Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

No transfer of real property is complete until the deed is delivered to the grantee or their authorized agent. Recording a deed without delivering it is not legally effective. It can, however, cause problems in that it may appear that a transfer has occurred.

We aren't supposed to answer questions identifying possible parties to litigation, but I guess I can go so far as to ask, How on Earth can the person who transfers land not know? Were they drunk? Drugged? Finally, I agree with Mr. McCormick that if you are talking about the grantee not knowing rather than the grantor not knowing, the transaction is technically incomplete until the deed is delivered.