Bowen v. Tucker

2007 OK CIV APP 57, 164 P.3d 1155, 2007 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 30, 2007 WL 1952973
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 31, 2007
DocketNo. 101877
StatusPublished

This text of 2007 OK CIV APP 57 (Bowen v. Tucker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bowen v. Tucker, 2007 OK CIV APP 57, 164 P.3d 1155, 2007 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 30, 2007 WL 1952973 (Okla. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

JANE P. WISEMAN, Judge.

T1 Appellants appeal a trial court order granting Appellees' request for a permanent injunction based on the trial court's finding that the road in dispute is a public road by implied dedication. The injunction prohibits Appellants from interfering with or causing damage to the disputed road and restrains them from interfering with Haskell County's maintenance of the road. Based on our review of the record and applicable law, we find no trial court error and affirm its order.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

€ 2 Plaintiffs Bill (Bill) and Mary Jo Bowen (Mary Jo) (collectively, the Bowens) filed a petition for injunctive relief and damages1 requesting the court to determine that a road across and to property owned by the various parties was a county road and therefore open to the public. Defendants Billy Jack Tucker (Billy Jack), Gary Joe Tucker (Gary Joe), and Donna Sue Tucker (Donna Sue) (collectively, the Tuckers)2 denied that the road was ever dedicated as a county road and asserted that it was a private road over which the Bowens were entitled to an casement.

13 The Bowens requested a temporary injunction to prohibit the Tuckers from interfering with the use and maintenance of the road. On November 10, 2003, the trial court held a hearing on the temporary injunction. At the hearing, Mary Jo testified that she wrote a letter to County Commissioner Henry Few (Commissioner Few), requesting that the County perform maintenance on the road. She testified that Bill, Sandra Delores Tucker (Sandra Delores), Charlie F. Tucker (Charlie), Donna Sue, Gary Joe, and Billy Joe Tucker (Billy Joe) 3 all signed the letter she wrote to the County Commissioner. She further testified that in 1986, Billy Joe, Charlie, and Joe Stiles, a County employee, moved the road "a few feet to the north." Sandra Delores testified at the hearing that Billy Joe, Charlie, and Joe Stiles were "the ones that decided where to put the road" [1157]*1157when it was moved by the County approximately 20 feet north in 1986. When asked who kept up the road after it was moved and upgraded in 1986, she answered:

The County did. When it was made, we were going to make it a private road and then a little while later ... Sally said, this is-Gary Joe and Bill's [Billy Jack's] mom, she said, it was stupid for Mary to have to bring the girls to catch the bus at the corner. She says, we're going to open it up for the bus to go down there. So, that is what happened. The bus went to Billy Jack's house, picked the girls up and came back out and the County did maintain the road, at that time.4

Sandra Delores further testified that she considered the road in 1986 to be a County road all the way down to the Bowens' driveway and so considered it at the present time.

T 4 The trial court entered its order granting the Bowens' request for a temporary injunction that prohibited the Tuckers from the following:

[tlaking any action to damage the Road or creating a condition which increases the likelihood that a natural event, such as a rain or other weather event, would cause damage to the Road; and/or [tlaking any action to stop or otherwise interfere with the maintenance of the Road by the [Bow-ens] or County Commissioners for Haskell County.

T5 The hearing on the permanent injunetion was held on January 14, 2005. Sandra Delores testified at trial that "[the County built the road." She further testified that the school bus used the road to pick up Billy Jack's children and that the County periodically worked the road up to the Bowens' residence. Sandra Delores replied in the affirmative when asked whether the public used the road. When specifically asked what she believed to be the status of the road, she stated, "I think it's a County road, myself."

T 6 During his testimony at trial, Billy Joe admitted that the County moved the road in 1986 but stated that he "didn't know anything about it until it was already moved."

Testimony at trial from all parties established that the County. maintained the road on occasion and did so in 2001 specifically at the request of the Bowens and the Tuckers as evidenced by the letter written by Mary Jo and signed by all of the parties. Commissioner Few testified that the County had maintained the road for at least 6 years-the length of time that he had been commission er-and it was his understanding from prior commissioners that the County had intermittently maintained the road since it was built in 1986.

T7 At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court found the road to be a public road by implied dedication, and it entered a permanent injunction,; prohibiting the Tuckers from damaging the road or interfering with the County's maintenance of the road.

1 8 From this order, the Tuckers appeal.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

T9 When reviewing an order granting in-junctive relief, the appellate court will "review the evidence, but will not disturb the trial court's findings and judgment unless found clearly against the weight of the evidence." McCraw Oil Co. v. Pierce, 2004 OK CIV APP 7, ¶ 6, 83 P.3d 907, 910; see also Amoco Prod. Co. v. Lindley, 1980 OK 6, ¶ 50, 609 P.2d 733, 745. In actions sounding in equity, the trial court determines the eredi-bility of the witnesses as well as the weight and value to be given their testimony. James v. Board of County Comm'rs of Muskogee, 1999 OK CIV APP 47, 17, 978 P.2d 1002, 1003. Even though the evidence would have allowed a different result, we must affirm unless we determine the trial court's decision is clearly against the weight of the evidence. Id..

ANALYSIS

I. Issues not raised in the trial court

% In their first proposition of error, the Tuckers argue that the statute of frauds should apply because the letter signed by the [1158]*1158parties requesting the County to maintain the road was vague and thus did not support the trial court's determination of an implied dedication. The Tuckers' third proposition of. error asserts that the implied dedication ruling is contrary to the Oklahoma Constitution and statutes.

T11 The Tuckers failed to raise either a statute of frauds or constitutionality/llegality defense at any point prior to appeal. It is well-established that the appellate court does not make "first-instance determinations of disputed law or fact issues." Bivins v. State ex rel. Oklahoma Mem'l Hosp., 1996 OK 5, 119, 917 P.2d 456, 464. "That is the trial court's function in every case-whether in law, equity or on appeal from an administrative body. Since the [issue] had neither been raised nor assessed at nisi prius, we cannot craft an initial decision upon an untried question and then direct that it be followed on remand." Id. (footnote omitted). Because the issues of statute of frauds and constitutionality or illegality were not raised in the trial court, they may not be considered for the first time on appeal.

II. Implied dedication of the road

112 In their second proposition of error, the Tuckers assert that the trial court did not have "deliberate, decisive, and un-doubtful [sic] proof" as to the Tuckers' intentions regarding the dedication of the road. We disagree.

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Bluebook (online)
2007 OK CIV APP 57, 164 P.3d 1155, 2007 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 30, 2007 WL 1952973, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bowen-v-tucker-oklacivapp-2007.