Opinion ID: 1144149
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether the warranty deed is valid

Text: ¶ 10. The Gammills received the whole parcel of conveyed land through several different deeds, one of which was only for the portion excepted in this case. On January 1, 1983, Lynn Crosby Gammill received by quitclaim deed the subject land described as being in Township 6 South, Range 17 West of Pearl River County, and being more particularly described as: Sec. 26 All that part of E½ of SW 1/4 lying North of Telley Road, and all that part of W½ of W½ of SE 1/4 lying West of Interstate Highway 59 and North of Telley Road, and East 13 acres of that part of the E½ of W½ of SW 1/4 lying North of Telley Road. This deed was dated (and effective) January 1, 1983, and filed of record on January 31, 1983, in Deed Book 368, at pages 268-74, in the office of the Chancery Clerk of Pearl River County. On October 4, 1996, the Gammills conveyed to the Stockstills four tracts of land in Pearl River County by warranty deed filed of record in Deed Book 660, at pages 323-31, in the office of the Chancery Clerk of Pearl River County. In this warranty deed there appeared the following language: LESS AND EXCEPT ALL INTERESTS CONVEYED BY THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED INSTRUMENTS. ALL REFERENCES TO BOOK AND PAGE NUMBERS ARE TO BOOKS AND PAGES OF SAID INSTRUMENTS RECORDED IN THE LAND RECORDS IN THE OFFICE OF THE CHANCERY CLERK OF PEARL RIVER COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, REFERENCE TO WHICH IS MADE FOR ALL PURPOSES JUST AS THOUGH EACH INSTRUMENT WERE COPIED IN THIS DEED IN FULL AT THIS POINT: This language appears on page 325, in Book 660, in the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk's office. On pages 325-31, there appear numerous conveyances which are less and excepted from the Gammills' conveyance to the Stockstills. On page 330, in Book 660, there appears a conveyance depicting L.O. Crosby III et al as the grantors, Lynn Crosby Gammill as the grantee, January 31, 1983, as the filing date of the deed, and 368/ 268 as the book and page where the deed is located. The description of the land less and excepted is described as follows: All that part of E½ of SW 1/4 lying North of Telley Road, and all that part of W½ of W½ of SE 1/4 lying West of Interstate Highway 59 and North of Telley Road, and East 13 acres of that part of the E½ of W½ of SW 1/4 lying North of Telley Road of Section 26. There is thus no question that the land conveyed to Gammill in 1983, is the same land which was less and excepted from the 1996 conveyance to the Stockstills by the Gammills. ¶ 11. The chancellor found that because of extrinsic evidence presented at trial, the deeds from the Gammills' predecessors in title and the numerous exhibits referring to the road as Telley Road, as well as the testimony that proved others were familiar with the area, one would have no difficulty from the deed description in determining where the subject land lay, and that though inaccurate, the description of the land was still sufficient to allow one to locate the property with some certainty. The chancellor found that this description was adequate to put the Stockstills on constructive inquiry/notice in any case of what was intended in this conveyance. The chancellor relied on Sansing v. Thomas, 211 Miss. 727, 52 So.2d 478 (1951), and Overby v. Cavanaugh, 434 So.2d 1365 (Miss.1983), to find in favor of the Gammills. The chancellor held that because the Stockstills recognized the exception in the deed to be a mistake, they also had a duty to research and determine what was actually being conveyed and excepted. The chancellor also found that minimal research would have easily allowed the Stockstills to learn what the Gammills' intentions in the conveyance were. Where the description of land in a deed is wrong, but still adequate for one to locate the land on the ground through reasonable inquiry and research, a purchaser is deemed to be on constructive notice or inquiry. The Stockstills recognized the description as wrong but made no efforts to determine the grantors' real intent, and testimony at trial proved that, though the Stockstills argue no land fits the description in question, discovering the true intent of the grantors could have been easily accomplished. ¶ 12. In Sansing, a case also involving wrongful cutting of timber, this Court held that a complete description of the land was not necessary in the disputed deed because of reference to another deed which adequately described the land. 211 Miss. at 732, 52 So.2d at 481. The facts of Sansing are not unlike the evidence of other deeds introduced here, including the deed from the Gammills' predecessor in interest, despite the fact that those deeds were not referenced in the actual deed in question. However, as noted, that is not necessary. In Neil v. Jones, 497 So.2d 797, 800 (Miss. 1986), we relied on deeds of predecessors-in-title not mentioned in the deed at issue to determine if a land description was legally sufficient and held that [i]n order for a deed instrument to constitute a valid conveyance, it is not necessary that a description of the land be contained in the deed, if it contains sufficient information so that by reference to some document or instrument referred to in the deed, a true and accurate description can be ascertained. Neil, 497 So.2d at 800 (relying on Robert E. Ratliff Co. v. Miss. State Hwy. Comm'n, 400 So.2d 1211 (Miss.1981); McManus v. Wilson, 138 Miss. 1, 102 So. 543 (1925); McLendon v. Ravesies, 178 Miss. 428, 173 So. 303 (1937)). In the deed instruments here, there is no reference to other deeds or documents by which the land may be more specifically identified. However, the record and briefs reflect that appellants' predecessors in title, from whom they inherited their interests in the lands, were vested with title only to lands in Monroe County involved in this suit. Therefore, the interests acquired by appellee are easily found and determined from the records in the office of the Chancery Clerk, Monroe County, Mississippi. Id. Neil is thus applicable and, like Sansing, assists this Court in reaching our conclusion in today's case. ¶ 13. The chancellor likewise relied on Overby as an example of when this Court has held a deed invalid. 