Bobbi Woodward, V Hector Lopez, Et Ux

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedFebruary 26, 2013
Docket42757-5
StatusPublished

This text of Bobbi Woodward, V Hector Lopez, Et Ux (Bobbi Woodward, V Hector Lopez, Et Ux) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bobbi Woodward, V Hector Lopez, Et Ux, (Wash. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

FILED COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION ji.

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASA6 DIVISION II Y

BOBBI WOODWARD, as Personal Representative of the Estate of JOHANNA ELLWANGER, deceased, Appellant, No. 42757 5 II - -

V. ORDER GRANTING MOTIONS TO EXTEND TIME AND TO PUBLISH OPINION

HECTOR LOPEZ and NITA L.LOPEZ,. and the marital community composed thereof, TRENT DALE HERBERT and MICHELLE LEE HERBERT, and the marital community composed thereof, and NEDA J. HERBERT, a single woman,

THIS MATTER came before the court on the motions of a third parry requesting an

extension of time to file a motion to publish and requesting publication of the opinion filed in this

court on February 26, 2013. Neither party filed a response objecting to the publication.

Upon consideration of the motion, it is hereby

ORDERED that the motion for extension of time to file a motion to publish is granted. It is.

further

ORDERED that the final paragraph, reading " majority of the panel having determined A

that this opinion will not be printed in the Washington Appellate Reports but will be filed for public

record pursuant to RCW 2.6.it is so ordered. ", deleted. It is further 040, 0 is Order No. 42757 5 II — - - Granting Motions Page,Two

ORDERED that the opinion will be published.

It is SO ORDERED.

DATED this / day of Li 2013.

Neil H. Robblee PO Box 1329 Edmonds, WA 98020 1329 -

Matthew D.Mills Joseph P. Tall 2013 Harkins Street 2611 NE 113th Street, suite 300 Bremerton, WA 98310 Seattle, WA 98125 6700 - FILED. OURT OF APPEALS DIVIS10h

2013 FE6 26 AMP 23 STAT OF IYASEi.WGTON I BY OEP Y

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION II

BOBBI WOODWARD, as Personal Representative of the Estate of JOHANNA ELLWANGER, deceased, Appellant, No. 42757 5 II - -

V.

HECTOR LOPEZ and NITA L.LOPEZ, and UNPUBLISHED OPINION the marital community composed thereof; TRENT DALE HERBERT and MICHELLE LEE HERBERT, and the marital community composed thereof; and NEDA J.HERBERT, a single woman, Respondents.

VAN DEREN, J. —Bobbi Woodward, as personal representative of the Johanna Ellwanger

estate, appeals the trial court's order granting partial summary judgment in favor of Hector and Nita Lopez, Trent and Michelle Herbert, and. eda Herbert (collectively the Lopezes).The trial N court held that no genuine issue of material fact remained and as a matter of law ( 1)express

easement on the Lopez property does not benefit Ellwanger's short subdivision plat ( P)432 S

lots, 2) implied easement exists on the Lopez property for the benefit of Ellwanger's SP 432 ( no lots, and (3) Ellwanger is not entitled to a private way of necessity through the Lopez property to access her SP 432 lots. Ellwanger also appeals the trial court's denial of her motion for

reconsideration of its summary judgment order. We affirm the trial court's order granting

1 For clarity,we refer to the appellant as Ellwanger throughout the opinion. No.42757 5 II - -

summary judgment dismissal of Ellwanger's claim of an express easement. But we hold that

Ellwanger produced evidence raising genuine issues of material fact that preclude summary

judgment on the existence of an implied.easement and private way of necessity. Accordingly, we reverse the trial court's order of summary judgment on those issues and remand for trial.

