People of the State of California v. United States of America, Santa Margarita Mutual Water Company v. United States

The United States brought an action against some three thousand (3,000) defendants to quiet title to water rights claimed to be appurtenant to lands acquired in 1941-1943 and used for various purposes of the army and navy and which, collectively, with additions from the public domain, will be referred to as “Pendleton.”

The history of this litigation appears in United States v. Fallbrook Public Utility Dist., D. C., 101 F.Supp. 298 , 108 F.Supp. 72 , 109 F.Supp. 28 and 110 F. Supp. 767 .

The State of California was served as a defendant and appeared as intervenor.

On motion of the government, separate trial was held as to Santa Margarita and People of the State of California. Thereafter, the trial court entered a judgment in favor of the government and against these two, the appellants, Santa Margarita and the State alone, from which these appeals are taken.

The judgment which was rendered contained recitals of certain declarations purporting to be based upon findings of fact, and adjudged that the Santa Margarita Mutual Water Company and the State of California, and each of them, “are forever barred from any and all claim of right, title or interest in and to those rights to…