Kenneth Hill v. Wayne E. Johnson
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IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
NO. 2008-CA-00643-COA
KENNETH HILL AND TERESA HILL
APPELLANTS
v.
WAYNE E. JOHNSON AND MOLLY N.
JOHNSON
DATE OF JUDGMENT:
TRIAL JUDGE:
COURT FROM WHICH APPEALED:
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANTS:
ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEES:
NATURE OF THE CASE:
TRIAL COURT DISPOSITION:
DISPOSITION:
MOTION FOR REHEARING FILED:
MANDATE ISSUED:
APPELLEES
03/26/2008
HON. DOROTHY WINSTON COLOM
CHICKASAW COUNTY CHANCERY
COURT
REX F. SANDERSON
T. JACKSON LYONS
JAMES M. HOOD
CIVIL - REAL PROPERTY
GRANTED TITLE TO APPELLEES FOR
CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY
AFFIRMED: 07/21/2009
BEFORE MYERS, P.J., IRVING AND BARNES, JJ.
MYERS, P.J., FOR THE COURT:
¶1.
Wayne and Molly Johnson (collectively, the Johnsons) filed suit in the Chickasaw
County Chancery Court against Kenneth and Teresa Hill (collectively, the Hills) over a strip
of land between their properties. After conducting a two-day trial, the chancellor found that
the Johnsons owned the property in question. Aggrieved from the chancellor’s finding, the
Hills appeal arguing that: (1) the chancellor erred in her findings of fact; (2) the chancellor
erred in her conclusions of law; and (3) the chancellor erred in failing to grant their motion
for a new trial. Finding no error, we affirm.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
¶2.
In 1984, the Johnsons acquired a farm in Chickasaw County from Morgan Davis’s
heirs. The farm contained approximately eighty acres in section 22, township 13 south, range
3 east. The southeast corner of this property also served as the southeast corner of section
22. The warranty deed conveying the property to the Johnsons was subject to an exclusive
easement to Jean M. Smith 1 for purposes of ingress and egress.
¶3.
In 2000, the Hills purchased approximately twenty acres of land that was directly
south of the Johnsons’ land. Their land was mainly located in the northeast quarter of
section 27, township 13, range 3 east, and a small portion in section 26. This land was
previously owned by Howard Davis. To the east of each of these parcels of land is the
Soctahoma Creek and the Tombigbee National Forest.
¶4.
The two sections of land have a shared boundary line to the south of the Johnsons’
property in section 22 and to the north of the Hills’ property in section 27. The southeast
corner of section 27 is also the northeast corner of section 22. In between these parcels of
land is what was commonly referred to as a “field road.” The “field road” runs more or less
in an east-west direction between the two sections. Each party is claiming that their property
includes the “field road.”
¶5.
On January 12, 2007, the Johnsons filed suit against the Hills seeking confirmation
1
Jean M. Smith owned the neighboring property to the Johnsons’ property.
2
of title providing that they own the “field road,” injunctive relief against the Hills, and for
actual and punitive damages. There was a parade of witnesses at trial. Harold Dendy, a
surveyor, testified for the Hills. He stated that a monument placed by the soil conservation
service and forestry service (forestry monument) served as the corner between section 22 and
27. This would put the section boundary line north of the “field road” and place the “field
road” in the Hills’ property. The Johnsons called Sam Jaynes as their surveyor. He stated
that the true section corner was 26.75 feet south of the monument. He stated that the section
boundary line ran more or less along a fence on the south side of the “field road.” This
would place the “field road” on the Johnsons’ property. In addition to the parties, several
long-time residents of the area testified. Many of them stated that the fence on the south side
of the “field road” was always accepted as the boundary line between the two parcels –
Morgan Davis owned the land north of the fence, and Howard Davis owned the land to the
south of the fence.
¶6.
At the end of the trial, the chancellor found that fence line on the south side of the
“field road” served as the property line between the two parcels and, furthermore, that the
Johnsons and their predecessors had gained title to the “field road” up to the south fence line
through adverse possession. The Hills filed a motion to amend the chancellor’s findings of
fact, which the chancellor denied. Thereafter, the Hills filed a motion for a new trial, which
was also denied by the chancellor. The Hills now appeal the chancellor’s ruling.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
¶7.
The supreme court in Ballard v. Commercial Bank of DeKalb, 991 So. 2d 1201, 1204-
3
05 (¶13) (Miss. 2008) provided our standard of review for the chancellor’s ruling:
This Court has a limited standard of review in examining and considering the
decisions of a chancellor. The [appellate court] will not disturb the findings
of the chancellor unless the chancellor was manifestly wrong, clearly
erroneous, or applied an erroneous legal standard. Thus, where there is
substantial evidence to support the chancellor's findings, [the appellate court]
is without the authority to disturb his [or her] conclusions, although this Court
might have found otherwise as an original matter.
