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FOSTER v. ROWLAND

Supreme Court of Georgia1942-11-10No. No. 14356
194 Ga. 845

Summary

Holding. The judgment dismissing the plaintiff's action on demurrer was reversed. The court held that because the plaintiff alleged ownership and possession independent of and not limited to the abstract of title, the petition was not subject to dismissal even though the abstract might have shown an incomplete chain of title.

A plaintiff filed a statutory action to recover land and attached an abstract of title to his petition. The defendant demurred, arguing that the abstract failed to show a valid chain of title. The court examined the relationship between a petition and an abstract of title in land recovery actions. The plaintiff alleged ownership and long-term possession by himself and his predecessors, and later amended his petition to provide additional detail about how his title was derived. The court determined that the plaintiff's claims of ownership were not limited solely to what appeared in the abstract, and therefore the petition and abstract together did not present grounds for dismissal on demurrer.

The court clarified its prior holdings regarding statutory land actions. While an abstract of title must be attached to satisfy statutory requirements, it serves primarily as notice of what evidence will be offered at trial rather than as a complete pleading. A petition is dismissible on demurrer based on an abstract only when the plaintiff explicitly ties his title claim to that abstract alone, thereby limiting his allegations to its contents. Here, the plaintiff's unqualified assertions of ownership and possession were separate from and broader than the abstract, so no demurrable defect existed.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Effect of abstract of title on demurrability of petition in statutory land action
  • Whether abstract of title limits plaintiff's allegations or serves only as notice of evidence
  • Distinction between allegation of ownership as ultimate fact versus conclusion of law
  • When petition is demurrable based on deficiencies in attached abstract

Procedural posture

The plaintiff brought a statutory action for recovery of land with an attached abstract of title; the defendant demurred to the petition; the trial court granted the demurrer and dismissed the action.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

Reid, Chief Justice.

“To the petition for the recovery of land and mesne profits the plaintiff shall annex an abstract of the title relied on for such recovery.” Code, § 33-117. In Yonn v. Pittman, 82 Ga. 637 (9 S. E. 667), this court held: “An action of complaint for land can not be dismissed on demurrer to the abstract of title annexed to the declaration. The object of the abstract is not to show title in the plaintiff on the face of the pleadings, but only to give notice of what will be relied upon at the trial.” Peeples v. Rudulph, 153 Ga. 17 (111 S. E. 548); Allen v. Potter, 153 Ga. 24 (2), 27 (111 S. E. 549); Callahan v. Beeland, 170 Ga. 760 (154 S. E. 226); Bentley v. Phillips, 171 Ga. 866 (156 S. E. 898); Gray v. Bradford, 194 Ga. 492 (22 S. E. 2d, 43). In Books v. Tucker, 129 Ga. 744 (59 S. E. 778), it was held: “A plaintiff bringing suit for land, in statutory form, can allege facts showing title inside the petition instead of annexing thereto an abstract of title.” The abstract of title is not a part of the petition in a statutory action for land, unless voluntarily made so by the pleader. However, if the petition and the abstract incorporated therein, or. attached thereto and expressly made a part thereof, shows that the plaintiff limits his claim of title to that shown by the abstract, the petition is demurrable if the abstract fails to show a good chain of title in the plaintiff. Chancey v. Johnson, 148 Ga. 87 (95 S. E. 975); Kirkpatrick v. Faw, 180 Ga. 764 (4) (180 S. E. 727). When the plaintiff in a statutory action for land alleges that he claims title thereto by being seized thereof in fee, the mere fact that an abstract is annexed does not make the petition subject to dismissal on demurrer on the ground that tbe petition sets forth no cause of action, and that the abstract attached to the petition fails to show legal title in the plaintiff. Crawford v. Carter, 146 Ga. 526 (91 S. E. 780). But in Dugas v. Hammond, 130 Ga. 87 (2, 3) (60 S. E. 268), it was held: “The allegation in the statutory form of complaint for land, that the plaintiff ‘claims title’ to the land, is the equivalent of an allegation of title. Where the petition departs from the statutory form and alleges that the plaintiff ‘claims title’ under an abstract of title annexed to the petition, this is equivalent to an allegation that the plaintiff’s title is as defined in his abstract.”

In Chidsey v. Brookes, 130 Ga. 218 (60 S. E. 529, 14 Ann. Cas. 975), the abstract of title was by reference made a part of the petition, and this court said: “In the recent case of Dugas v. Hammond, ante, 87 (60 S. E. 268), this court held that where the plaintiff set forth in his petition the title upon which he relied, and that title was insufficient in law, the petition should be dismissed on demurrer.” An allegation that a party is the owner of specified realty is an allegation of an ultimate fact, and not a conclusion of law. Domin v. Brush, 174 Ga. 32 (161 S. E. 809); Gray v. Bradford, supra. Nothing to the contrary was held in Weyman v. Atlanta, 122 Ga. 539 (2, 3) (50 S. E. 492), which was an equitable action seeking to remove an alleged cloud upon title, add in which the petition averred that the city lot was vacant, but did not aver that the property belonged to Mrs. Thompson at the time it was levied on for taxes, and the fact that both parties claimed under a common grantor was relied on. In the instant case the plaintiff unqualifiedly alleges (paragraph 2) that he owns the land; and (paragraph 3) he alleges that he and his predecessors in title have owned and been in possession thereof for more than thirty years. Although he alleges (paragraph 3) that his title is derived through certain persons, and, responsively to the defendant’s demurrer, by amendment he alleges in more detail how his title is derived, whether or not the amendment was necessary, we do not think the plaintiff’s claim of title was limited to the abstract, so as to make the petition or abstract demurrable within the rulings in the cases cited, supra. Accordingly, it was error to dismiss the plaintiff’s action on demurrer.

Judgment reversed.

All the Justices concur.