McDaniel v. Moore
McDaniel v. Moore
Opinion of the Court
— This action was-brought to recover $215.55, with interest thereon at the rate of 7% — one-third of the total cost and expense of doing assessment work upon the Tennessee Lode Mining Claim situated in Robbins Mining District in Idaho county, and of procuring a patent from the United States for said mining claim.
The answer admits that the defendant is the owner of an undivided one-third interest in said lode mining claim, and denies that the plaintiffs laid out or expended for assess
Upon the issues thus made the cause was tried by the court with a jury. Plaintiff McDonald testified on behalf of appellants that the respondent Moore owned one-third of said mining claim; that he and Wadham, as coplaintiffs, expended on said claim for the years 1903, 1904 and 1905, one hundred dollars for each year; that they thereafter procured a patent from the government and that the cost of said patent amounting to $345.65 was paid by himself and coplaintiff; that the defendant Moore had refused to pay any part of said expenses and refused to have anything to do with the patent proceedings, stating that “he didn’t care to; that there was not $500 worth of work done on said claim.”
The deposition of plaintiff Wadham was introduced on the trial in which he testified that said mining claim had been patented and was patented at the expense of McDaniel and himself; that witness had paid $248.90 for patent expenses; that the defendant Moore never contributed or paid any part of this money for the patent. On cross-examination he testified' that defendant Moore never agreed nor consented to the procurement of the United States patent for said mining claim and did not to his knowledge protest against its procurement; that he never made any objections' to the patent proceedings; that defendant Moore did his proportion of the annual labor for 1903 but did not do his proportion for 1904 and 1905. Plaintiffs’ counsel thereupon introduced and read in evidence the patent of the government of the United States to C. V. Wadham, S. C. McDaniel and A. W. Moore for the Tennessee Lode Mining Claim, dated December 16, 1907, which patent describes the claim and states that the patentees had duly entered the claim and had paid for the same as required by law, and had fully complied in all respects with the law in procuring said patent.
Counsel for respondent moved the court for a judgment of nonsuit, which motion was sustained and judgment of nonsuit entered. This appeal is from the judgment.
The first error assigned is, that the court erred in granting the motion for a nonsuit. It is contended by counsel for appellant that the evidence shows the plaintiff expended $645.65 in order to hold and patent said mining claim, one-third of which the defendant is liable for, provided the evidence was relevant and competent to prove an implied liability against the defendant Moore for money paid for annual work done oh said mining claim, and to procure a patent therefor in his interest and for his benefit as a eo-owner of the claim.
The question presented is: Was the evidence given on behalf of the plaintiffs relevant and competent to support an implied liability against Moore, the defendant?
It is contended by counsel for respondent that respondent cannot be held responsible for the assessment work on an unpatented mining claim, and that the remedy pointed out by sec. 2324, Rev. Stats, of the U. S., is the exclusive remedy in such cases; that the defaulting co-owner is not personally responsible for any part of the assessment work. As a general proposition, that is true. Counsel also contends that there is no implied contractual relation between eotenants and tenants in common; that one cotenant cannot bind the other without his consent for the expense incurred in developing and improving the common property, but must recoup, if at all, from the profits derived from the property. As a general proposition, that contention is correct. In Welland v. Williams, 21 Nev. 230, 29 Pac. 403, the court had under consideration the liability of a cotenant for the cost of improvements put upon the common property, and in the course of the opinion said: “In the absence of an express or implied agreement between cotenants that the expense of improvements made by one of them upon the common property is to be repaid, it is clear, under the authorities, that neither can
That being true, the court erred in taking the case from the jury. The judgment must therefore be reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial. Costs are awarded to the appellants.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- S. C. McDANIEL v. A. W. MOORE
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Mining Claim — Assessment Work — Forfeiture—Co-owners—Application for Patent — Implied Promise — Nonsuit. (Syllabus by the court.) 1. tinder the provisions of see. 2324, Bev. Stats, of the United States, where a co-owner of a mining claim fails to do his assessment work or fails to contribute his proportion of the expenditure required in doing such work, his co-owners who have performed the labor may give such delinquent personal notice in writing or by publication, as provided in said statute, and if at the expiration of ninety days such delinquent should fail or refuse to contribute his proportion of such expenditure, his interest in the claim shall become the property of his co-owners who made such expenditures, and the defaulting eo-owner is not personally responsible for any part of the assessment work, under the provisions of said section. 2. There is no implied contractual relation between cotenants and tenants in common, and one cotenant cannot bind the other without his consent for the expenses incurred in developing or improving their common mining property; but the delinquent cotenant may ratify such expenditure and thereby become liable for his proportional part thereof. 3. The issues made by the pleadings were whether the defendant had performed or paid his part of the assessment work on said mining claim, and whether a patent was issued to all of the parties to this suit for said mining claim by the government, and this appeal must be decided upon the theory of the case made by the pleading and proof. Held, that the evidence shows or tends to show that the defendant failed to pay for his proportional part of the assessment work, at least for the years 1904 and 1905, and for his proportional part of the expense of procuring a patent, and the presumption arising from the issuance of a patent is that all of the requirements of the law in regard to its issuance have been complied with. 4. Held, that the evidence tends to establish that there was an implied promise on the part of the defendant to pay his proportionate part of said expenses. 5. On application for a nonsuit, the defendant is deemed to admit all of the facts whieh the evidence tends to prove.