THOMAS, Judge.
Lynn Barter and his wife, Joy Barter, own Lots 38 and 39 in Lakeview Estates, a subdivision located in Randolph County; the Barters purchased their lots from Mawal, Inc., one of the 60 named defendants in this case.
Connell filed a motion for a summary judgment in February 2011. The Barters opposed that motion. Based on the facts in the parties' pleadings and various submissions, it appears that the Barters alleged that they had improved the boat ramp by paving the area surrounding the boat ramp and had, at times, cleared the area. The Barters alleged that their house had been burglarized twice and that people, including people who were not owners of lots in Lakeview Estates, were gathering and drinking at the boat ramp, which the Barters alleged created a nuisance. Based on recommendations from the sheriff's department, the Barters stated, they had placed a gate across the roadway to restrict access to the boat ramp. According to the Barters, they would give a key to the gate to whomever requested one. The Barters characterized the interest in the roadway and the boat ramp granted to the subdivision lot owners as an easement.
In his summary-judgment motion, Connell argued that, based on the April 1999 quitclaim deed and the exception in the July 1999 deed to the Barters, Connell, and the other subdivision lot owners, and not the Barters, had title to the roadway and the boat ramp. He further argued that the Barters had "improperly caused impediment to Connell's use and enjoyment of his jointly owned land." Connell noted in his motion that the Barters were on notice of the subdivision lot owner's common ownership of the roadway and the boat ramp at the time they purchased Lot 39. Connell also stated that the Barters had not "sufficiently plead or proved a prima facie case for nuisance." Connell's motion did not contain a narrative summary of facts, but he supported his motion with a copy of the April 1999 quitclaim deed, a 1993 deed conveying his lot to him, and the July 1999 deed conveying Lot 39 to the Barters, as well as with his own affidavit.
The Barters, in their response to Connell's motion, argued that only nine of the subdivision lot owners had objected to the Barters' claim of ownership of the roadway and the boat ramp or to the Barters' requests to have the use of the roadway and the boat ramp ended or at least restricted. The Barters offered Lynn Barter's affidavit, in which he explained the facts giving rise to the litigation, including descriptions
Thus, in June 2011, the Barters filed a supplemental brief in support of their opposition to Connell's motion, in which they argued that the April 1999 quitclaim deed, which they characterized as a deed from the original developers of the Lakeview Estates subdivision, was void because of the ambiguous description of the grantees in that deed. The Barters also briefly argued that the deed had not been delivered. Connell responded with his own brief, which contained a statement of facts and a brief legal argument that the grantees of the deed were sufficiently named because they were capable of being ascertained. The Barters filed an objection to Connell's brief, in which they requested that the trial court not consider Connell's brief because it was filed after the deadline the court had set; the trial court did not rule on that motion. After a hearing, the trial court entered a summary judgment in favor of Connell and the other defendants.
