Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN ,Ionor%ble John L. Green, Dlreotor Certificate of Title Divrieion Texas Sighway Depaxtnent Austin 26, Tezas Deer “5irr opinion ho. 0.6813 IN: Issuance of Q title on ear I iii8are in receipt of your letter Wtttdl readr am follow*: We are atteahing t in these letter ey, Conetable of in title on a 1935 atolrn automobile ut a year ago. La-. thflrmotor vehicle to find any provision in the Texas Art. l&36-1) whioh would enable this tltler unUsr the faota set forth queetion. Thurmnd. ‘Ye respeotfully re- quest that you advise this Department what evidenoe should be presented in eaoh ease that would authorize thie i)epartcmnt to issue the titles in An early response will be apprsolated and ar requsst that you return the attaohnents with your opinion.* Ran. John Li Groan, page 2 Tha ooimtable’a letter, referred to in your letter, read6 aa follows: “I reoovered what I pr8mlJlwa *a, a stolen auto- Aobils, about one year ago, that had been abanbone& on the highway &art of Mapl.ea. It la a 1935 mdel Bard coupe. I have kept the oar in rtorage rinoe I re- oovered it and have used every efgort that I taon of to ascertain the owner of the oar, but a0 one haa olaiaoa it. T&r& are f10 motor nwborr anywhom aa the oar but have been burned off. Tha 8-M Righwey Patrol and the z. B. I. bra 0h00ba on t4u oan mb have been unable to find the ~-or. Tim 3’. B. I. adviud am that it haa closed fta 0ame 011 thm aatkr, ana for ma to a0 anything r wanted to with tiu o&r. “1 ,a5 doalxoua 0r mg;irkring th, oar la orbr titmtI maydiapou or It and get my pay ior 8torago ana taking 0fm or the oar dnoe s have km6it. The letter from Sir. Roger Thurmond, Dietriot Attorney, re- fermi to in.your letter, ret&4 in part a8 r0ima: *&veral months ago a. 9,.acinoe, Bbarirr or ‘IWrell County, Texas, found a Harley Davld8on mOtQr- oyolo bear- no lioonae platoa, bg the aldo of the highway in TorxaU County. Mr. Canoe Toported tha matter to Rlehway ratralman Towxmd, who la rtati0nea et .Alpi.ne,and Toimwna later adviwa htm that he had reported same to your Departsent and you were unable to give any lnformtion ae to the Ovmer8hfp Of the maohim. “The aatter was also nported by Mr. Nanoe to the Automobile Theft Bureau an& to the Fedsma Bureau or Imeatlgatlon, ana both 0r those agencies were un- able to give sag information In mferenoa to the owumr- chip. Qmsmuoh aa this rnaohine hss now gone unolaimed for rreveralmonth@ ana there is very little probability that any bona fide olelwmt will rhow up, the Sheriff aeairee to sell same et pub110 auotlon and pay over the prOaee&a to Tsrrell County, Telaa. . . . Eon. John L. Green, page 3 "Ii a male of this property la made and tha sherlrf executee an affidavit setting out the faota of the ebeAdOmeAt and the finding of aam by hh and sale at public auotion with the proceeds go- ing into the treasury of Terre11 County, TBxaa, please advise m whether OA the baaia of au& affidavit you would be willing to issue a oertlfioate of title to the purohaaer." Artiole u,36-1 Of VerAOA'e Annotated Civil Statutes groviaaa am roii0w8: *sea. 35. Whenever the ownership of a motor vehiole registered or lloenaed within this state is transferred by operation or law, am upan lnheritahoe, devise or bequest, bankruptoy, re- oelverahlp, judiolal sale, or ang other involuntary dfveature of ownerahl~e Department shall iaauo a new oertifloate of title upon being provldrd with oertlriad 00Py Of the probato prooaetllnga, if a5.y (ir 50 admlnlatratio5 Ie neoeaaar then up05 effldavlt ahowing auoh fact and af or tha heirs at &&6 and epeolfloatlo5 by the hairs am to ln whose nane the oertirloate shall laaue), or order, or bill of sale rron the orrloer making the jualoial aale, exoept however, that where foreoloaure la hnd under the term of a lien, the affidavit of the person, firm, aaaoolatI05, or oorporatlan or authorized agent, of the faot of repoaaeaalon and dlveatltum of title ln aooordanoe w:lth tno term of the lien, shall be euffloiant to authoriee the iesuanoe of a new oertifloate of title I.5 the MIT&I of the gurohaaer at auoh male, and exoept further that in the oese Of the dOIWOlOaUre Of 85y CO5- etitutional or Statutory lien, the affidavit of the holder or auoh lien, or if a oorporatI05, its agent, of the fact of the oreation of auoh lien aAd the diveatlture of title by reason thereof In aooord~oe with law, ah~ll be aufrlclent to authorize the iaau- anoe of a new oerttfioate of title in the Aame Of the purohasey.