FACTS

The parties' dispute arises from their respective interests in land that sits between State Route 16 and Bethel- Burley Road in Kitsap County, Washington. All the land at issue iii this

case was once owned by Florence Ford. In 1946, Ford conveyed a parcel of that land to a third

party, which conveyance separated her remaining land into a north and south parcel. Ford excepted a 30 foot wide strip of land running along the eastern portion of the conveyed property that connects Ford's remaining parcels to the north and south. Neda Herbert owns the parcel

Ford conveyed in 1946. In 1977, Ford subdivided her two remaining parcels under Kitsap County short

subdivision applications 431 and 432. Each short subdivision resulted in four lots:A,B,C,and a SP 431north of theHerbert property;and SP4321ies southof the Herbertproperty. -

A,B,and C of SP 431 are rectangular in shape and abut SR 16 to the east and abut Lot D to the west. Lot D abuts Bethel -Burley Road to the west, Olympic Drive to the northwest and lots A,

B,and C to the east. All of the SP 432 lots are rectangular in shape and abut SR 16 to the east

and Bethel -Burley Road to the west.

Each subdivision application included legal descriptions of the lots and a sketch of the

subdivision. The application required legal descriptions that included reference to ingress or

2 We refer to this parcel as.he Herbert parcel. The Herberts purchased the property in 1964 from t Guy and Violet Coen.

2 No. 42757 5 II - -

egress for all proposed parcels not having street frontage. The legal description of each of the lots in SP 431 stated that the lot is " t] with and [ ogether subject to easements per sketch. ".Clerk' s

Papers (CP)at 88. The included sketch depicted a 60 foot wide easement along the east boundary of lots A,B,and C of SP 431.

The subdivision application for SP 432 did not mention or depict any easement. Neither

the legal description ofthe lots nor the sketch included an easement benefitting or burdening any of the SP 432 lots. But a 1995 survey conducted for the Ford estate depicted the 60 foot

easement through SP 431 ' lots A,B,and C and noted that the easement was for the benefit of lots '

A,B,and C of SP 431,and was to benefit all of the SP 432 lots.

When Herbert purchased her property in the mid to late 1960s,the northern and southern

boundaries of the property were fenced 3 In 1996, Hector and Nita Lopez purchased lot C of SP . 431, which lot adjoins the north side of the Herbert property. According to Herbert's deposition testimony, in 1998, a logging company clearing lot A in SP 432 knocked down the barbed wire

fences that ran along the north and south boundaries of the Herbert property and put in a road Within the 30 footwide strip of land refainedand theroadacid utilityeaseinent the -- - -

east 60 feet of. A,B,and C of SP. 31 lots 4

In 2007,Ellwanger obtained title to all of the lots in SP 432, lots B and D of SP 431, and

the 30 foot wide strip retained by Ford in 1946. Ellwanger began to develop her SP 432

properties, but the Lopezes resisted when Ellwanger attempted to lay utility lines within the 30

foot wide strip and the 60 foot easement running through the Lopez property. Ellwanger sued

the Lopezes, seeking (1) quiet title in the 30 foot wide strip; 2) declaration that her to ( a

3 The date of Herbert's purchase is referred to as 1964 and as 1969. 4 We refer to lot C of SP 431 as the Lopez property. 3 No.42757 5 II - -

properties are dominant estates entitled to use the 60 foot easement through the Lopez property

for ingress, egress, and utilities; and (3) money damages, fees, and costs.

The Lopezes moved for partial summary judgment, asserting that no material fact is in

dispute and that as a matter of law: 1) express easement on the Lopez property does not ( the benefit the SP 432 lots, 2) easement by implication exists on the Lopez property in favor of ( no

the SP 432 lots, and ( ) 3 Ellwanger is not entitled to a private way of necessity through the Lopez

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Crawford v. Washington
541 U.S. 36 (Supreme Court, 2004)
Beeson v. Phillips
702 P.2d 1244 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1985)
Bays v. Haven
777 P.2d 562 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1989)
McPhaden v. Scott
975 P.2d 1033 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1999)
Roberts v. Smith
707 P.2d 143 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1985)
State v. Thomas
150 Wash. 2d 821 (Washington Supreme Court, 2004)
Rothweiler v. Clark County
29 P.3d 758 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2001)
Visser v. Craig
139 Wash. App. 152 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Bobbi Woodward, V Hector Lopez, Et Ux, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bobbi-woodward-v-hector-lopez-et-ux-washctapp-2013.