Court Opinion

ID: 9830701
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 20:24:14.140435+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:43:25.831382
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
Appellants insist in their motion for a rehearing that as the facts, proven upon the trial show beyond question that, while appellants and appellee were tenants in common of the land from which appellee removed the timber which it manufactured into lumber, nevertheless appellee purchased a title adverse to its cotenants and claimed and held the land adversely to them,, and that by so doing appellee ousted appellants and repudiated their title, and that, therefore, appellee was in law a trespasser and liable as such for the manufactured value of their proportion of the timber taken. The facts upon which this contention is based are these: Houston West was the owner during his lifetime of the 80 acres in controversy. He died intestate, and left surviving him his wife, Melvina, and six children. Afterwards Charles Hoya purchased from Melvina and certain of the children three-fourths undivided interest in the land. Hoya then conveyed to appellee the entire 80 acres; the latter at the time of the conveyance knowing that Hoya only owned a three-fourths interest. After this conveyance was made appellee rendered for taxation, and paid taxes on, the entire 80 acres, and at divers times gave deeds of trust upon it, and finally cut and removed the merchantable'pine timber therefrom, and manufactured the same into lumber. At the time of the cutting, removal, and manufacture appellee knew there was a superior outstanding title to one-fourth of the land, and took the timber in recognition of it; and, as stated in our opinion, held itself liable and ready to account to the owners of the one-fourth interest for their proportionate share of the value of the trees taken whenever they should demand it. We think that the taking of a deed to the whole of the tract, paying all taxes thereon, and executing mortgages upon it did not amount in law to a repudiation of appellants’ title to one-fourth, in view of their express recognition of it, and their readiness to account to the owners thereof for their proportionate portion of the value of the timber upon demand; and in any event the taking in the circumstances was not such a willful taking as rendered appel-lee liable for the manufactured value.
The motion for a rehearing is overruled.