* (u5deraoorI5g ours) 43 .Hon* John Li Green, page .!i, Artid 5502, 5504, ana 5505, 0r VSX~JO~*D Annotataa chil stfitutaa provide aa r0ii0w "Art. 5502. Proprietora or livery or publir stabler shall have a apwial lisn on all animal8 plaa6a with thsm ror rood, aare ena attention, a* al80 upon auoh aarrlagaa, bug&am or other veh.ialea 818may hava bran plaaed la thair aara, ior tJ&a awwt of tha ahargea againat the ammel ,ma this 8rtlal.e ahall apply to and in0iua0 owner8 or losaaaa of pamturea, who ah811 hasa;k$lar lfan on all anlmala plaaad with thaa ror *Art. 5504. when poawaalon or any or the property aarbraard QJ tha praaadfng lrtiale ham oontfnuad ror sixty day8 a tterthe ohargea laaruo, and the ahargaa 80 buo havb not born paid, it ah811 be tha duty of the paraona 80 h~idfng atid propemtyto notirf the twmr, ii in wi0 state Mb Ma raal~aaa* :l##i@al, to eQm0r0n8z-d MA pay the ahargea dua, curd,& Ma ralluaw within ten daya artier auoh notiaa ham bran &von him to pay ma16 ehar8588, tha pmona 80 haldlng lald property, arter twaatg day8 metloa, ara authorlam to mall meld proporty at publla male ana apply tha proa*eda to tha paymant or aaid ahargea, ma ahall' pay over tha balanaa to tha pamon entltlod to the mama. JX th, ownem* reaidenoa la be- yond the Statr or ia unkn~wm, the pareon holding maid property ahall not ba required to give luah notiaa ba- rorcl pr00~0dbg to 8eil.n “bt. 5305. It the par8on who la lagally entitlead to native tha balanaa mantlonod In this ahap- tsr la not lmo~n, or ha8 rOarNedtrola the Stata or drool tha oounty in whiah auoh rapalow aa done, or suah property waa OQ held, the parson PO holding aal& property shall pay the balanoa to tha aounty treaaurar or tha county in whioh maid proparty la held and take Ua'ra- oeppt thereror. Whenever auah balanoe ahall ramin In the poaaaaaion or tha aounty traaaurar for the riod of two gaara uuolaimad by tha party legally ent r tlad to the aaam, euah balanae ahall b1)ama.a part of the OOWty fund or the aounty In which the proparty wa11 sold, an6 8hal.l be appl.fed~aa any other aounty funb or DAoneY of su0h 0ountg 18 applioa or uaecLw 44 In annwaring your question, it must firat ba aetermlnea that legal title to the property In quaation Haag bean divested by operation of’ law or otherwise before oertifioate ot title thereto cari be issued, 1.~’ “’ The recta stated do not authorize dIapoaitIon of the property as rtolen property as provIdea ror in Artiolsa 933-34 ana 938 of ow code or Cr+ainal Prooeaum. In the abeenaa of the owner or meld property ana whare the napI or deacrIptIon of the thief is unknown, a aon@laInt alle@.ng theft : oannot stand. The property Ueaaribed in your aonmunIaatIon, under the recta atated therein, aould not be oonaldered abandoned property, and, theretore, the .rInder of mama aoquiml no title to said property* In the aaae of Sikea v. State, 2% S. W. 688, JuatIae Hurt of the OoW of Criminal Appaalr maid: Vhs word *sbandon* maana a giving upi a total desertion; an absoluta relinquishment. Abandonmant inalud@a both ths Intention to for- sake or abandon and the aot by which auah In- tention In carried Into erred. Property may be maid to be abandoned when ths owner *thr~wa it away,* or when It Is voluutarIly left or loat, without any intent or expeatation to regain It;* Title to the property involved in your aomaunIoa&n could be dlveated by the rorealoau.re of an amalerted comaon-law lien, or a atatutory lien, thereon ior the Flaount or storage buo. To deter- mlhe this, we must oM8Ider the f0110wIng prinoiplea Of law: (*I *A garage-keeper or other person in whoae po6aeaaIon a vehicle has been’pleoed for storage is entIt1e.d to aesart a oonmon-law lien thereon for the amount hue him and, aotlng pur- went, to the etatuta, may me11 the oar and apply the prooeeda to the payment of hls ohergea.W (5 TSX. Jur., Sea. 62, ppa.643~44) (b) “A garege-keeper in, with resp%ot to VehIolea which have been plaoed in his possession for storage or repair, a bailee .” (5 Tax. Jur., 580. 48, p. 630) (0) WA *garage * , which is the modern eubetitute for the livery stable, is defined as s plaoe for the OBIW end atyrege of motor vehiolee. . .” (Grinea v. State, 200 9. 3. 378) 45 Hon. John L. Green, page 6 The faacts show that the offioers have been very diligent In their efforts to locate the owner of the property and are there- fore justified to plaoe the earn In atorege. In view of the authorities, above, It la the opinion of this department that If the officers pleas the property with a garece-keeper or some other peraon for oaxe and storage, that auoh garage-keeper or person will have a lien thereon for him atorege ohsrgea. bhen the ahargea Sor storage eoarue and are unpaid the lienholder aen file auit III a aourt or competent jurlaaiotlon to fora- aloae the mama. If there la a belenae of prooeeda from the toreolosure sale, after the lien end oourt coat8 are paid, and the owner fells to oleia same, It ahell be paid to the oouuty treaaurer of the oouuty In which said property, la held. If the automobile and motorayola in question are mold et foreoloaure melee under thu prooeediugo outllnod In the above paragraph, auah aalea would be juaioial asles and your depsrt- ment would be authorl&aa to Ieaue aertIfloatea of title thereto upon evidenae of the aale8. Your8 very truly, ATTORNEY GidURAL OF TGXAS BY JOrLJ Amlatent