The Barters filed a postjudgment motion, in which they advanced several arguments that they had not made before the entry of the summary judgment. First, the Barters moved to strike Connell's affidavit based on, among other things, the ground that the affidavit contained hearsay evidence. They further argued that Connell's motion for a summary judgment had been procedurally deficient because it lacked a narrative summary of facts. The Barters also argued to the trial court that Connell did not establish that the Meadowses had had good title to the roadway and the boat ramp such that the April 1999 quitclaim deed could convey fee-simple title to the subdivision lot owners, although they had never disputed the fact that the Meadowses could have conveyed an easement and had stated at a hearing on the summary-judgment motion that the Meadowses had conveyed the roadway and the boat ramp to the subdivision lot owners to avoid liability that might arise from the
On appeal, the Barters advance some of the arguments that they presented for the first time in their postjudgment motion. Although a trial court may consider an argument made for the first time in a postjudgment motion, a trial court is not required to do so. See Green Tree Acceptance, Inc. v. Blalock, 525 So.2d 1366, 1369 (Ala.1988). In the present case, the trial court permitted the postjudgment motion to be denied by operation of law, which indicates that the trial court did not consider the Barters' tardy arguments. See, generally, Espinoza v. Rudolph, 46 So.3d 403, 416 (Ala.2010) (indicating that an appellate court will not presume that a trial court considered the merits of an untimely asserted legal argument absent an indication that it did so). Thus, to the extent that the Barters rely on appeal on those arguments asserted for the first time in their postjudgment motion, we cannot consider those arguments as a basis for reversing the summary judgment in favor of Connell and the other defendants. Ex parte Ryals, 773 So.2d 1011, 1013 (Ala. 2000) (recognizing that "the appellate court can consider an argument against the validity of a summary judgment only to the extent that the record on appeal contains material from the trial court record presenting that argument to the trial court before or at the time of submission of the motion for summary judgment"). We will therefore not address the issues relating to the title possessed by the grantors of the April 1999 quitclaim deed
Jones-Lowe Co. v. Southern Land & Exploration Co., 18 So.3d 362, 367 (Ala.2009). We note, however, that "all evidence of record, as well as that evidence formally submitted in support of or in opposition to a motion for summary judgment, should be considered in ruling on the motion." Fountain v. Phillips, 404 So.2d 614, 618 (Ala.1981).
We agree that Connell would have had the burden of proof at trial on his claim that the April 1999 quitclaim deed conveyed fee-simple title to the roadway and the boat ramp to him and the other subdivision lot owners and his request for an injunction requiring the Barters to remove the gate across the roadway. Thus, we agree that he was required to present evidence in support of his motion sufficient to entitle him to a judgment as a matter of law. However, we are not convinced that Connell failed to meet his burden with respect to his claim of fee-simple title to the roadway and the boat ramp under the April 1999 quitclaim deed or his claim
In their complaint, the Barters requested that the trial court determine the effect of the April 1999 quitclaim deed. Connell, in his counterclaim, requested that the trial court determine that he had an express easement in the roadway and the boat ramp. In his summary-judgment motion, Connell changed his argument, specifically arguing that the April 1999 quitclaim deed and the exception in the Barters' July 1999 deed to Lot 39 demonstrated that he and the other subdivision lot owners had fee-simple title to the roadway and the boat ramp. The parties proceeded to brief the question regarding the validity of the April 1999 quitclaim deed, and the trial court, based on the arguments asserted by the parties, proceeded to determine whether, as a matter of law, Connell had proven that he (and the other subdivision lot owners) owned the roadway and the boat ramp.
The interpretation of a deed is sometimes a mixed question of law and fact. Lindsey Lumber & Export Co. v. Deas, 230 Ala. 447, 449, 161 So. 473, 474 (1935) (opinion on rehearing) (recognizing that "in some instances the interpretation may depend upon the sense in which the words are used, and upon facts aliunde"). However, "[i]n a suit to construe an unambiguous instrument, actual knowledge of the parties, oral statements of the parties, and other matters are inadmissible." Cole v. Minor, 518 So.2d 61, 64 (Ala.1987). Therefore, we must determine whether additional evidence was necessary to determine the effect of the April 1999 quitclaim deed.
The Barters asserted below and now argue on appeal that the April 1999 quitclaim deed could be construed as only the grant of an easement as opposed to a grant of fee-simple title.
Under Ala.Code 1975, § 35-4-2, the April 1999 quitclaim deed is presumed to have conveyed fee-simple title to the roadway and the boat ramp. See Moss v. Williams, 822 So.2d 392, 396-97 (Ala.2001) (construing similarly worded deeds and explaining the presumption stated in Ala. Code 1975, § 35-4-2, that "[e]very estate in lands is to be taken as a fee simple ... unless it clearly appears that a less estate was intended").
