Opinion ID: 884044
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Did Sanders have standing to institute this quiet title action?

Text: Section 70-28-101, MCA, provides that a quiet title action may be brought by any person or persons, whether in actual possession or not, claiming title to real estate against any person or persons, both known and unknown, who claim or may claim any right, title, estate, or interest therein or lien or encumbrance thereon adverse to plaintiff's ownership or any cloud upon plaintiff's title thereto, whether such claim or possible claim be present or contingent, including any claim or possible claim of dower, inchoate or accrued, for the purpose of determining such claim or possible claim and quieting the title to said real estate. Sanders meets the criteria set forth in this section, as he is a person claiming title to real estate against another person (Gaugers) who claims an interest adverse to his own. Sanders alleges, in essence, that Gaugers' adverse claim of title was acquired via tax deed proceedings which were defective and which, as a result, divested the Yellowstone County Treasurer of jurisdiction to issue the tax deed. In addition to being a party entitled to bring a quiet title action, however, Sanders must establish standing to challenge the tax deed proceeding. This Court has determined that the following criteria must be satisfied to establish standing: (1) The complaining party must clearly allege past, present or threatened injury to a property or civil right; and (2) the alleged injury must be distinguishable from the injury to the public generally, but the injury need not be exclusive to the complaining party. Stewart v. Bd. of Cty. Com'rs of Big Horn Cty. (1977), 175 Mont. 197, 201, 573 P.2d 184, 186. In this quiet title action, Sanders has alleged a present injury to a property right. Sanders maintains that Gaugers' asserted interest, allegedly acquired via defective proceedings which rendered Gaugers' tax deed void, is a cloud on his title. This allegation is clearly personal to himself, as opposed to an injury to the public in general. See Stewart, 573 P.2d at 186. Thus, Sanders meets the standing criteria. Contrary to the allegations raised in the dissent, no Montana statute or case law requires Sanders to have an interest in the subject property at the time of the issuance of the tax deed in order to institute a quiet title action. The cases cited by the dissent are clearly distinguishable in that Utah's statutory scheme provides a clearly defined statute of limitations. The dissent's concern over the lack of finality in tax deed cases is well taken; however, it is not the role of this Court to create such finality absent specific statutory authority. Although Sanders did not have an interest in the property when the treasurer issued the tax deed, he later received a quit claim deed to the property. It is this purported interest Sanders now seeks to protect. We note that the application of the Stewart standing criteria in this case produces a different result on the standing issue than we reached in Bowen v. McDonald (Mont.1995), ___ Mont. ___, ___ P.2d ___, 53 St.Rep. ___ (Cause No. 95-193, decided April 16, 1996). The difference arises from the different natures of the two actionsin Bowen, the sole basis for standing was the claimed statutory right to redeem; here, the basis for standing is the quiet title statute, § 70-28-101, MCA. We hold that the District Court erred in concluding that Sanders lacked standing to institute this quiet title action.