Davis, J. v. Palmisano, L.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 20, 2020
Docket1513 EDA 2019
StatusUnpublished

This text of Davis, J. v. Palmisano, L. (Davis, J. v. Palmisano, L.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis, J. v. Palmisano, L., (Pa. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

J-A08013-20

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

JAMES V. DAVIS : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : v. : : : LINDA PALMISANO : : Appellant : No. 1513 EDA 2019

Appeal from the Judgment Entered May 15, 2019 In the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County Civil Division at No(s): No. 2018-00094

BEFORE: LAZARUS, J., KUNSELMAN, J., and McCAFFERY, J.

MEMORANDUM BY McCAFFERY, J.: FILED MAY 20, 2020

Linda Palmisano (Appellant) appeals from the judgment1 entered in the

Wayne County Court of Common Pleas following a bench trial, which awarded

James V. Davis a prescriptive easement over Appellant’s property. Appellant

argues: (1) the trial court lacked subject matter jurisdiction because

necessary parties were not joined; (2) the court erred in finding Davis

established adverse or hostile use of the subject roadway; and (3) the court

erred in not considering Pennsylvania’s Unenclosed Woodlands Act of 1850

____________________________________________

1 Appellant purported to appeal from the trial court’s April 22, 2019, order denying her post-trial motion. However, the appeal lies properly from judgment entered on May 15, 2019. See Johnston the Florist, Inc. v. Tedco Constr. Corp., 657 A.2d 511, 514 (Pa. Super. 1995) (generally, an appeal to this Court lies from the judgment entered subsequent to the trial court’s disposition of post-verdict motions, not from the order denying post- trial motions). We have amended the caption accordingly. J-A08013-20

(the Act), 68 P.S. § 411, which bars a right of way over unenclosed woods.

After careful review, we deny relief on the first two issues, but vacate the

judgment and remand for the trial court to reconsider Appellant’s Unenclosed

Woodlands Act claim.

The properties at issue are located in Tyler Hill, Wayne County. On

November 22, 2006, Appellant acquired a 53-acre lot from her brother, Robert

Wester, who had purchased the property with his wife in 1991. Appellant’s

property surrounds the eastern and southern boundaries of Davis’ land-locked

property, a 4.6-acre lot. Davis acquired his property by deed dated

September 10, 1996; at trial, however, he stated he has lived on that property

for both 25 years and 66 years. N.T. Trial, 2/11/19, at 5, 9.

North of Davis’ and Appellant’s parcels lies a 53-acre parcel, referred to

by Davis as the “Woods Lot.” At trial, Davis testified his parents bought the

Woods Lot in approximately 1958, when he was 6 years old, from the prior

owners, the Woods family. N.T. at 18. Davis later owned it, but he deeded

the property to his daughter, Kelly Marlene, who currently owns it with Michael

Dietrich, Jr.2 Id. at 41. We further note Davis’ testimony that in 1910, his

grandfather bought a farm, possibly located in the Woods Lot, and thus the

2 Kelly Marlene’s last name and relationship to Michael Dietrich, Jr. are not clear from the record.

-2- J-A08013-20

Woods Lot has been in his family for 109 years.3 Id. at 7, 10, 20. Finally, we

note that a southern portion of Appellant’s property is adjacent to a parcel

owned by Davis’s sister and brother-in-law, Marlene and Antony Virbitsky.

The deed to Davis’ property granted the right to use a 50-foot wide right

of way on the western boundary of Appellant’s property. However, for ingress

and egress to his property, Davis instead used “Woods Road,” which traversed

over another portion of Appellant’s property. Trial evidence showed that

Woods Road continued, for a short distance, through the Virbitskys’ property

as well as another parcel owned by Davis’ daughter, before reaching the public

road, Sky Lake Road. See N.T. at 12; Appellant’s Trial Exhibit 4 (map).

In March of 2016, in preparation of selling her property, Appellant

advised Davis to cease using Woods Road and to develop and use the 50-foot

wide right of way provided in his deed. N.T. at 58. Davis did not comply, and

in December of 2017, Appellant installed a chain, blocking Davis’ use of Woods

Road.

On March 1, 2018, Davis commenced the underlying action in equity

against Appellant. Davis claimed adverse possession of Woods Road and, in

the alternative, sought a prescriptive easement over Woods Road. On March

3 These seeming inconsistencies in Davis’ testimony do not relate to his use of the Woods Road and do not affect our disposition. Instead, we consider his testimony as a whole for the contextual history that the land has been associated with Davis’ family for three generations.

-3- J-A08013-20

6th, upon agreement by the parties, the trial court issued an order prohibiting

Appellant from interfering with Davis’ use of Woods Road.

The matter proceeded to a bench trial on February 11, 2019. Davis

testified that he and his family have used Woods Road since 1910 to access

both his property and Woods Lot, Woods Road was the only means of vehicular

access, and that he has improved Woods Road. N.T. at 6-7, 10, 12, 14, 20,

25. Davis acknowledged that Woods Road traversed “across the corner of”

his sister’s property before reaching Sky Lake Road. Id. at 12-13. With

respect to the 50-foot wide right of way in his deed, Davis described it as

undeveloped, covered with woods, rocks, and boulders, and not traversable

by vehicle. Id. at 11. Davis denied that anyone, including Appellant’s brother,

ever granted him permission to use Woods Road, and denied that Appellant

withdrew such permission in March of 2016 when she informed him to cease

use. Id. at 26-28. Davis also presented the testimony of his friend, Elias

Varga, that he has used, without permission from anyone, Woods Road for

more than 50 years to visit Davis and to hunt on Woods Lot. Id. at 34-35.

Appellant, meanwhile, testified that when she acquired her property in

2006, she did not know whether Woods Road existed. N.T. at 64.

Nevertheless, she stated she and her brother both allowed Davis to use Woods

Road, but she revoked that permission in March of 2016. Id. at 54, 58.

Appellant further pointed out that Davis had a deeded right of way, as well as

the equipment and knowledge to develop it, but he simply refused to use his

-4- J-A08013-20

right of way in favor of Woods Road as a “convenience.” Id. at 61-62.

Appellant also argued the Unenclosed Woodlands Act prohibited a prescriptive

easement over that portion of her property because it was unenclosed

woodlands. Id. at 70. To this end, we note that both Appellant and her expert

witness in land surveying, James Motichka, described the relevant land as “all

woods” and “[o]pen woods,” respectively, without any fences or walls. Id. at

44, 55.

On March 22, 2019, the trial court issued a verdict in favor of Davis,

along with an opinion. While the court concluded that Davis failed to establish

adverse possession over Woods Road, it awarded him a prescriptive

easement, finding he adversely, openly, notoriously, and continuously used

Woods Road for more than 21 years. Trial Ct. Op., 3/22/19, at 4.

Appellant filed a timely post-trial motion, arguing the trial court failed

to consider her unenclosed-woods claim under 68 P.S. § 411. Appellant also

averred, for the first time, that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction

because “necessary and indispensable landowners” — Davis’ daughter and

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Bluebook (online)
Davis, J. v. Palmisano, L., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-j-v-palmisano-l-pasuperct-2020.