Edwards v. Fidelity nat'l Title Insurance Co.

CourtSuperior Court of Maine
DecidedDecember 12, 2014
DocketCUMcv-14-13
StatusUnpublished

This text of Edwards v. Fidelity nat'l Title Insurance Co. (Edwards v. Fidelity nat'l Title Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Edwards v. Fidelity nat'l Title Insurance Co., (Me. Super. Ct. 2014).

Opinion

£NT ERE D JAN 1 4 201S

STATE OF MAINE BUSINESS AND CONSUMER COURT (

Cumberland, ss.

DARLENE F. EDWARDS and LEWIS M. EDWARDS, III

Plaintiffs

v. Docket No. BCD-CV-14-13

FIDELITY NATIONAL TITLE INSURANCE COMPANY AMH-VU1}t)- 1~-~~-14 befendant

ORDER ON PLAINTIFFS' MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Plaintiffs Darlene and Lewis Edwards ["the Edwards"] have filed a Motion for

Summary Judgment on the issue of whether Defendant Fidelity National Title Insurance

Company ["Fidelity"] has a duty to defend the Edwards under a title insurance policy issued by

Fidelity with respect to property of the Edwards in Owls Head, Knox County, Maine.

Fidelity opposes the Edwards' motion , and the Edwards have filed a reply to Fidelity's

opposition. The Motion came before the court for oral argument November 21, 2014. Based

on the entire record, the court denies the Motion and also renders partial summary judgment

against the Edwards on certain aspects of their motion, see M.R. Civ. P. 56(c) ("summary

judgment, when appropriate, may be rendered against the moving party").

Background

In March of2011, the Edwards purchased certain real property in Owls Head, Maine (the

"Edwards Property") and Fidelity issued an owner's policy of title insurance to the Edwards in

connection with the Insured Property (the "Policy"). Plaintiffs' Statement of Material Fact

("PSOMF") ~ ~ 1, 2. The Policy was prepared by Mortgage Connect LP, an agent of Fidelity

located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. PSMOF ~ 3. The Edwards' deed describes the real

estate conveyed in terms of five parcels. Schedule A to the Fidelity Policy describes the Land

1 referred to in the Policy! in terms of exactly the same legal description as is contained in the

Edwards' deed. PSOMF ~ 4; see Defendant's Statement of Material Fact ("DSOMF") ~ 4.

The third-party claims as to which the Edwards contend Fidelity has a duty to defend

arose in two civil actions in the Knox County Superior Court-Edwards v. Blackman, Super. Ct.,

Kno. Cty. Docket No. ROCSC-RE-11-47 and Gravison v. Fisher, Super. Ct., Kno. Cty. Docket

No. ROCSC-RE-11-51. Both cases have resulted in final judgments in the Superior Court, and

are now on appeal in the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, sitting as the Law Court.2

In Edwards v. Blackman, the Edwards filed suit against the Town of Owls Head and

several individual owners of nearby properties, seeking a declaratory judgment to the effect

that neither the Town nor the individual defendants had rights of access or use over the

Edwards' property. The individual defendants, all members of the Scott family and hence

referred to in the parties' filings as "the Scott Defendants," asserted counterclaims based on

several different legal theories. See PSOMF Tab 6. Count I of the Scott Defendants'

counterclaim asserted that the Scott Defendants hold certain appurtenant deeded easement

rights based upon chain of title of recorded deeds and other records. Counts II, III, IV, and V

asserted prescriptive easement claims, based on alleged use of the Edwards' land for at least 20

years. Count VI asserted a claim of the right to use the intertidal zone of the Edwards' land for

fishing, fowling, navigation, and "any other ocean-based activities consistent with Maine

common law ... " The Town of Owls Head, however, did not assert any affirmative claims in

1"Land" is defined by the Policy as: "the land described in Schedule A, and affixed improvements that by law constitute real property. The term 'Land' does not include any property beyond the lines of the area described in Schedule A, nor any right, title, interest, estate, or easement in abutting streets, roads, avenues, alleys, lanes, ways, or waterways, but this does not modify or limit the extent that a right of access to and from the Land is insured by this policy."

