Opinion ID: 2976648
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Succession of Title

Text: The Rorie and Rice tracts and the majority of the Sullivan tract once formed part of lands held in unity by A. Lea & Co. J.A. at 43 (Joint Pretrial Order at 6). In 1888, the lands that later became the Rice and Rorie tracts were separated from the Lea property and assigned to the Bacon family. Id. By 1928, Myra Bacon Rice owned both the Rice and Rorie tracts. Id. Cyburn H. Sullivan, III bought what is now known as the Sullivan tract from Charles Shoaf, who inherited the land from his father, Charlie Shoaf. J.A. at 211 (Sullivan Dep. at 10). The record does not make clear when Charlie Shoaf bought the Sullivan tract from A. Lea & Co or when Sullivan bought the tract from Charles Shoaf, but the timing is immaterial. In 1941, Myra Bacon Rice and her husband deeded what is now known as the Rorie tract to Elvy Rorie and his wife. J.A. at 44 (Joint Pretrial Order at 7). The tract then passed to Elvy Rorie’s three children: Conrad J. Rorie, Virginia Rorie Wright, and Elvy Rorie, Jr., who held the land as tenants in common. Elvy Rorie, Jr. farmed the lands for the benefit of his co-tenants. Id. Upon his death in 1998, Elvy Jr.’s one-third interest in the lands passed to his three children, Elvy Rorie III, Margaret Rorie Sansom, and Susan Rorie Davis. Id. In 1999, the two daughters deeded their twoninths interest in the Rorie tract to C&L Farms, Inc. Id. In 2002, Conrad J. Rorie and the heirs of Virginia Rorie Wright deeded their two-thirds interest in the Rorie tract to Plaintiffs-Appellees, who now hold the land in fee simple absolute. J.A. at 44-45 (Joint Pretrial Order at 7-8). In 1993, the trustees of the Ralph E. Rice, Jr. and Hallie M. Rice Family Trust deeded the Rice tract to the U.S. government for use as a national wildlife refuge administered by the Secretary of the Interior, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (we hereinafter refer to this deed as “the Rice Deed”). J.A. at 485-86 (Rice Deed at 1-2). The grantors assigned all the legal and equitable rights to the property, “SUBJECT, HOWEVER, to existing easements for canals, ditches, flumes, pipelines, railroads, public highways and roads, telephone, telegraph, power transmission lines and public utilities.” Id. at 486 (italics added). Thus, the title possessed by Plaintiffs-Appellees to the Rorie tract and the U.S. title to the Rice tract originated with a common owner: Myra Bacon Rice. The government also owns the northern-most tract of the lands in question. In 1985, Cyburn Sullivan and his wife had deeded the Sullivan tract to the U.S. government, for use as a national No. 06-6369 Burlison et al. v. United States Page 3 wildlife refuge (we hereinafter refer to this deed as “the Sullivan Deed”). J.A. at 510-11 (Sullivan Deed at 1-2). The United States acquired the land in fee simple and “unencumbered SUBJECT, HOWEVER, to . . . [e]xisting easements for canals, ditches, flumes, pipelines, railroads, public highways and roads, telephone, telegraph, power transmission lines and public utilities.” Id. at 512 (italics added).