Moss, 822 So.2d at 397. In certain cases, the Alabama Supreme Court has determined that a conveyance of a roadway or of land intended for use as a roadway was, in fact, the conveyance of only a right-of-way. See, e.g., Greaves v. McGee, 492 So.2d 307 (Ala.1986). However, the determination of the interest conveyed hinges on the language used in the deed. Moss, 822 So.2d at 397.
In Moss, our supreme court construed the language in the granting clauses of two deeds, one in which the grantor used the clause "`does hereby remise, release and forever quit claim ... the strip of land'" and the other in which the grantor used the clause "`does hereby grant, bargain, sell and convey ... all the following described property.'" Id. at 397 (emphasis omitted). Further, the habendum clauses in both deeds stated: "`To Have and To Hold the same unto the [grantees,] its successors and assigns forever.'" Id. (emphasis omitted). In other parts of the deeds, however, the grantors used the term "`right of way.'" Id.
Based on the language used in the deeds at issue in Moss, our supreme court determined that the deeds conveyed fee-simple title to the property at issue. Id. at 400. The court relied heavily on Rowell v. Gulf, Mobile Ohio R.R., 248 Ala. 463, 28 So.2d 209 (1946), and focused on the fact that the deeds conveyed land as opposed to a right to use the land. Id. at 398. Because the granting clauses in both deeds unambiguously conveyed "land" and "property," respectively, the court concluded that they did not convey an incorporeal right but, instead, conveyed a fee-simple estate in the described property. Id. at 399.
The April 1999 quitclaim deed "remise[s], quitclaim[s], and convey[s] ... all right, title, interest and claim in and to the following described real estate...." Thus, based on Moss, it would appear that the granting clause in the April 1999 quitclaim deed indicates that a fee-simple conveyance was intended. Unlike the deeds in Moss, the April 1999 quitclaim deed contains no reference that could possibly be construed to limit the conveyance to an easement or a right-of-way. The only possibly limiting word contained in the April 1999 deed is the term "roadway," which is contained in the description of the real estate conveyed. Therefore, the trial court had before it the only evidence necessary to determine the effect of the April 1999 quitclaim deed — the deed itself — and we cannot agree that the evidence presented to the trial court was insufficient to determine that the April 1999 quitclaim deed, if valid, conveyed fee-simple title in the roadway and the boat ramp to Connell and the other subdivision lot owners.
As they did below, the Barters further argue that the description of the grantees of the deed was so ambiguous as to render the deed void. The Barters rely upon Haney's Chapel United Methodist Church v. United Methodist Church, 716 So.2d 1156
The April 1999 quitclaim deed, in contrast, makes clear the identity of the grantees by describing them as "all lot owners of Lakeview Estates" and further describing them as "being the owners of lots numbered one thru fifty-four." The identity of the grantees was thus readily ascertainable. See, e.g., Roeckl v. F.D.I.C., 885 P.2d 1067, 1071 (Alaska 1994) (quoting 6 George W. Thompson, Commentaries on the Modern Law of Real Property § 3006, at 349 (John S. Grimes repl. ed.1962)) (noting that "the grantee need only be `so designated and described as to distinguish him [or her] from the rest of the world'"); Garraway v. Yonce, 549 So.2d 1341, 1342 (Miss. 1989) (stating that the law requires only that "the grantee be described in such terms that by reference to objective evidence otherwise available, his identity may be ascertained with reasonable certainty"); Close v. O'Brien & Co., 135 Iowa 305, 307, 112 N.W. 800, 801 (1907) ("It is a well-recognized rule that the grantee in a deed may, under certain conditions, be identified by extrinsic evidence, and, where the grantee may be identified by parol or by other evidence, a conveyance will vest the legal title as completely and as surely as if he were fully identified by the conveyance itself."); see also 4 Herbert Thorndike Tiffany, The Law of Real Property § 967 (3d ed. 1975) ("The grantee or grantees must be named in the conveyance, or means for their identification furnished thereby."). Thus, we are not convinced that the April 1999 quitclaim deed was void because it did not specifically name the grantees.
