Title: Staggs v. Story
Citation: 250 S.W.2d 125
Docket Number: 4-9838
State: Arkansas
Issuer: Arkansas Supreme Court
Date: June 30, 1952

250 S.W.2d 125 (1952) STAGGS et al. v. STORY et al. No. 4-9838. Supreme Court of Arkansas. June 30, 1952. John P. Vesey, Hope, for appellant. Graves &amp; Graves, Hope, for appellee. HOLT, Justice. The parties to this litigation own adjoining residence lots in the city of Hope. Appellant, Cora Staggs, is the sister of appellee, Garrett Story, and the mother of appellant, Opal Hatley. Appellants are the record owners of (and live in a house situated on) the east half of lots 1, 2 and 3 in block 40 in the city of Hope, and appellees the record owners of (and live in a house situated on) the west half of said lots. The question involved is the ownership of a strip of land about 21½ feet wide and 150 feet long, running north and south through these lots. Appellants claim title to, and right to possession of, the disputed strip by adverse possession and say: "The sole question is whether or not the appellants were in adverse possession of the disputed strip of land; since the 1951 survey could not divest appellant of title if appellants had acquired adverse title by adverse possession for a period of seven years prior to 1951." The trial court found against appellants, dismissed their petition for want of equity, and from the decree is this appeal. On a trial de novo here, unless we can say from all the testimony that the Chancellor's findings were against the preponderance thereof, we must affirm the decree. The testimony tended to show, as found by the Chancellor: "That Garrett Story acquired the E ½ of Lots 1, 2 and 3, of Block 40 in the City of Hope, Arkansas, in 1909; and that he also acquired by purchase, or contract to purchase, the W ½ of said lots some time prior to 1911; that when Garrett Story acquired all of this property, prior to 1911, there was a fence running approximately north and south through these lots at a point about where the sycamore tree mentioned in the evidence, now stands on said property. On these facts the court correctly concluded: "The defendant, Garrett Story, having established record title to the disputed strip, the burden rests upon the plaintiffs (appellants) to establish their claim of adverse possession to the East 21 §/2 feet of the West Half of Lots 1, 2 and 3 of said Block 40; or in lieu thereof, to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant, Garrett Story, has in fact acquiesced for a long period of years in a mistaken boundary. A decree was entered in accordance therewith. In order to constitute adverse possession our rule, many times announced by this court, is that this possession must be "`actual, open, continuous, hostile, exclusive, and be accompanied by an intent to hold adversely and in derogation of, and not in conformity with, the right of the true owner. * * * It must be hostile in order to show that it is not held in subordination and subserviency to the title of the owner.'" Watson v. Hardin, 97 Ark. 33, 132 S.W. 1002, 1003. In the present case on account of the family relationship of the parties stronger evidence, of adverse possession of appellants to the disputed strip (which is not embraced in the calls of their deed) was required than in those cases where no such relationship existed. Appellants have failed to meet this burden. We said in Bellamy v. Shryock, 211 Ark. 116, 199 S.W.2d 580, 583: "Due to the relationship of the adverse claimants and the adjoining owners in the instant case, appellants were required to sustain their proof of adverse possession by stronger evidence than is required in ordinary cases involving the question. 1 Am.Jur. p. 819." See also, Robeson v. Hicks, 214 Ark. 595, 215 S.W.2d 1017. Finding no error, the decree is affirmed. McFADDIN, J., not participating.