Essential Botanical Farms, LC v. Kay

2011 UT 71, 270 P.3d 430, 695 Utah Adv. Rep. 27, 2011 Utah LEXIS 165, 2011 WL 5865390
Utah Supreme Court·Decided November 15, 2011·No. No. 20090922·Published·Cited by 19 cases

Opinion

Justice NEHRING,

opinion of the Court:

INTRODUCTION

1 1 This appeal is rooted in a dispute over a parcel of land situated between adjoining landowners, Steven Kay and Essential Botanical Farms, LC (EBF). Mr. Kay is the record owner of the property, but EBF and its predecessors-in-interest have occupied the property for nearly fifty years. The district court quieted title to the property in favor of EBF on cross-motions for summary judgment after finding that the parties' predecessors-in-interest mutually acquiesced to a boundary marked by an old barbed wire fence.

12 Mr. Kay contends that the district court erred. First, he argues that the district court incorrectly concluded that the standard of proof in boundary by acquiescence cases is a preponderance of the evidence. Second, Mr. Kay contends that the district court erred when it found that the parties' predecessors had mutually acquiesced to the fence as the boundary because there was no direct evidence that his predecessors-in-interest intended to recognize the fence as the boundary.

3 We hold that the standard of proof in boundary by acquiescence cases is clear and convincing evidence. Additionally, we hold that acquiescence does not require any degree of subjective intent. Applying these standards, we conclude that Mr. Kay's predecessors acquiesced to the fence as the boundary. We therefore affirm the district court's entry of summary judgment quicting title in favor of EBF.

BACKGROUND

4 Beginning in 1955, the Andrews family and the Fowkes family owned adjoining properties in Juab County, Utah. At that time, a barbed wire fence that had existed from time immemorial separated the two properties. For nearly forty years, the Andrews and Fowkes families respected the weathered fence as the boundary between the two properties: each family worked the land up to their respective fence lines, repaired the fence on occasion, and never occupied land on the other side of the fence.

T5 The Andrews family sold their property to EBF in 1998. The Fowkes family sold their property to Mr. Kay in 2004. As of 2004, the barbed wire fence continued to separate the properties. Mr. Kay discovered, however, that the record boundary line extended past the fence and onto land oceu-pied by EBF. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Kay removed portions of the old fence and constructed a new fence on the record boundary line which created a triangle-shaped parcel of land approximately six acres in size situated between the old fence line and the new fence. EBF sued Mr. Kay for trespass and to quiet title to the disputed six-acre parcel of land. EBF claimed that its predecessors-in-interest (Le., the Andrews family) had obtained the parcel through boundary by acquiescence. Both parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment.

T6 Boundary by acquiescence has four elements: "(i) occupation up to a visible line marked by monuments, fences, or buildings, (i) mutual acquiescence in the line as a boundary, (ii) for a long period of time, (iv) [433]*433by adjoining land owners." 1 EBF presented the following evidence in support of its boundary by acquiescence claim.2

T7 On EBEF's side of the fence, three prior owners-Vernes Andrews, Oral Taylor,3 and Delos Andrews-all testified that they always believed the old fence was the boundary line. They also testified that they each worked the land from 1955, 1955, and 1971 respectively, until it was sold to EBF in 1998.

{8 Members of the Andrews family were not alone in believing that the old fence was the boundary. Vernes and Delos testified that they encountered the Fowkes family at least onee per week and that there was never a dispute about the fence as the boundary line. For instance, Vernes testified that when his cows wandered onto the Fowkes' property as marked by the fence, they said, "Your cows are on my property," and not "You got to move your fence," or anything else that would indicate that the fence was not the boundary line. Likewise, Delos testified that the Fowkes family never acted in a manner inconsistent with the fence being the boundary line.

19 EBF was unable to produce direct evidence of the Fowkes family's understanding of the fence as the boundary because all but one of the Fowkes landowners were deceased, and the surviving landowner had not participated in farming activities on the property. However, EBF did present testimony from the grandsons of one of the Fowkes landowners, Tom Fowkes and Dale Fowkes, both of whom worked the land for decades. Both Tom and Dale testified that they always understood the old fence to be the boundary. In particular, Tom testified that the fence was in existence when he was born in 1947, that he farmed the property from when he "was big enough" until sometime in the 19703, that his family maintained the fence on occasion, and that he dealt with the Andrews family "as long as they were [there]." Similarly, Dale testified that the fence was in existence when he was born in 1949 and that he farmed the property from childhood until it was sold to Mr. Kay in 2004, the last ten years of which he leased the land from two other Fowkes landowners. Dale also testified that he had "quite a bit" of contact with the Andrews family but was unaware of any disputes about the status of the fence as the boundary line.

1 10 Before deciding whether the evidence established a boundary by acquiescence for the purposes of summary judgment, the district court first addressed the burden of proof required to establish such a claim. Mr. Kay sought a clear and convincing evidence standard; EBF advocated a preponderance of the evidence standard. The district court concluded that the elements of boundary by acquiescence must be proven by a preponderance of the evidence. It reasoned that Utah courts have historically applied the preponderance standard in boundary by acquiescence cases, that boundary by acquiescence is distinguishable from other contexts where the clear and convincing standard is required, and that the preponderance standard adequately protects the property interests at stake because boundary by acquiescence is already a restrictive doctrine.

T11 Next, the district court considered whether the evidence supported EBEF's boundary by acquiescence claim for the purposes of summary judgment. The court concluded that even "under the clear and convincing standard," the Andrews and Fowkes families mutually acquiesced to the original fence as the boundary line between the properties. First, the district court reasoned that every witness who testified concerning the status of the fence said that "they believed the [oJriginal [flence marked the boundary between [the properties]." Although none of the witnesses specifically testified that the Fowkes landowners themselves believed the fence was the boundary, the district court inferred acquiescence from the testimony of [434]*434Tom and Dale Fowkes. The court reasoned that it was permitted to infer such acquiescence because all the Fowkes landowners were deceased (except for one landowner who did not farm the property) and because Tom and Dale "assisted their father and grandfather-the grandfather being a fee-title holder-with the farm operations." Second, the district court inferred mutual acquiescence from activities of the Andrews and Fowkes families.

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Essential Botanical Farms, LC v. Kay, 2011 UT 71, 270 P.3d 430, 695 Utah Adv. Rep. 27, 2011 Utah LEXIS 165, 2011 WL 5865390 (Utah 2011).

2011 UT 71 (Essential Botanical Farms, LC v. Kay) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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