Blanda v. Rivers

210 So. 2d 161
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 6, 1968
Docket3020
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 210 So. 2d 161 (Blanda v. Rivers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blanda v. Rivers, 210 So. 2d 161 (La. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

210 So.2d 161 (1968)

Casmier J. BLANDA
v.
Mr. and Mrs. J. B. RIVERS.

No. 3020.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

May 6, 1968.

*162 Fred P. Westenberger, Edward F. Wegmann, New Orleans, for plaintiff-appellant.

Jacob H. Morrison, New Orleans, for defendants-appellees.

Before YARRUT, CHASEZ and BARNETTE, JJ.

BARNETTE, Judge.

Plaintiff Casmier J. Blanda is the owner of the property identified by municipal number 1015 Esplanade Avenue and the defendants Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Rivers own the adjoining property at 1011 Esplanade Avenue, in the City of New Orleans. Plaintiff brought this suit which he denominated "Petitory Action and/or Action in Trespass" in which he seeks principally a judgment ordering defendants to remove certain obstructions extending through the party wall and encroaching upon his property. The encroachments complained of are water, gas, and sewer pipes, and gas heater flues, all serving the apartments in defendants' building and mounted on the wall over plaintiff's property. From a judgment rejecting his demands plaintiff has appealed.

Defendants accept as accurate in every detail plaintiff's "statement of the case" which is as follows:

"This is an appeal from a judgment dismissing plaintiff's petition for petitory action and action in trespass. Plaintiff, by said action sought to have defendants remove from plaintiff's side of a party wall certain pipes and flues which the defendants had installed on plaintiff's side of said party wall and which extended into and over plaintiff's property. Defendants contended that said pipes constituted a continuous and apparent servitude acquired by means of prescription of over ten years under the provisions of RCC 765, and further that plaintiff is estopped from requesting their removal since plaintiff's immediate predecessor in title, a Mr. Landry [John G. Landry], was aware of the installation of said pipes and did not object thereto. The pipes are unsightly, do extend over plaintiff's *163 property, are difficult or impossible to conceal, cannot be `walled-up' due to the necessity of possible repairs and could have been installed on the defendants' side of the wall, but at much greater expense and inconvenience to the defendants. Plaintiff purchased said property with full knowledge of the existence of said pipes and flues and shortly thereafter instituted this suit. All pipes have been identified properly by means of photographs and a survey, identified in P-1 through P-13. The rear-most flue was installed by defendants in 1965; three of the pipes were attached to said wall prior to the defendants' purchase of this property; all remaining pipes, and the vast majority of all pipes on said wall, were installed by the defendants in 1950 or 1951."

The party wall forms a part of defendants' house and stands on the line between the two lots. It is 13 inches thick, 6 ½ inches resting on each lot. There is no building abutting the wall on plaintiff's side and the pipes in question protrude into the air space directly above his property over his yard or patio.

Plaintiff acquired his property by purchase from John G. Landry in January, 1966, with full knowledge of the unsightly pipes. It was not until negotiations between Landry and Blanda for the sale to Blanda that Landry became aware of his ownership of half the party wall. He had just assumed that his property extended to the wall until he was correctly informed by Mr. Blanda who made some complaint about the pipes protruding through the wall.

Landry acquired his property in 1941 and the defendants bought the adjoining property in 1943. In 1951 the defendants made alterations in the house at 1011 Esplanade to provide apartments for rent. This necessitated the installation of a considerable amount of plumbing. They obtained the permission of their neighbor Landry to install the pipes on Landry's side of the party wall and permission for access to Landry's yard for the placing of materials and equipment necessary for the project. There was no agreement in writing, nor was there an express verbal agreement for the granting of a "servitude." There was no discussion of their legal rights and, at least as far as Mr. Landry was concerned, there was no evidence that he had any other intent except to be a good neighbor and not to interfere with, nor object to, the Rivers' installation of the plumbing facilities. Whether or not Landry knew he owned 6 ½ inches of the party wall is not important because he did know that the pipes protruded over his property and that he gave his permission. The only objection or complaint he ever voiced was upon request of Blanda who had him make a demand, through an attorney, for the removal of the pipes on October 19, 1965. This was while the negotiation for sale from Landry to Blanda was in progress.

The only issue for our determination is whether defendants acquired a servitude in favor of their property by the prescription of ten years under LSA-C.C. art. 765 which provides in pertinent part as follows:

"Continuous and apparent servitudes may be acquired by title, or by a possession of ten years. * * *"

There can be no question whatever that the alleged servitude is "apparent," thus one of the requirements for acquisition by prescription is conceded. That it is "continuous" is not seriously disputed. The mere fact that water or gas does not flow through a pipe continuously, but only when a faucet or valve is opened by the act of man does not render the servitude discontinuous. The water or gas is continuously there ready for use and the sewer pipe, which also serves as a ventilator, is continuously open and ventilating sewer fumes. It is unnecessary to dwell longer on this point in the absence of serious contention. The servitude is both apparent and continuous and therefore subject to acquisition by prescription. Fuller v. Washington, 19 So.2d 730 (La.App.2d Cir. 1944).

*164 The plaintiff strenuously contends that there can be no acquisition of the servitude by prescription under LSA-C.C. art. 765 in the absence of "legal good faith" as distinguished from "moral good faith." He points to LSA-C.C. arts. 503 and 3451 for the definition of good faith. Article 503 provides:

"He is bona fide possessor who possesses as owner by virtue of an act sufficient in terms to transfer property, the defects of which he was ignorant of. He ceases to be a bona fide possessor from the moment these defects are made known to him, or are declared to him by a suit instituted for the recovery of the thing by the owner." (Emphasis in the original.)

Article 3451 states:

"The possessor in good faith is he who has just reason to believe himself the master of the thing which he possesses, although he may not be in fact; as happens to him who buys a thing which he supposes to belong to the person selling it to him, but which, in fact, belongs to another."

The case of Randazzo v. Lucas, 106 So.2d 490 (La.App. Orleans 1958), relied on by plaintiff, is not relevant to the factual situation in this case. In the Randazzo case the defendants claimed a "servitude of boundary fence" (a kind of servitude unknown to the court) on the basis of ten years possession in good faith. Defendants' title called for 38 feet. A survey made for them showed the fence to be 2 feet on plaintiff's property, thus extending the lot to 40 feet in width. There was no evidence that the encroachment was with knowledge or permission of plaintiff.

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Bluebook (online)
210 So. 2d 161, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blanda-v-rivers-lactapp-1968.