Opinion ID: 2264739
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Unlisted Participating Owners

Text: As an alternative argument, the defendants contend that only the 20% mineral interests owned by the listed owners, Lester's successors, was transferred by the sheriff's deed. Although defendants repeatedly refer to the remaining 80% of the mineral estate, the 50% interest that the McGintys do not claim is not in issue in this quiet title action. Effectively, then, the alternative position is that the McGintys did not acquire the 30% of the mineral interests owned by the parties that were served with the cross-petition but were not described as owners, i.e., Helen and W.L., Jr. In addition to the arguments asserted above, the defendants contend that the failure to describe Helen and W.L., Jr., as owners deprived them of adequate notice and service with respect to a partition of their mineral interests. However, as noted, both unlisted owners were served with the cross-petition for partition, which included a description of the entire subject tract. Both had the opportunity to file an answer, pursuant to K.S.A. 60-1003(b), denying the alleged interests of any of the plaintiffs or defendants. In fact, Helen filed an answer to the cross-petition in which she affirmatively disavowed having any ownership interest in the subject tract. Accordingly, when the court ordered the sheriff to sell and convey all of the right, title and interest which the plaintiffs and the defendants have or claim to have in and to said real estate, the sale included the mineral interests of Helen and W.L., Jr. Granted, the partition judgment erroneously excluded Helen and W.L., Jr., from the allocation of the sheriff's sale proceeds. However, their claim for a share of the sale proceeds was against the other parties, specifically Lester's successors, and not against a purchaser at the sheriff's sale who had no involvement in the partition action. Having failed to protect their interests in the partition action when given the opportunity to do so, Helen and W.L., Jr., cannot now assert their interests in this quiet title action. The defendants also rely on the testimony of Emerson Shields, who was an attorney involved in the partition action. He testified that he learned from the abstractor that only one-fifth of the mineral interest was involved in the lawsuit and that he had announced at the sheriff's sale that the conveyance would be subject to a four-fifths mineral reservation. Shields also alleged that he had prepared a contract that included the reservation of mineral rights, which he says Letha McGinty signed, albeit a signed contract was not introduced into evidence in this action. The defendants contend that the McGintys knew or should have known they were only buying 20% of the mineral estate. However, [w]hen a deed is delivered and accepted as performance of a contract to convey, the contract is presumed to be merged in the deed. Palmer v. The Land & Power Co., 172 Kan. 231, 237, 239 P.2d 960 (1952). Specifically, if an agreement provides for a mineral reservation, but the deed contains no provision for a mineral reservation, the inference is that the agreement for a mineral reservation was waived and superseded by the deed. 172 Kan. at 237, 239 P.2d 960. Here, the sheriff's deed contained no mineral reservation with respect to the interests of the plaintiffs and defendants in the partition action. In a related argument, defendants contend that a sheriff's deed is akin to a quitclaim deed in that it only transfers the interest which the grantor possessed at the time of the transfer. We do not need the analogy. K.S.A. 60-2416 provided that a sheriff's deed shall vest in the purchaser as good and perfect an estate in the premises therein mentioned as was vested in the person or persons against whom the ... order was issued. Moreover, a sheriff's deed is construed with the judicial proceedings of which it forms a part, and it conveys no greater title than is authorized by the judicial proceedings. Aguilera v. Corkill, 201 Kan. 33, 36, 439 P.2d 93 (1968). Here, the judicial proceedings authorized the sale of the entire tract, without mineral reservation. The participants in the partition action were vested with 50% of the mineral estate. Therefore, the sheriff's deed conveyed that one-half mineral interest.