To the extent the Barters have argued sufficiently on appeal and in the trial court that the April 1999 quitclaim deed was invalid because it was not delivered, we must disagree.
Thus, we cannot agree with the Barters that Connell did not meet his burden of presenting evidence that would entitle him to a judgment as a matter of law on the issue whether the April 1999 quitclaim deed conveyed fee-simple title in the roadway and the boat ramp to him and the other subdivision lot owners. The April 1999 quitclaim deed conveyed the roadway and the boat ramp in fee simple and did not merely grant Connell and the other subdivision lot owners an easement. Further, the deed is not void because the grantees were ascertainable and, thus, sufficiently named and because the presumption that the deed was delivered was not effectively rebutted. We therefore affirm the summary judgment insofar as it determined that the April 1999 quitclaim deed conveyed fee-simple title in the roadway and the boat ramp to Connell and the other subdivision lot owners.
Regarding the summary judgment on Connell's claim seeking an injunction requiring the Barters to remove the gate across the roadway and to permit unfettered access to the boat ramp, we reach the same conclusion. Connell, as the party having the burden of proof at trial, was required to present evidence that would entitle him to an injunction requiring removal of the gate as a matter of law. See Jones-Lowe Co., 18 So.3d at 367. The trial court had before it the April 1999 quitclaim deed and the Barters' July 1999 deed to Lot 39, which specifically excepts the roadway and the boat ramp from the conveyance of Lot 39.
The trial court determined that the April 1999 quitclaim deed conveyed fee-simple title to the "original grantees." Thus, it appears that the trial court determined that the "original grantees" — namely, Connell and the other subdivision lot owners — owned indivisible interests in the roadway and the boat ramp as tenants in common. Based on the fact that the Barters did not own Lot 39 at the time the April 1999 quitclaim deed was executed, and based on the exception in the July 1999 deed, the trial court necessarily, and correctly, concluded that the Barters did not hold any title to the roadway and the boat ramp. The Barters concede as much, stating in their brief on appeal that, if the April 1999 quitclaim deed is construed as a conveyance of the roadway and the boat
Although the Barters provide authority for the legal principle that a servient estate may place a gate across an easement, see Hammond v. Lovvorn, 16 So.3d 813 (Ala.Civ.App.2009), that principle does not assist the Barters. The trial court determined that the April 1999 quitclaim deed conveyed fee-simple title to the roadway and the boat ramp, and we have affirmed that legal conclusion; thus, the right of the servient-estate holder to place a gate across an easement provided that the easement is not unduly burdened has no application. Therefore, the evidence before the trial court established that Connell and the other subdivision lot owners own the roadway and the boat ramp and that the Barters have no right to erect a gate across the roadway.
Because the evidence presented at trial established that the April 1999 quitclaim deed conveyed fee-simple title in the roadway and the boat ramp to Connell and the other subdivision lot owners, the summary judgment declaring that Connell and the other defendants own the roadway and the boat ramp is affirmed. Furthermore, because the trial court determined that the April 1999 quitclaim deed conveyed fee-simple title to Connell and the other subdivision lot owners, who were the original grantees, it also necessarily determined that the Barters did not hold any interest in the roadway and the boat ramp. Accordingly, the trial court properly entered a summary judgment in favor of Connell on his counterclaim seeking an injunction requiring the Barters to remove the gate across the roadway. The summary judgment is therefore affirmed in its entirety.
AFFIRMED.
THOMPSON, P.J., and PITTMAN, MOORE, and DONALDSON, JJ., concur.
The argument presented in the Barters' brief on appeal consists of one paragraph in which they state the general rule that delivery of a deed is required; state, without citation to supporting authority, that the recording of a deed "in certain instances" can function as delivery; and then argue, in one sentence, without citation to supporting authority, that the failure of some of the defendants to answer and that the answers of some of the defendants indicating that they did not claim and interest in the roadway and the boat ramp should prevent the application of that rule in the present case.