Court Opinion

ID: 9564838
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 19:08:51.546977+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:18:42.495887
License: Public Domain

C. J.,
delivered the opinion of the court.
Charles C. Patterson filed his motion for judgment against Lillie M. Saunders, J. B. Gray, O. M. King, and Canton Lumber Company, Inc., seeking to recover $50,000 damages for wrongfully cutting and removing timber from a sixty-acre tract of land, situated in Elizabeth City county, alleged to be owned by him. Defendants filed separate pleas of res judicata, in which it was alleged that the Circuit Court of Elizabeth City county, in a chancery suit brought by the same plaintiff against J. B. Gray and O. M. King, two of the defendants named in his motion for judgment, had held that plaintiff had no title to the same sixty acres of land described in his motion. The trial court sustained the pleas and dismissed the case. To that judgment this writ of error was granted.
The record of the former proceeding upon which each of the pleas of res judicata is based, consists of a bill in chancery, an answer and a decree. It was alleged in the bill of complaint filed by the same plaintiff on October 22, 1946, that he was the *609owner in fee of the sixty acres described in bis motion for judgment, and cited tbe deed by wbicb be acquired tbe property and other deeds in bis chain of title, and charged that J. B. Gray and O. M. “have cut and are cutting 800,000 feet of heavy timber more or less on that portion of my land in tbe Wythe District of Elizabeth City county containing 60 acres * * Tbe plaintiff’s prayer in tbe bill was that J. B. Gray and O. M. King be enjoined “from cutting timber and trees on my above said land * * * and * * * from trespassing on my said land in any manner whatsoever. ’ ’
Tbe defendants in that proceeding filed a short answer denying each and every allegation set forth in tbe bill. Tbe cause came on to be beard upon tbe issues thus joined, and after considering tbe evidence introduced by tbe parties, tbe chancellor entered tbe following decree:
‘ ‘ This day came tbe complainant pursuant to notice and filed bis bill of complaint for a temporary injunction against tbe defendants, and this day came tbe defendants and filed their answer in writing, and tbe Court having beard tbe evidence, being of tbe opinion that tbe complainant has failed to establish bis ownership of tbe property, and having failed to prove that either of tbe defendants have cut any timber from tbe complainant’s land, and being of tbe opinion that tbe complainant is not entitled to any of tbe relief prayed for, doth adjudge, order and decree that tbe complainant’s .petition for a temporary injunction be and tbe same is hereby denied and this cause is dismissed and stricken from tbe docket of this Court at tbe cost of tbe complainant; to wbicb ruling of tbe Court tbe complainant excepted.
“And tbe Court proceeding further doth authorize each of tbe parties to this proceeding to withdraw from tbe evidence tbe respective exhibits filed in evidence this day in this proceeding.
“An emergency existing, this decree shall be effective forthwith. ’ ’
Charles C. Patterson, hereinafter designated “plaintiff,” contends that tbe judgment of tbe trial court sustaining tbe pleas of res judicata is erroneous for three reasons: (1) tbe court of equity in tbe former proceeding bad no jurisdiction to try title to plaintiff’s land; (2) even if it bad jurisdiction, it did,not pass upon tbe merits of tbe cause, and (3) there was no privity of parties in tbe two proceedings.
*610Originally, an action of ejectment was the exclusive remedy to try title and settle controverted boundaries of land, hut this rule has been modified by statutes (Code of 1950, secs. 8-836 and 55-153) and modern decisions.
The general rule is that in the absence of some peculiar equity arising out of the conduct, situation or relation of the parties, a court of equity is without jurisdiction to settle disputes as to title and boundaries of land. But where the act done, or threatened to be done, would be destructive of the substance of the estate, or would result in irreparable injury, a court of equity will assume jurisdiction, restrain the perpetration of the wrong and prevent the injury. Equity having taken jurisdiction, it will then decide the whole controversy, though the issues are legal in their nature and are capable of being tried by a court of law. Miller v. Wills, 95 Va. 337, 28 S. E. 337; Cumbee v. Ritter, 123 Va. 448, 96 S. E. 747; Edwards v. Ritter Lumber Co., 163 Va. 851, 177 S. E. 841.