434 So.2d at 1367. The deed in Overby was a tax deed and considered invalid as several different configurations of the land at issue in that case were possible by following the description. Id. at 1366. This Court distinguished other cases by pointing out that no extrinsic evidence had been introduced to demonstrate that the land descriptions were susceptible of being followed with certainty. Id. The same cannot be said here. We noted that, regarding rules of construction, interpretation of tax deeds differs from that of conveyance deeds and, [i]ntent of the parties controls in a voluntary conveyance. Id. at 1367. The extrinsic evidence introduced in today's case more than adequately shows what the true intent of the parties was. The State of Mississippi, in 1974 condemnation proceedings, identified the road in Section 26 as Telley Road. In a 1975 condemnation proceeding from the Special Court of Eminent Domain of Pearl River County, the judgment (and the map and report considered) refers to the subject road as Telley Road. Other numerous documents, including deeds, deeds of trust, and easements, from various financial institutions of the area, identify the road as Telley Road. In fact, even the deed conveying Tract 2 in the 1996 warranty deed to the Stockstills refers to the road as Telley Road. On cross-examination, Huey Stockstill conceded that he knows that it is customary for people familiar with the area to refer to the road as Telley Road. ¶ 14. The Stockstills argue that the language of the deed is ambiguous and since even the chancellor declared it inaccurate, certain rules of deed construction apply. According to the Stockstills, since the chancellor failed to employ these rules of deed construction, the chancellor's judgment should be reversed. The Stockstills likewise argue that the four corners doctrine discussed in Peoples Bank & Trust Co. v. Nettleton Fox Hunting & Fishing Ass'n, 672 So.2d 1235, 1237-38 (Miss.1996), requires that the document be read as a whole for purposes of ascertaining the true intent of the parties. That doctrine requires that the court proceed to other rules of deed construction if a reading of the language alone does not evidence a clear understanding of the parties' intent. Id. at 1238. The Stockstills provide various authorities for the proposition that ambiguous deeds are to be construed against the grantor when the grantor's attorney prepared the deed. See McCuiston v. Blaylock, 215 Miss. 504, 509, 61 So.2d 332, 334 (1952). The Stockstills argue that because the trial court failed to apply these rules of construction, reversal is required. The Gammills, as well as this Court, acknowledge that these general rules of deed construction are valid. More specifically, however, we have said that we will not hold a deed void for uncertainty of description if, by any reasonable construction, it can be upheld. Neil, 497 So.2d at 800 (emphasis added). ¶ 15. The chancellor also relied on Dead River Fishing & Hunting Club v. Stovall, 147 Miss. 385, 395-96, 113 So. 336, 337-38 (1927), where this Court stated: A purchaser of land is charged with notice not only of every statement of fact made in the various conveyances constituting his chain of title, but he is also bound to take notice of and to fully explore and investigate all facts to which his attention may be directed by recitals in said conveyance contained. The duty is also imposed on him to examine all deeds and conveyances previously executed and placed of record by his grantoreither immediately or remoteif such deeds or conveyances in any way affect his title. And if in any such deed or conveyance there is contained any recital sufficient to put a reasonably prudent man on inquiry as to the sufficiency of the title, then he is charged with notice of all those facts which could and would be disclosed by a diligent and careful investigation. 147 Miss. at 395-96, 113 So. at 337-38. Additionally, the chancellor relied on Fla. Gas Exploration Co. v. Searcy, 385 So.2d 1293 (Miss.1980) (finding constructive notice of parties' intent based on statements made by the parties before closing as well as the documents), and Adams v. Hill, 208 Miss. 341, 44 So.2d 457, 459 (1950) (holding an ambiguous description is enough to put a buyer on constructive notice that further research was needed and that a reasonable examination of the factual situation would have disclosed the homestead, described as included within the land conveyed). In today's case, based on testimony at trial that Huey Stockstill was aware of the exception, discussed it with real estate agent Ford, and considered it a mistake or a typographical error, a finding of constructive notice by the chancellor was not manifestly wrong or clearly erroneous. ¶ 16. Under Neil, Sansing, and Overby, and considering the extrinsic evidence introduced at trial by the Gammills, and from the totality of the record, we find the deed in this case was valid. Stated differently, the record in this case convinces us that the decision of the chancellor on this issue is beyond our authority to disturb. We will only disturb a chancellor's findings if the chancellor was manifestly wrong, clearly erroneous, or applied the wrong legal standard. Rice, 611 So.2d at 871. This chancellor correctly applied this Court's decisions in Neil, Sansing, Overby, and Stovall, in reaching his decision. Additionally the chancellor's findings of fact are more than adequately supported by the record. This issue is thus without merit.