Taylor v. Coachella Valley County Water District

MUSSELL, J.

In the first of these quiet title actions, plaintiff, William M. Taylor, seeks to quiet title to three parcels of real property in Riverside County. In the second action, plaintiff, Coachella Valley County Water District, seeks to quiet title to real property included in that described as Parcel No. 1 in the first amended complaint in the first action. These actions were tried at the same time and there is one reporter’s transcript. The trial court rendered a judgment in each action quieting title in the Coachella Valley County Water District and Taylor appeals from both judgments.

William M. Taylor, as plaintiff, claims title to Parcel No. 1 by three quitclaim deeds, one from Mrs. F. L. Walters, dated February 4,1946; one from Buena Vista Smith, dated January 18, 1946; and one from W. B. Thayer, dated June 25, 1946. Taylor claims title to Parcel No. 2 by a grant deed from A. C. Helvey, dated February 4, 1946, and claims title to Parcel No. 3 by a deed from Walter Floekton, dated January 15, 1947. No evidence was introduced showing that any of the grantors named in any of these various deeds were ever in possession of the property involved and there was no proof offered as to the antecedent title of

any

of the grantors.

Plaintiff Taylor also relied upon what he claimed to be deeds from the State of California, which were in fact Riverside County Treasurer’s receipts and certificates of redemption. No attempt was made by appellant Taylor to show that title could be or was conveyed to him by reason of these documents.

The Coachella Valley County Water District presented evidence in support of its title to Parcel No. 1 showing unpaid district taxes thereon since prior to 1935; 12 collector’s deeds dated from September 6, 1939, to September 5, 1944, showing

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title in the district; and a judgment of the Superior Court in and for the County of Riverside, dated June 2, 1950, quieting title in the name of the district to this property. The Taylor quitclaim deeds are all subsequent to the time when this land was deeded to the district by the 12 collector’s deeds. The quitclaim deeds only operated to transfer such interest as the grantors therein had and did not carry any after-acquired title.