The bill of complaint filed by this plaintiff in the former proceeding does not appear to have been drawn by an expert. However, its were amply sufficient to invoke equity jurisdiction. The bill contains the essential averments approved by this Court in Bledsoe v. Robinett, 105 Va. 723, 54 S. E. 861, where Judge Buchanan, discussing the necessary allegations of a bill in this class of cases, said: ‘ ‘ The pleadings of the complainant ought, therefore, to make out a clear case for the equitable relief sought, for courts of law ought not to be ousted of their jurisdiction in doubtful cases, especially where the title to or the boundaries of land is involved, as is the fact in this case.
⅜ ⅝ ⅜ ⅜ ⅜ ⅜
“It is not sufficient for the complainant to allege that he is the owner of the land upon which the trespass is being committed, but he must set forth his title. Where he claims under a paper title he should generally exhibit his title papers, or copies thereof, or such of them at least as will make out a prima facie case of title.”
Judge Whittle, in Ely v. Johnson, 114 Va. 31, 75 S. E. 748, citing with approval the case of Bledsoe v. Robinett, supra, said: # * * a plaintiff in a suit to restrain a trespass need not allege that his title is undisputed or has been adjudicated. He must, however, show a prima facie title. ’ ’
Plaintiff’s bill was demurrer proof. It contained the essential averment that plaintiff owned the land, and referred to the deeds *611by which he claims to have acquired title. The answer denied this allegation. Each side was given full opportunity to introduce, and did introduce, evidence on this issue of fact. The court did more than merely deny the injunction. It disposed of the controversy on its merits and dismissed the case at the cost of [3] plaintiff. In the order of dismissal the court said: ‘ ‘ Complainant has failed to establish his ownership of the property * * * and failed to prove that either of defendants have cut any timber from complainant’s land.”
The doctrine of res judicata is that a point once adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction may be relied upon as conclusive upon the same matter as between the parties or their privies, in any subsequent suit, in "the same court or any other court, at law or in chancery. Hedlund v. Miner, 395 Ill. 217, 170 A.L.R. 1306, 69 N. E. 2d, 862.
“A judgment in a case involving two or more issues is treated as conclusive upon all of them, where all are decided in favor of the same litigant and the judgment rests upon them jointly, since the decision of one issue in such case is no less necessary or material than the decision of the other. ’ ’ 30 Am. Jur., Judgments, sec. 185, p. 931.
“The general rule is that a judgment, in a former action, based upon an insufficiency of evidence is sufficient to support the application of the doctrine of res judicata.” 30 Am. Jur., Judgments, sec. 213, p. 948.
The plaintiff, in the chancery cause, excepted to the entry of the decree, but took no appeal therefrom. Whether the decree was or was not supported by the evidence is immaterial. A final decree, whether right or wrong, from which no appeal is taken, is binding upon the litigants. Nicholas v. Commonwealth, 186 Va. 315, 42 S. E. 2d, 306.
In Cumbee v. Ritter, 123 Va. 448, 96 S. E. 747, Judge Prentis, speaking for the court, said: “In a case like this, where both parties claim title and possession and both are exercising acts of ownership, and one fails to establish even a prima facie case, we are of opinion that in the interest of peace, law and order the equity court should take jurisdiction; and that in this case the trial court properly determined the question raised against the defendant’s contention, which rests upon a claim of title, which is entirely unsustained, if not negatived, by the evidence introduced to support it. In view, however, of the fact that the record *612suggests the possibility that the defendants were overconfident in tbeir view that the court of equity bad no jurisdiction, and, therefore failed fully to present the evidence upon which they relied in support of their claim of title, we are not disposed to close the door of opportunity to them.” The decree was affirmed without prejudice to the right of defendant thereafter to assert title to the property in a proper forum.
In the ease at bar the equity suit was not dismissed without prejudice. The adjudication was positive. If the plaintiff had proved that he owned the land, doubtless the court would have performed its duty, issued the injunction and restrained the defendants from cutting and removing the timber, or, if he had proved that he had a bona fide claim of right to the land, it would have been the duty of the court to dismiss the case without prejudice to plaintiff’s rights. W. O. & W. R. R. Co. v. Cazenove, 83 Va. 744, 3 S. E. 433; Moorman v. Lynchburg, 113 Va. 90, 73 S. E. 987; Woolfolk v. Graves, 113 Va. 182, 69 S. E. 1039.
Plaintiff does not allege in his motion for judgment, nor does he contend, that he has acquired any additional right, title or interest in the land since the entry of the final decree against him.
