Opinion ID: 889153
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Recording of Void Deed

Text: ¶ 54 Sherick's last argument is that the recording of void deeds has no effect and thus the District Court erred by considering the fact that Erler was the first to record a deed. Sherick reasons that recording a void deed neither transfers property nor provides constructive notice to the public because constructive notice only occurs where the conveyance is properly acknowledged by law, citing § 70-21-302(1), MCA. Sherick is essentially claiming that Erler's forged deed is not in any way superior to his own forged deed, and should not have been used by the District Court to confer title to Erler. ¶ 55 First, we are concluding that Erler's deed was superior because, not only was it the first to be recorded, it was also ratified. Further, when we considered above whether the ratification had prejudiced Sherick, we did so by determining Sherick's interest in the property prior to the ratification and reviewing the chain of title as it appeared to Sherick at the time of his purchase. While the Hill-Questa deed was declared a void forgery, thereby impairing the Questa-McClain deed, had Sherick conducted a title search, both deeds would have appeared in the chain of title, as both had been duly recorded. On their face, they appeared to be acknowledged or proved and certified and recorded as prescribed by law. Section 70-21-302(1), MCA. The fact that the deeds were subsequently determined to be void does not change their effectiveness in providing notice on the public record of a claimed interest. To hold that they did not provide any notice because they were ultimately determined to be void would undermine the entire purpose of the constructive notice statute. A title check would have revealed that these deeds were purporting to transfer the same property that Sherick thought he was purchasing, and by availing himself of this notice, he could have avoided his current dilemma. ¶ 56 We thus reject all of Sherick's defenses. Affirmed. We concur: JOHN WARNER, BRIAN MORRIS, PATRICIA COTTER and W. WILLIAM LEAPHART, JJ.