Opinion ID: 2612907
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Andrew Miscovich's Interest

Text: Howard Miscovich also appeals the superior court's award of a one-eighth interest in the Lower Poorman claims to his brother Andrew based on their partnership interests in Miscovich Brothers. He claims that his and Andrew's respective interests in the Miscovich Brothers partnership were not properly before the court. Thus, he contends that the trial court erred in dividing his and Andrew's respective interests in the partnership's one-half share of the Lower Poorman claims. [6] Miscovich correctly notes that the trial court may not adjudicate issues not raised before or during trial and unsupported by the record. Curran v. Mount, 657 P.2d 389, 392 (Alaska 1982). Miscovich appears to be mistaken, however, in claiming that the determination of his and Andrew's respective interests in the Lower Poorman claims was not an issue properly before the court in the context of Tryck's quiet title action. An action to quiet title is not aimed at a particular instrument, but rather at the pretensions of all individuals claiming adversely. Inquiry is permitted into the whole title of the property in question, the purpose being to enable the plaintiff to quiet his title as against unfounded claims of all nature. Davis v. Tant, 361 P.2d 763, 765-66 (Alaska 1961). Nevertheless, the record in this case establishes that Howard Miscovich's and Andrew Miscovich's interests in the Lower Poorman claims were held by them as partners in Miscovich Brothers. The 1954 deed from Shropshire conveyed an undivided one-half interest in the claims to the Miscovich Brothers partnership, not to its individual partners. In 1983, brothers George and John Miscovich conveyed to Howard their partnership share in the claims, while Andrew Miscovich retained his share. The trial record, however, is devoid of any evidence supporting the conclusion that the Miscovich Brothers partnership was dissolved or that the Lower Poorman claims were withdrawn from the assets of the partnership. From the record it appears that, at the time of trial, Howard and Andrew Miscovich continued to hold their respective interests in the Lower Poorman claims as partners of Miscovich Brothers and that title to the undivided one-half interest conveyed by Shropshire in 1954 remained in Miscovich Brothers. Under the circumstances, title should properly have issued to Miscovich Brothers for its one-half interest in the partnership claims. For this reason, we conclude that the trial court erred in ordering title issued to Howard and Andrew Miscovich individually in proportion to their partnership interests in the claims.