“The doctrine of res adjudicata * * * is a rule of law founded on the soundest consideration of public policy. The doctrine is founded upon two maxims of the law, one of which is that ‘a man should not be twice vexed for the came cause;’ the other that ‘it is for the public good that there be an end of litigation.’ ” 8 Mich. Jur., Former Adjudication or Res Adjudicata, § 3, p. 577; Patterson v. Anderson (January 26, 1953), 194 Va. 557, 74 S. E. 2d 195.
The plaintiff and two of the defendants (Gray and King) named in the present action were plaintiff and defendants, respectively, in the chancery cause, which involved the same sub*613ownership of timber on the same 60 acres of land.
This brings ns to the question: What parties are bound by the decree in the former litigation?
It is stated in the motion for the judgment that Lillie M. Saunders sold the timber on the sixty-acre tract to J. B. Gray and O. M. King, and that they and the Canton Lumber Company cut and removed it therefrom.
It is generally held that “ ‘privity’ means a mutual or successive relationship to the same rights of property, or such an identification in interest of one person with another as to represent the same legal rights, and the term ‘privy,’ when applied to a judgment or decree refers to one whose interest has been legally represented at the trial.” 50 C. J. S., Judgments, sec. 788, p. 324.
While Lillie M. Saunders was not named a party defendant in the chancery cause, the decree presented to, and entered by the chancellor, in that case was endorsed:
“We Ask for This:
“/s/ Chas. S. Smith, Jr. Pd
“/s/ E. Sclater Montague, atty for Lillie M. Saunders.”
It is stated in the brief that Lillie M. Saunders appeared in the chancery cause both in person and by E. Sclater Montague, her attorney, and was a witness for herself, and that her attorney took an active part in the defense. Under those circumstances, she is bound by the decree and is entitled to any benefit resulting therefrom.
In Wright v. Wright, 164 Va. 245, 178 S. E. 884; we quoted with approval, the following from Souffront v. La Compagnie des Sucreries, 217 U. S. 475, 30 S. Ct. 608, 612, 54 L. Ed. 846:
“The case is within the principle that one who prosecutes or defends a suit in the name of another to establish and protect his own right, or who assists in the prosecution or defense of an action in aid of some interest of his own, and who does this openly to the knowledge of the opposing party, is as much bound by the judgment and as fully entitled to avail himself of it as an estoppel against an adverse party, as he would be if he had been a party to the record.” To the same effect see 30 Am. Jur., Judgments, sec. 227, p. 960; E. I. Du Pont Nemours & Co. v. Richmond Guano Co. (Va.) 297 F. 580.
*614The facts in Pickeral v. Federal Land Bank, 177 Va. 743, 15 S. E. 2d 82, were that Pickeral instituted an action of trespass upon a certain tract of land against James and Esther Waller. The Wallers were in possession under a contract of sale from the Federal Land Bank, bnt the latter was not made a party to the action. Judgment was rendered for defendants. Thereafter, Pickeral instituted an action, by petition, under section 5490 of the Code of 1919 (now section 8-836 of the 1950 Code) to the boundary lines between the adjacent owners —Pickeral and Federal Land Bank. The Bank filed a plea of res judicata, based upon the former action of trespass. It was held that the Bank was entitled to rely upon the plea, although it was not a party to the action for trespass. Speaking to the point, it was said: “The Wallers were parties'defendant in the first trial. The latter held the land under a contract of sale with the Federal Land Bank, therefore, the bank was a party inferentially and by representation. Its interest in the outcome and that of the Wallers were identical.”
Mr. Justice Eggleston, speaking for the court in Ward v. Charlton, 177 Va. 101, 12 S. E. 2d 791, said: “The doctrine of res judicata or estoppel by judgment is based on public policy. 2 Freeman on Judgments, 5th Ed., § 626, p. 1318; 30 Am. Jur., Judgments, § 165, pp. 910, 911. It ‘proceeds upon the principle that one person shall not the second time litigate, with the same person or with another so identified in interest with such person that he represents the same legal right, precisely the same question, particular controversy, or issue, which has been necessarily tried and finally determined, upon the merits, by a court of competent jurisdiction, in a judgment in personam in a former suit.’ United California Bridge & Construction Co., 245 U. S. 337, 341, 38 S. Ct. 91, 93, 62 L. Ed. 332.
“The doctrine is firmly established in our jurisprudence and should be maintained where applicable.”
The legal rights of the defendants in the motion for judgment are identified in interest that each has the right to invoke the proceedings in the chancery cause in bar of this action. 30 Am. Jur., Judgments, sec. 225, p. 957.
The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.

Affirmed.

Buchanan, Miller and Whittle, JJ., dissenting.