(Internal citations omitted).
DISCUSSION
I.
¶8.
WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN ITS FINDINGS OF
FACT.
The Hills claim that the trial court made eleven findings of fact that are not supported
by the evidence. We will address the findings of fact as a whole. See Bonderer v. Robinson,
502 So. 2d 314, 316 (Miss. 1986).
¶9.
The trial court found the following: the fence on the south side of the “field road”
served as the property line between the Johnsons’ and the Hills’ properties; the Johnsons
owned the “field road” and the land up to a fence on the south side of the “field road”; and
the Hills’ property started at the fence and ran south from that point.
¶10.
One of the main cruxes of the Hills’ argument is based on the testimony of their
surveyor. The Hills’ surveyor, Dendy, testified that, based upon his work, the shared section
corner between the two properties was a forestry monument. Using this as his starting point,
he ultimately concluded that the section line was north of the “field road” which placed the
“field road” in the Hills’ property.
However, Dendy undermined himself during his
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testimony. He stated that he settled with the forestry monument as his starting point because
he could not find other forms of monuments designating the boundary line for the section
corner. He also stated that it is likely the monument is not in its original place. Furthermore,
he testified that he was not certain the monument served as the southeast corner of section
27, which is part of the Johnsons’ property.
¶11.
The trial court deferred to the Johnsons’ surveyor, Jaynes. While surveying the
subject land, Jaynes used global positioning satellites and infrared measuring devices in
addition to the original plat maps for the area. Jaynes concluded that the forestry monument
was 26.75 feet north of the original marker and corner. His survey revealed that the section
line on the south side of section 27 ran very close to the fence on the south side of the “field
road.” He ultimately concluded that the “field road” lies in the Johnsons’ property.
¶12.
Jaynes’s findings were corroborated by other non-party witnesses. Raymond Davis
grew up in the area. He testified that it was his understanding that Morgan Davis owned the
property north of the fence, and Howard Davis owned the property south of the fence.
Likewise, Allie Smith, who also grew up in the area, testified that the Johnsons owned the
“field road” and the property to the north, and Howard Davis owned the property to the
south. John Passons provided the most support for Jaynes’s findings. Passons leased the
land, which is now the Johnsons’ property, from Morgan Davis for four years immediately
prior to the Johnsons’ purchase of the farm. He stated that while he was on the property, a
big rain washed out part of the creek. Included in this wash-out was the original monument
marker and a bridge leading across the Soctahoma Creek. He stated that the original
5
monument was farther south, near Howard Davis’s land. He went on to testify that the fence
on the south side of the “field road” had always been accepted as the property line.
¶13.
The Hills’ witnesses were all interested parties in the subject land. In addition to the
Hills testifying, Kenneth Hill’s father and both grantors of the property to the Hills testified.
Each of them testified that they believed the “field road” lies within the Hills’ property. The
trial court found the Johnsons’ witnesses to be more credible.
We cannot fault the
chancellor’s assessment, as all of the Johnsons’s witnesses, but one, were uninterested, nonparties to the present suit.
¶14.
It is apparent from the chancellor’s opinion and judgment that she considered all the
relevant and pertinent evidence. The evidence overwhelmingly supported her conclusion that
the “field road” belonged to the Johnsons and their predecessor in title, Morgan Davis. We
cannot say that the chancellor committed manifest error in her factual findings.2 Therefore,
this issue is without merit.
II.
¶15.
WHETHER THE CHANCELLOR
CONCLUSIONS OF LAW.
ERRED
IN
HER
The Hills argue that the chancellor erred in her conclusions of law that the Johnsons
and their predecessor in title claimed title to the “field road” and the land up to the south
fence through adverse possession. They claim that the cases relied on by the chancellor are
2
Several of the alleged errors regarding the findings of facts are generalizations and
inferences of the testimonies given or misstatements of the parties and actions involved. We
find that these errors constitute harmless error as they have no bearing on the ultimate
disposition of this case. See Mathews v. Hale, 767 So. 2d 231, 234 (¶9) (Miss. Ct. App.
2000). We only note them for thoroughness.
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distinguishable from the present case, and that the chancellor should have relied on Dendy’s
survey rather than Jaynes’s survey.3
¶16.
