideration. The take nothing judgment against the appellants rendered on January 19 was signed on January 26, 1966.

[574]*574By five points of error the appellants contend that the trial court erred in that its judgment is not sustainable on the grounds of abandonment, waiver, estoppel or laches and that the court erred in balancing the equities in favor of the appellees rather than in their favor.

We reverse and render.

A summary of the plat and dedication history of the land involved as reflected by the various instruments filed and recorded in the plat and deed records of Tarrant County is summarized as follows:

Original Plat and Dedication, January 10, 1946

The original plat, dedication and restrictions for “Ridglea Hills” Addition was dated January 10, 1946, filed January 11, 1946, and recorded in Vol. 388-B, p. 225 of the Plat Records of Tarrant County, Texas.

This original dedication setting out restrictions for “Ridglea Hills” outlined a general plan for the development of the addition for single family residences, providing for approval of plans, setbacks, minimum costs, easements, etc.

Under Section 2, Use of Land, subpara-graph (b) provided: “No lot or plot shall ever be used for any purpose other than single family residence purposes. No dwelling house located thereon shall ever be used for other than single family residence purposes, nor shall any outbuilding or structure located thereon be used in a manner other than incidental to such family residence purposes. The erection and/or maintenance and/or use of any building, or the use of any lot or plot for other purposes, including but not limited to commercial or professional purposes — for example, stores, shops, flats, duplex houses, apartment houses, rooming houses, tourists’ courts, schools, churches, hospitals, and filling stations, but without limitation to such examples — is hereby expressly prohibited.

“Only one single family residence shall be constructed or permitted on any lot or plot.

“No garage or outbuilding on any lot or plot shall be used as a residence or living quarters, except by servants engaged on the premises.” (Emphasis supplied.)

Under Section 10, General, it is provided: “Ridglea Hills may include restrictions, other than those set out herein, in any contract or deed to any lots or plots without otherwise modifying the general plan above outlined, and such other restrictions shall inure to the benefit of and bind the respective parties in the same manner as though they had been expressed herein. (Emphasis supplied.)

“The restrictions herein set out shall be referred to, adopted and made part of each and every contract and deed executed by and on behalf of Ridglea Hills conveying said property, or any part thereof, to all such intents and purposes as though incorporated in full therein; and each such contract and/or deed shall be conclusively held to have been so executed, delivered and accepted upon the express conditions herein stated.

“All of the restrictions, covenants, reservations, liens and charges appearing herein, as well as those appearing in any contract, deed or other conveyance to or covering any part of this property, shall be construed together, but if any one of the same shall be held to be invalid, or for any reason is not enforced, none of the others shall be affected or impaired thereby, but shall remain in full force and effect.”

Under Section 11, Right to Enforce, the restrictions provided: “The restrictions herein set forth are imposed upon each lot and plot of land for the benefit of each and every other lot and plot, shall constitute covenants running with the land, and shall inure to the benefit of and be binding on Ridglea Hills, Ltd., its successors and assigns, the individuals comprising such [575]*575partnership, their assigns, and each and every purchaser of and person acquiring any interest in any part of such land, and their assigns, and all persons acquiring any of the land covered by these restrictions shall be taken to agree and covenant to conform to and observe all such restrictions as to the use of said land (no restrictions or covenants herein set forth shall be binding on any corporation, person or persons except in respect to breaches committed during the time such corporation or person owns or has an interest in said land or part thereof); and Ridglea Hills, its successors and assigns, and the partners thereof, their heirs, assigns, executors and administrators, and the owner or owners of any part of such land and of any interest therein, acting jointly or severally, shall have the right to sue for and obtain an injunction, to prevent the breach of, or to enforce the observance of, the restrictions and covenants above set forth in addition to the ordinary legal action for damages, and the failure of any one or all of such persons to enforce any of the restrictions or covenants herein set forth at the time of its violation, shall in no event be deemed to be a waiver of the right to do so at any time thereafter, nor shall the failure to enforce such restrictions as to any one or more lots or plots, or as to any one or more owners thereof, be deemed a waiver of the right to enforce them as to any and all other lots and owners.” (Emphasis supplied.)

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Related

Smith v. Williams
422 S.W.2d 168 (Texas Supreme Court, 1967)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
409 S.W.2d 572, 1966 Tex. App. LEXIS 2984, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-smith-texapp-1966.