2 Counsel for the parties have supplied this court with copies of the Superior Court decisions, as corrected, in both cases, which the court deems part of the summary judgment record. See Edwards v. Blackman, Super. Ct., Kno. Cty. Docket No. ROCSC-RE-11-47, Dec. and Judg. (July .'30, 2014) and Order (Aug. 1, 2014) and Gravison v. Fisher, Super. Ct., Kno. Cty. Docket No. ROCSC:-RE-11-51, Dec. and Judg. (Aug. 22, 2014), Order (Sept. 2, 2014).

2 the nature of counterclaims in the Edwards v. Blackman case, but it did enter general denials and

affirmative defenses in response to the Edwards' claims against it.

The case of Gravison v. Fisher was initiated by David and Beverly Gravison, owners of

nearby oceanfront property, against 11 neighboring owners and a trust who claim rights in the

Gravison property, and the defendants impleaded the Edwards as necessary parties. These

neighbors are referred to as the Cottage Lot Owners in the parties' summary judgment filings.

Like the Scott Defendants in Edwards v. Blackman, the Cottage Lot Owners in Gravison v.

Fisher asserted affirmative claims against the Edwards' property on several different theories.

Count I asserted that the Cottage Lot Owners hold appurtenant deeded easement rights based

upon recorded deeds and other records. Counts II, III, and IV are all prescriptive easement

claims, based on alleged, actual use of the Edwards' land for at least 20 years. Count VII

asserted the right to use the intertidal zone of the Edwards' land for fishing, fowling,

navigation, and "any other ocean-based activities consistent with Maine common law ... "

The Edwards' Motion For Summary Judgment seeks summary judgment on Fidelity's

duty to defend as to all of the claims asserted against the Edwards by the Scott Defendants and

the Cottage Lot Owners, and asserts that Fidelity also is obligated to reimburse the Edwards

for the cost oflitigating against the Town.

Standard qf Review

M.R. Civ. P. 56( c) provides that summary judgment is warranted "if the pleadings,

depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if

any ... show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact set forth in those statements

and that any party is entitled to a judgment as a matter oflaw."

For purposes of summary judgment, "[a] material fact is one that can affect the

outcome ofthe suit." Burdzel v. Sobus, 2000 ME 84, ~ 6, 750 A.2d 573 (citing Kenny v. Dep'tof

3 Human Services, 1999 ME 158, ~ 3, 740 A.2d 560); see also Mcilroy v. Gibson's Apple Orchard,

2012 ME 59, ~ 7, 4.3 A.sd 948. A genuine issue exists when sufficient evidence supports a

factual contest to require a fact-finder to choose between competing versions of the truth at

trial. See Prescott v. Tax Assessor, 1998 ME 250, ~ 5, 721 A.2d 169 (citing Garside v. Osco Drug,

Inc., 895 F.2d 46, 48 (1st Cir. 1990)). The court will view the evidence in light most favorable

to the non-moving party. See, e.g., Steeves v. Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, P.A., 1998 ME

210,~ 11,718A.2dl86.

A party wishing to avoid summary judgment must present a prima facie case for each

element of a claim or defense that is asserted. See Reliance Nat'l Indem. v. Knowles Indus. Services,

2005 ME 29, ~ 9, 816 A.2d 6.3.

When the court rules on a motion for summary judgment, "'[it] is to consider only the

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

Related

Milissa Garside v. Osco Drug, Inc.
895 F.2d 46 (First Circuit, 1990)
Baywood Corp. v. Maine Bonding & Casualty Co.
628 A.2d 1029 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1993)
Prescott v. State Tax Assessor
1998 ME 250 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1998)
State v. Coombs
1998 ME 1 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1998)
Steeves v. Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, P.C.
1998 ME 210 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1998)
Burdzel v. Sobus
2000 ME 84 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2000)
Johnson v. Allstate Insurance Co.
1997 ME 3 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1997)
McIlroy v. Gibson's Apple Orchard
2012 ME 59 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2012)
State v. Vasquez
609 A.2d 29 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1992)
Fischer v. Estate of Flax
816 A.2d 1 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 2003)
N E Properties, Inc. v. Chicago Title Insurance Co.
660 A.2d 926 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1995)
Reliance National Indemnity v. Knowles Industrial Services, Corp.
2005 ME 29 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2005)
City of Middletown v. Meadows Associates of Middletown, Inc.
711 A.2d 1 (Connecticut Superior Court, 1998)
Kenny v. Department of Human Services
1999 ME 158 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1999)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Edwards v. Fidelity nat'l Title Insurance Co., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/edwards-v-fidelity-natl-title-insurance-co-mesuperct-2014.