One may acquire property legally titled in another through an action to quiet title and
after having established by clear and convincing evidence the elements of adverse
possession, found in Mississippi Code Annotated section 15-1-13 (Rev. 2003) and articulated
by our supreme court in Rice v. Pritchard, 611 So. 2d 869, 871 (Miss. 1992), before a
chancery court of proper jurisdiction. Apperson v. White, 950 So. 2d 1113, 1116 (¶5) (Miss.
Ct. App. 2007). Mississippi adopted a six-part test for determining whether adverse
possession has occurred: “for possession to be adverse it must be (1) under claim of
ownership; (2) actual or hostile; (3) open, notorious, and visible; (4) continuous and
uninterrupted for a period of ten years; (5) exclusive; and (6) peaceful.” Id. (citation
omitted).
¶17.
Essential to the analysis in the present case is that Mississippi allows tacking when
“successive occupants are in privity with each other.” Buford v. Logue, 832 So. 2d 594, 606
(¶43) (Miss. Ct. App. 2002). “Privity may be established or created by conveyance,
agreement, or understanding which in fact transfers possession.” Id. The Johnsons meet the
requirement of tacking because they were conveyed Morgan Davis’s property via warranty
deeds.
¶18.
We will discuss each factor of adverse possession separately.
3
Because we have extinguished the Hills’ issue regarding the surveyors, we will
focus our attention on whether a claim for adverse possession was established.
7
1.
¶19.
Claim of Ownership
In the end, the ultimate question is whether the possessory acts relied upon by the
would be adverse possessor are sufficient to fly his flag over the lands and to put the record
title holder on notice that the lands are held under an adverse claim of ownership. Apperson,
950 So. at 1117 (¶7). The chancellor found that the Johnsons and their predecessor in title
had established a claim of right through planting and harvesting trees, leasing the land to
others, and bushhogging the “field road” continuously.
¶20.
We find substantial evidence in the record to support the chancellor’s finding that the
Johnsons claimed ownership of the “field road.” Wayne Johnson testified that he had planted
trees on his land, and the only way to get to that area was by using the “field road.” He also
testified that he would use the “field road” to harvest the trees once the Hills removed their
blockade. Furthermore, Passons and Sam Gore both testified that they had leased the
property from Morgan Davis and the Johnsons respectively, and they used the “field road”
during their lease periods. Finally, Lamar Beatty testified that he had bushhogged the “field
road” for the Johnsons on two separate occasions since the Johnsons had purchased the
property.
¶21.
The most substantial evidence of a possessory act by Morgan Davis was the erection
of the fence on the south side of the “field road.” “[T]he existence of an old fence, including
disputed land in with the land of the claimant, [is] strong evidence of the elements required
to prove adverse possession.” Id. at 1117 (¶9). There was extensive testimony about this
fence and how long it had existed on the south side of the “field road.” All the witnesses
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who grew up in the area recalled the fence being on the south side of the “field road” sixty
to seventy years ago. This recollection was corroborated by surveyor Jaynes. He testified
that the fence was embedded in several “large” trees on the south side of the “field road”
evidencing, in his opinion, that the fence had been there for approximately sixty years. This
Court has stated that “proof of the longevity of the fence's existence could be found in the
barbed-wire having grown deeply into the trees at various points.” Id.
¶22.
We find that the acts performed by Morgan Davis and the Johnsons were sufficient
to “fly their flag” over the “field road” and put Howard Davis and the Hills on notice that
they are claiming ownership to it.
2.
¶23.
Actual or Hostile
“The actual or hostile occupation of land necessary to constitute adverse possession
requires a corporeal occupation, accompanied by a manifest intention to hold and continue
to hold the property against the claim of all other persons, and adverse to the rights of the true
owner.” Id. at 1118 (¶12) (citing Magee v. Magee, 37 Miss. 138, 153 (1859)).
¶24.
In the case at bar, there was no testimony that Morgan Davis or the Johnsons had
given permission to Howard Davis or the Hills to use the “field road.” The evidence
presented showed that Morgan Davis and the Johnsons had used the “field road”
continuously and uninterrupted.
Additionally, we find that the possessory acts of
bushhogging the “field road,” leasing the property to others, and walking and driving on the
road are sufficient to meet this element of adverse possession.
3.
Open, Notorious, and Visible
9
¶25.
The Johnsons and Morgan Davis did not attempt to hide their use of the “field road.”
The fence on the south side of the “field road” was a “clear and visible indicator” of their
occupation and use of the “field road.” Id. at (¶13). As correctly observed by the chancellor,
the Johnsons walked the road, drove on the road, and bushhogged the road, among other
things. Furthermore, there was testimony that Morgan Davis, Passons, and Gore all used the
“field road” in their farming operations. These acts were easily discoverable by Howard
Davis and the Hills.
