Case Title: EASTLAWN DEVELOPMENT COMPANY v. Wells

Citation: 311 So. 2d 334

Docket Number: 

State: mississippi

Court: Mississippi Supreme Court

Date: 1975-04-21T00:00:00Z

Document:
311 So. 2d 334 (1975) EASTLAWN DEVELOPMENT COMPANY et al. v. Wiley WELLS. No. 48002. Supreme Court of Mississippi. April 21, 1975. Megehee, Brown, Williams & Corlew, Pascagoula, O.F. & J.O. Moss, Lucedale, for appellants. *335 Sekul, Hornsby & Wallace, Biloxi, for appellee. Before PATTERSON, SMITH and BROOM, JJ. SMITH, Justice: Eastlawn Development Company, a corporation, (and others) appeal from a decree of the Chancery Court of Jackson County entered in a suit brought by Wiley Wells, under the terms of which the court held that Eastlawn had acquired only an undivided one-fourth interest in a forty acre tract, which was the subject matter of the suit, the remaining three-fourths undivided interest being owned by complainant-appellee, Wiley Wells. In his suit Wiley Wells made Eastlawn (and others in privity with Eastlawn) defendants. But in its brief on appeal Eastlawn asserts that "only Eastlawn Development Company, a corporation, and Dan Stallworth (who claims through Eastlawn) have any title to or interest in" the forty acres. In his bill, Wiley Wells alleged (in substance), that he was the owner of the land, that Eastlawn, and the other defendants, had entered upon it and were attempting to assert a false claim of ownership. Complainant prayed, among other things, that the court hold that he was vested with "good, valid fee simple title" to the land and that the court "cancel, set aside and hold for naught all of the pretended claims" of Eastlawn and the other defendants. Also included was a prayer for "such other, further, and general relief as he may be entitled to in equity." The subject land had been patented by the United States Government to Moses Wells on December 17, 1894. Moses Wells died intestate many years ago, his wife having predeceased him, leaving as his heirs at law four children, Quitman Wells, Margaret Wells, Mary Wells Bilbo and Julia Wells Fairley. Wiley Wells, appellee, is a child of Quitman Wells, who died intestate, without having parted with title to his one-fourth undivided interest. Margaret Wells, (through whom Eastlawn must claim), died intestate without ever having married but leaving as her heirs at law certain children. Mary Wells Bilbo, Julia Wells Fairley and Quitman Wells also died intestate without ever having transferred or conveyed any interest inherited by them in the land. In his bill, Wiley Wells specifically attacked certain proceedings in the Chancery Court of Jackson County in Cause Number 17,866, (through which Eastlawn claimed), and charged that such proceedings had been fraudulent and were void. These proceedings had been brought on July 29, 1964 "by persons styling themselves as the heirs at law of Margaret Wells." Copies of the pleadings, proceedings and decrees in Cause No. 17,866 were introduced into evidence. It appears that, in the suit referred to, the "heirs of Margaret Wells" had alleged that the land had been orally given to her by Moses Wells, and had claimed to be the sole owners of the land. In these proceedings, a sale of the land and a division of the proceeds among the "heirs of Margaret Wells" had been procured. Neither Wiley Wells nor the heirs of the other children of Moses Wells had been made parties and the funds derived from the sale had been distributed exclusively to the "heirs of Margaret Wells." Eastlawn's answer, which was joined in by several other defendants, contained a general denial of the allegations of the bill and an assertion that the partition proceedings and the resulting sale of the land referred to above, were valid and that the title acquired by the purchaser (a predecessor in title to Eastlawn) at the sale was to the complete fee. During the pendency of the present suit, Wiley Wells obtained quitclaim deeds from a number of defendants, and decree pro confesso was taken against all non-answering defendants. The case then went to *336 trial upon the issues raised by the bill and answer. The chancellor, after a lengthy evidentiary hearing, during the course of which he heard a great deal of testimony, delivered an opinion in which he set forth his findings. As no clearer exposition of the case as made by the evidence could be given we adopt his opinion, which is as follows: There was no demurrer to the bill although appellants are now critical of its form and argue that it meets statutory requirements neither as a bill to confirm title nor as a bill to cancel clouds on title. Appellee takes the opposite view and contends, among other things, that it is also proper as a "bill of review," attacking the decree in the former suit, wherein the heirs of Margaret Wells falsely alleged that they were the owners of the complete fee and procured a sale and divided the proceeds. Without entering into a discussion of the technical features of the bill, we have concluded that its allegations and prayer were sufficient to support the decree appealed from. Eastlawn's title can be no greater than that of its predecessors in title, the heirs of Margaret Wells. As to that interest, the sale was effective since it was procured by and acquiesced in by her heirs, who divided the money among them. Under such circumstances neither they nor the successors in title to the purchaser at the sale are in a position to complain, as against Wiley Wells, who was not a party, that the assertion of complete ownership in their bill was false. The evidence leaves it beyond question that Wiley Wells does own an interest in the land and thus had standing to maintain the suit against Eastlawn and its privies. We are not called upon in this case to decide whether Wiley Wells has acquired the entire three-fourths interest which descended from Moses Wells to Quitman Wells, Mary Wells Bilbo and Julia Wells Fairley, his other three children. In any event, no part of it belongs to Eastlawn and Eastlawn has no interest in it. Eastlawn is limited to the one-fourth interest which descended to Margaret Wells and which was sold to Eastlawn's predecessor in title through the Chancery proceedings brought by her heirs. The findings of the chancellor are sufficiently supported by the evidence and we cannot say that he was manifestly wrong. Affirmed. GILLESPIE, C.J., RODGERS, P.J., and INZER, ROBERTSON, SUGG and WALKER, JJ., concur.