Coleman v. Luetcke
Coleman v. Luetcke
Opinion of the Court
On October 5, 1911, Carl Luet-eke instituted a suit against Atascosa county, T. A. Coleman, Claude Keeran, and the Texas Land & Live Stock Company, setting up an action of trespass to try title to certain land in Webb county as against Atascosa county, and alleging that Coleman and Kee-ran sold the land to the Land & Live Stock Company, which sold it to Lueteke, each vendor giving a general warranty of the title. He prayed that he have judgment against Atascosa county for the land, and that if the county recovered the land that he recover damages in the sum of $5,000 against Coleman, Keeran, and the company. On January 29, 1912, Atascosa county answered that it was the owner in fee simple of the land, that it was granted to the county by the state of Texas for school purposes, that the claim of Lueteke was a cloud upon its title, and prayed for judgment for the land. On January 27, 1913, Lueteke filed an amended petition, in which he alleged, in addition to his action of trespass to try title against the county and his action on the warranties of the other parties, that on May 6, 1907, he had entered into possession of the land, and had been using and enjoying the same until January 29, 1912, when Atascosa county had through its answer claimed title to the same, that in the latter part of 1909 he was informed there was some question about the title to the land, that he went to the attorney of Coleman and Keeran and inquired about the title and was assured by the attorney that the title was all right, that he made inquiry of the county judge and commissioners of Atascosa county and was informed by them that the county did not claim the land, and that he had used all due diligence to ascertain if there was any claim to the land. He further alleged that Atascosa county had a valid title to the land, and that the other defendants had not made good their warranty of .the title. The Texas Land & Live Stock Company adopted the allegations of the petition, admitted the liability on its warranty, and asked for judgment against Coleman and Keeran on their warranty. After detailing in their answer the allegations in the petition and amended petition, Coleman and Keeran pleaded limitation of four years. The court rendered judgment in favor of Atascosa county for 420 acres of the land in controversy, in favor of Lueteke for 220 acres, and for $6,195 against the Texas Land & Live Stock Company on its warranty, and judgment was also rendered in favor of that company against T. A. Coleman and Claude A. Keeran for $1,575.50 on their warranty.
The evidence showed that Atascosa county had the superior title to the land adjudged to it by the court, that the Texas Land & Live Stock Company was indebted to Luet-eke on its warranty in the sum adjudged against it, and that T. A. Coleman and Claude A. Keeran were indebted to the Land & Live Stock Company on their warranty in the sum adjudged against them.
When Luetcke filed his suit in October, 1911, there had been no assertion of paramount title by any one, although he had been annoyed by rumors that Atascosa county had title to the land, and acting on those rumors the action was brought. After the action was begun, Atascosa county answered setting up a cross-action to the land, and Luetcke then filed his amended petition in which he admitted that the paramount title was in the county. When the answer was filed, there was an assertion of paramount title, and the breach of the warranty at once occurred, and unless it can be held that the suit against the county was an invitation to it to claim the land, and that such invitation debars Luetcke from recovery from the Texas Land & Live Stock Company, the assignment of error must be overruled. We do not think a suit brought by a vendee to clear the title to land, without any collusion with the defendant, can be distorted into an invitation to assert a superior title to the land. All of the cases that have come to our notice on the subject of the covenantee inciting the holder of a paramount title to assert a hostile claim show collusion between the covenantee in the warranty and the hostile claimant. Hester v. Hunnicutt, 104 Ala. 282, 16 South. 162; Munford v. Keet, 154 Mo. 36, 55 S. W. 271. So, in the case of Land Co. v. North, herein cited. There is nothing in the allegations of the petition that indicates that Luetcke desired Atascosa county to claim the land, but he had been greatly disturbed about the title and had endeavored to get Coleman and Keeran to clear it up. Plaintiffs in error admit this in their answer, and also admit that they found that the land in controversy was in conflict with an older survey and promised to endeavor to get Atascosa county to yield its claim. They did not obtain such release from the county. The attorney of plaintiffs in error wrote Luetcke in January, 1910, that he was working to get Atascosa county to waive any right it had to the land. In that letter the attorney said: “I expect to go on and see if Atascosa will yield, as I have not taken the matter up yet officially with them.” At that time Luetcke, it seems from the letter, was afraid that plaintiffs in error would plead limitation to his claim on the warranty as they have done, although they also claim there was no breach of the warranty when the suit was brought. The pleadings and the evidence do not show that Luetcke in any manner induced or incited a hostile claim to the land by Atascosa county, but that he acted with the utmost fairness to plaintiffs in error and co-operated with them in endeavoring to obtain a release from the county. No case has been cited, or probably can be cited, in which it is held that the premature institution of an action on a warranty is an invitation to a claimant of land to assert his claim. Luetcke had the right to sue the county for the land, although it had not asserted its right to the land. He had the right to ascertain if the rumored claim of the county to the land had any foundation, and, after it set up its claim, he had the right to demand redress on the covenants of warranty. Moody v. Holcomb, 26 Tex. 714; Titus v. Johnson, 50 Tex. 224; Cattle Co. v. State, 68 Tex. 526, 4 S. W. 865.
There was no allegation of collusion between the corporation and Luetcke, and why should the court have been influenced in his judgment by a matter not raised in the pleadings? The fifth' assignment of error is overruled.
The sixth, seventh, and eighth assignments are repetitions of matters herein disposed of and are overruled.
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- COLEMAN Et Al. v. LUETCKE Et Al.
- Cited By
- 10 cases
- Status
- Published