4.
¶26.
Continuous and Uninterrupted for Ten Years
The Johnsons acquired Morgan Davis’s farm in 1984. The Johnsons continuously
used the “field road” until 2004, when the Hills placed a blockade on the road claiming
ownership, creating the present claim. Prior to the Johnsons, Morgan Davis continuously
used this road uninterrupted for approximately fifty years. Therefore, we find that the
chancellor was provided with sufficient evidence that the Johnsons and their predecessor in
title used the “field road” far in excess of the ten-year statutory requirement.
5.
¶27.
Exclusive
“‘Exclusive use’ does not mean that no one else may use the property.” Id. at 1119
(¶15) (citing Moran v. Sims, 873 So. 2d 1067, 1069 (¶10) (Miss. Ct. App. 2004)).
“Exclusivity, within the meaning of the statute, means that the adverse possessor's use of the
property was consistent with an exclusive claim to the right to use the property.” Id.
“Exclusive use is at the most basic level the intent of actual and hostile possession.” Id.
¶28.
The evidence presented showed that Howard Davis’s use of the “field road” was, at
10
best, scant. Conversely, there was a plethora of evidence that Morgan Davis and the
Johnsons used the “field road.” They walked the road, drove on the road, bushhogged the
road, and allowed leasees to use the road during their lease period.4
6.
¶29.
Peaceful
“The mere existence of a dispute over the use of land does not present an obstacle to
satisfy the element of peaceful use.” Id. at (¶16). “Simple disputes often arise between
neighboring landowners, but do not rise to the level of destroying the peaceful existence
between them.” Id. (citing Dieck v. Landry, 796 So. 2d 1004, 1009 (¶15) (Miss. 2001)).
¶30.
There was no evidence presented that Morgan Davis and Howard Davis ever had any
conflicts over the “field road.” The only evidence presented that Howard Davis and the
Johnsons had any non-peaceful existence was when Howard Davis confronted Passons once
about using the “field road” when he voiced his displeasure with Passons placing a cable
across the “field road” to prevent people from coming onto his property. Howard Davis’s
concern was that hunters should be able to access to the “field road” to cross the property.
Passons told him that he was going to keep the cable up and that Howard Davis would have
to allow the hunters to use his property, which Howard Davis did. However, this one-time
conflict was resolved without any further disagreements between Passons and Howard Davis.
Additionally, no evidence was presented that any discord existed between the Johnsons and
4
It is immaterial that Morgan Davis granted an easement on the property, as
“possession may be exclusive notwithstanding the land is subject to right which are mere
easements.” 2 C.J.S. Adverse Possession § 62 (2003).
11
Howard Davis with regard to the “field road.”
¶31.
The evidence presented to the trial court clearly established each element of adverse
possession. Therefore, we find that the chancellor did not err in finding that the Johnsons
and their predecessor in title claimed title to the “field road” through adverse possession.
Accordingly, this issue is without merit.
III.
¶32.
WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN NOT GRANTING
THE HILLS’ MOTION FOR A NEW TRIAL.
The Hills argue that the trial court erroneously found that Gore stated that the fence
on the south side of the “field road” was the property line. The Hills argue the trial court
relied on this misstatement in its determination.
¶33.
“The standard of review for considering a trial court's decision denying a motion for
a new trial is whether the trial court abused it[s] discretion.” Smith v. Crawford, 937 So. 2d
446, 447 (¶5) (Miss. 2006) (citations omitted).
¶34.
Upon our review of the record, we find the trial court did not abuse its discretion by
not granting the Hills a new trial. Gore testified that at one point, he simultaneously leased
both the Johnsons’ place and Howard Davis’s place. He stated that he leased everything
from Howard Davis except for the “field road.” He went on to testify that there was no
dispute about using the road.
¶35.
The chancellor weighed this testimony with the other testimony regarding the “field
road” and the fence, and she found that the evidence supported a finding that the Johnsons
owned the “field road.” Moreover, as we stated in Issue I, the evidence overwhelmingly
indicated that the Johnsons and their predecessor in title had established title to the “field
12
road,” and any error was only harmless error as it did not result in a miscarriage of justice.
See supra note 2. Accordingly, this issue is without merit.
¶36. THE JUDGMENT OF THE CHICKASAW COUNTY CHANCERY COURT
IS AFFIRMED. ALL COSTS OF THIS APPEAL ARE ASSESSED TO THE
APPELLANTS.
KING, C.J., LEE, P.J., IRVING, GRIFFIS, BARNES, ISHEE, ROBERTS,
CARLTON AND MAXWELL, JJ., CONCUR.
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