Caywood v. Department of Natural Resources

On August 4, 1974, plaintiffs commenced suit in Muskegon County Circuit Court for purposes of quieting title to land along the North Branch of the Muskegon River, restraining defendants1 from removing timber and brush, and seeking damages for the timber removed. A bench trial was had September 24, 1974. On January 30, 1975, the trial court filed its opinion, finding that (1) plaintiffs had possessed the disputed land adversely for 15 years, (2) the state’s tax deed was inadequate to support its claim to a portion of the disputed land in the absence of proof that statutory conditions for…