Amy Cross and Cross Ranch Land, LLC v. Lisa Albright

CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 8, 2026
DocketS-25-0297
StatusPublished

This text of Amy Cross and Cross Ranch Land, LLC v. Lisa Albright (Amy Cross and Cross Ranch Land, LLC v. Lisa Albright) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Amy Cross and Cross Ranch Land, LLC v. Lisa Albright, (Wyo. 2026).

Opinion

IN THE SUPREME COURT, STATE OF WYOMING

2026 WY 75

APRIL TERM, A.D. 2026

July 8, 2026

AMY CROSS and CROSS RANCH LAND, LLC,

Appellants (Plaintiffs), S-25-0297 v.

LISA ALBRIGHT,

Appellee (Defendant).

Appeal from the District Court of Fremont County The Honorable Jason M. Conder, Judge

Representing Appellant: Sky D. Phifer, Phifer Law Office, Lander, Wyoming. Argument by Mr. Phifer.

Representing Appellee: Adam E. Phillips, Adam E. Phillips, Attorney at Law, P.C., Lander, Wyoming. Argument by Mr. Phillips.

Before BOOMGAARDEN, C.J., and GRAY, FENN, JAROSH, and HILL, JJ.

NOTICE: This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in Pacific Reporter Third. Readers are requested to notify the Clerk of the Supreme Court, Supreme Court Building, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002, of any typographical or other formal errors so that correction may be made before final publication in the permanent volume. HILL, Justice.

[¶1] Amy Cross and Cross Ranch (Cross) appeal the district court order denying competing motions to enforce a settlement agreement between Cross and Lisa Albright that purported to settle two cases related to their property disputes. During the litigation, the parties participated in mediation and seemingly settled their disputes, creating and signing a document memorializing their understanding of their settlement agreement. Cross argues that the district court erred when it denied both motions because it found that no enforceable agreement existed between the parties. Finding no error, we affirm.

ISSUES

[¶2] Cross raises five issues, which we rephrase as three:

1) Did the district court violate Cross’s due process rights when it denied the parties’ competing motions to enforce the settlement agreement?

2) Did the district court err when it determined no enforceable agreement existed because the parties did not reach agreement on material terms?

3) Is Cross entitled to attorney’s fees?

FACTS

[¶3] Cross and Ms. Albright are related by marriage and are neighboring landowners whose various properties lay in a scattered ownership pattern. Multiple property disputes arose between the two including disputes centered around joint ownership of some property and access to the parties’ lands and ditches. Unable to resolve the disputes, Cross filed two complaints. One complaint sought to establish an easement across Ms. Albright’s land for access to ditches and some of Cross’s properties. The other complaint sought to partition land jointly owned by Cross, Ms. Albright, and others. Cross also filed two petitions with the Board of Control.

[¶4] While the litigation was pending, in an attempt to settle the matters, the parties participated in mediation. The mediation resulted in a seemingly successful global settlement agreement of both court cases, the petitions pending before the Board of Control, and other issues between the parties. The parties drafted and signed an email which outlined the terms of the agreement reached in mediation (Original Agreement).

[¶5] The Original Agreement contained multiple terms to resolve the parties’ various disputes, including exchanging some parcels to unify ownership and alleviate some of the access issues. Relevant for purposes of this appeal, the Original Agreement stated:

1 • All parties will have access to ditches, headgates, and points of diversion so long as said access is along historic routes and/or ditches.

• All parties will have the right to maintain and clean ditches; however, no party shall cause damage to the ditch, adjacent property, or impede the property owner’s use of the property.

• Albrights agree that no garbage, trash containers, old vehicles or machinery will be placed or stored on the 6 acre tract immediately west of the union pass road.

• Formal global settlement agreement will be drafted within 30 days by Albrights Attorney.

[¶6] When the parties attempted to further formalize the agreement as contemplated by the Original Agreement, disputes and disagreements arose. The majority of the disputes centered on how to effectuate the access to the ditches and the restrictions on the six-acre tract (visual storage restriction). Both parties filed motions seeking to enforce their interpretation of the settlement agreement. Cross asserted that a recordable easement was required to effectuate the ditch access, and a restrictive covenant was required to effectuate the visible storage restriction. Cross argued that an easement and restrictive covenant were inherent parts of the Original Agreement and were the only legal and logical way to adequately effectuate the agreement. Ms. Albright asserted an easement and a restrictive covenant went beyond the terms of the agreement and that Cross was attempting to insert two additional terms into the Original Agreement. Ms. Albright argued the Original Agreement did not require formal encumbrances on the property and was merely access permission along historic routes.

[¶7] The parties filed several other responses and replies making legal arguments and attaching exhibits and affidavits. Those filings included a request from each party for damages for the other party’s failure to fulfill their obligations under the Original Agreement and attorney’s fees. Cross also requested Rule 11 sanctions against Ms. Albright’s counsel for failing to timely disclose a mortgage encumbering real property that was to be exchanged under other provisions of the Original Agreement.

[¶8] The district court heard oral argument on the parties’ competing motions and allowed the parties to submit exhibits, but noted the hearing was not an evidentiary hearing. After taking the matter under advisement, the district court found the Original Agreement failed to specifically describe the manner in which to accomplish the two disputed provisions and the parties’ obligations under the provisions. The court further found there was no meeting of the minds and the court could not enforce the Original Agreement because it could not discern the actual terms to be enforced or supply the terms of the agreement for the parties. The court also found that the provisions of the Original

2 Agreement related to access and visible storage restrictions were essential terms that could not be severed from the rest of the agreement. In sum, the court concluded there was no contract for the court to enforce. Accordingly, the court denied both parties’ motions. The court also denied Cross’s request for W.R.C.P. 11 sanctions.

ISSUE 1

Did the district court violate Cross’s due process rights when it denied the parties’ competing motions to enforce the settlement agreement?

STANDARD OF REVIEW

[¶9] “The question of whether an individual was afforded due process is one of law, for which our review is de novo.” SP v. State, 2025 WY 101, ¶ 22, 576 P.3d 603, 610–11 (Wyo. 2025) (quoting Interest of VS, 2018 WY 119, ¶ 25, 429 P.3d 14, 21 (Wyo. 2018)). The party asserting a due process violation has the burden of demonstrating both that she has a protected interest and that the interest has been affected in an impermissible way. Id. “The question is whether there has been a denial of fundamental fairness.” Id. (quoting In re L–MHB, 2017 WY 110, ¶ 25, 401 P.3d 949, 958 (Wyo. 2017)).

DISCUSSION

[¶10] Cross argues that the district court violated her due process rights because it did not afford the parties notice and opportunity to be heard on the matter of whether there was an enforceable agreement. More specifically, Cross argues that because both sides sought to enforce the Original Agreement, neither party raised the issue of whether there was an enforceable contract and the parties were not heard on this matter.

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Amy Cross and Cross Ranch Land, LLC v. Lisa Albright, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/amy-cross-and-cross-ranch-land-llc-v-lisa-albright-wyo-2026.