Opinion ID: 2735192
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: a, b, c, and all other persons or

Text: ENTITIES CLAIMING ANY PRESENT, FUTURE, CONTINGENT, REMAINDER OR OTHER INTEREST IN THE DEFENDANT LANDS DESCRIBED HEREINABOVE, WHERE TRUE NAME IS UNKNOWN TO THE PLAINTIFF AT THE PRESENT TIME BUT WHICH WILL BE ADDED HERETO BY AMENDMENT WHEN ASCERTAINED. 6. The only person who is known to [Darby] who has had physical possession of said lands, or any part thereof since the decree of sale in May 5, 2009, other than [Darby], is the defendant, SHAWN CHILDERS. [Darby], by and through his attorney of record, James Q. Stanphill, Jr., sent SHAWN CHILDERS, a written demand for possession of the property dated June 20, 2012. [Childers] received the notice via certified mail on June 28, 2012. 7. All persons who have at any time within 10 years next preceding the filing of this complaint assesses [sic] or paid any taxes upon said lands or any interest therein are: A. LEROY DARBY B. BARBARA E. HOLLIS 8. The age, address or legal competency of defendant BARBARA E. HOLLIS is unknown to [Darby]. It is believed to be, but unknown to [Darby], that [Hollis] is, at the time of the filing of this complaint, deceased. The Defendant, SHAWN CHILDERS, is over the age of 19 years old, residing at ---- 1 The recorded deed for the real property at issue named Hollis as the owner of the property. 3 1130530 County Road 141, Florence, AL 35633, and of legal competency. The age, address or legal competency of any other of the hereinabove persons is unknown to [Darby]. .... WHEREFORE FROM THE ABOVE STATED PREMISES, [Darby] requests that this Honorable Court take jurisdiction over this cause of action and issue all orders, notices, demand all publications and take all such other actions necessary so as to set a date for hearing to quiet title to the above described property into [Darby]. (Capitalization in original.) The complaint was subsequently amended to name Martha Creasy, Leslie Creasy's widow, and their children –- Tina Creasy, Robert Creasy, and Roy Creasy –- as defendants.2 Shawn answered the complaint. A trial was conducted on two separate days. After the first day, the trial court entered the following order: This cause came before the Court on complaint to quiet title, Defendants Barbara Hollis, Martha Creasy, Tina Creasy, Robert Creasy, and Roy Creasy were served by publication but failed to appear. Defendant Robert DeShawn Childers did appear pro se. [Darby] presented evidence from Clint Wilkes, an abstractor, that the title to the property in 2 A title search established that Hollis had been deeded the property by Martha Creasy, who had inherited the property at her husband's death. 4 1130530 question, according to the courthouse records, is vested in Barbara Hollis subject to a tax lien and tax deed in favor of Leroy Darby. [Darby] testified that he bought the property at a tax sale in March 2009. He has driven by the property but has never been on the property. To his knowledge the house located on the property is occupied by [Shawn] whose name appears nowhere in the title records. No one has ever made any effort to redeem the property. [Darby] rested his case and the court allowed [Shawn] to testify in his own behalf.[3] [Shawn] claimed that his father, who is now age 85, bought the property at a foreclosure sale in 1995 although he had no firsthand knowledge of this fact. He was unable to tell the court from whom it was purchased. [Shawn] further claimed that on a previous occasion a person tried to evict him from the property claiming they had bought the land at a tax sale but a circuit judge in this circuit ruled the tax deed was invalid. He was unable to tell the court the names of the litigants, the court case number, or the time frame for such suit. [Shawn] requested additional time to gather his evidence. Motion granted. The balance of this case is continued ... for [Shawn] to present any evidence he has of his claim to title. Shawn retained counsel and moved the trial court, pursuant to Rule 19, Ala. R. Civ. P., to join David Childers, his father, as a defendant in the action. The trial court granted the motion, and David was added as a party to the action. 3 Shawn testified that he had resided on the property since 2000. 5 1130530 On December 3, 2013, the trial resumed. The trial court admitted into evidence the deposition of David, who testified that, at a foreclosure sale in 1995, he had purchased the real property at issue, which consisted of 2.7 acres and on which was situated a two-bedroom house with various outbuildings. He stated that he had repaired the house, had cleaned up the yard, and had used the surrounding land to train his horses from 1995 through 2003 or 2004. He explained that he had filed a deed reflecting his ownership of the property but that he had never paid taxes on the property because he had been informed by the tax office that he was exempt from taxes because he was 65 years old and totally disabled. According to David, his son Shawn has lived on the property since 2000. In support of his testimony, David presented a statement from the Florence Utilities Department indicating that in 1995 electricity had been connected to the house in his name and that the account for electrical service to the house has remained in his name. Evidence was also presented indicating that the deed filed by David was not for the property at issue but for an adjoining one-acre lot. A copy of a quitclaim deed from 6 1130530 Martha Creasy and one of her sons transferring the one-acre lot adjoining the property at issue to David was admitted into evidence. Additionally, a mortgage-foreclosure deed indicating that the one-acre lot owned by David had been foreclosed on in 2004 was admitted into evidence, and additional evidence was admitted indicating that that property had subsequently been sold several times. After considering the testimony and other evidence, the trial court quieted title in the real property, including the house, in Darby. Shawn and David moved for a new trial or, in the alternative, to alter, amend, or vacate the judgment, arguing, among other grounds, that the trial court had erred in quieting title in Darby because, they asserted, the evidence did not establish that Darby was in peaceable possession of the property. The trial court denied the motion, and Shawn and David appealed.