Estate of Becker v. Murtagh

75 A.D.3d 575, 905 N.Y.S.2d 267
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJuly 20, 2010
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 75 A.D.3d 575 (Estate of Becker v. Murtagh) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Estate of Becker v. Murtagh, 75 A.D.3d 575, 905 N.Y.S.2d 267 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

In an action, inter alia, for a judgment declaring that the plaintiff Estate of Robert E. Becker acquired title to a certain strip of land and dock by adverse possession and that the plaintiffs Christopher K. O’Hara, Edward J. O’Hara, and Douglas C. Koelsch acquired an easement by prescription over that same strip of land and dock as well as over a certain area of beachfront property, the defendants appeal from (1) an order of the Supreme Court, Suffolk County (Fastoressa, J.), dated July 7, 2009, which (a) denied their motion for summary judgment, in effect, declaring that the plaintiffs had no rights in the disputed property and that the easements recorded by Robert E. Becker with the Suffolk County Clerk on May 19, 2005, were invalid and void; in effect, to compel the plaintiff Estate of Robert E. Becker to remove a certain dock and boardwalk from their property; and, in effect, to dismiss the complaint pursuant to CFLR 3126, and (b) granted the plaintiffs’ cross motion for summary judgment declaring that the plaintiff Estate of Robert E. Becker established title by adverse possession to the disputed strip of land and dock and that the plaintiffs Christopher K. O’Hara, Edward J. O’Hara, and Douglas C. Koelsch established an easement by prescription over the disputed strip of land, dock, and area of beachfront property, and to direct them to restore the boardwalk and dock in the disputed area to their condition at the time of a preliminary injunction issued by the Supreme Court on January 4, 2006, and (2) a judgment of the same court dated September 14, 2009, which, upon the order, declared that the plaintiff Estate of Robert, E. Becker established [576]*576title by adverse possession to the disputed strip of land and dock, declared that the plaintiffs Douglas C. Koelsch, Christopher K. O’Hara, and Edward J. O’Hara established an easement by prescription over the disputed strip of land, dock, and area of beachfront property, declared that the easements recorded by Robert E. Becker with the Suffolk County Clerk on May 19, 2005, are valid and binding, directed them to remove all obstructions on the subject boardwalk and to restore the boardwalk and dock to their condition at the time of the preliminary injunction issued on January 4, 2006, and failed to, in effect, compel the plaintiff Estate of Robert E. Becker to remove the subject dock and boardwalk from their property. The notice of appeal from the order dated July 7, 2009, is deemed also to be a notice of appeal from the judgment (see CPLR 5501 [cl).

Ordered that the appeal from the order is dismissed; and it is further,

Ordered that the judgment is reversed, on the law, the defendants’ motion for summary judgment, in effect, declaring that the plaintiffs have no rights in the disputed property and that the easements recorded by Robert E. Becker with the Suffolk County Clerk on May 19, 2005, were invalid and void, and, in effect, to compel the plaintiff Estate of Robert E. Becker to remove a certain dock and boardwalk from the defendants’ property is granted, and the plaintiffs’ cross motion for summary judgment declaring that the plaintiff Estate of Robert E. Becker established title by adverse possession to the disputed strip of land and dock and that the plaintiffs Christopher K. O’Hara, Edward J. O’Hara, and Douglas C. Koelsch established an easement by prescription over the disputed strip of land, dock, beachfront property, and to direct the defendants to restore the boardwalk and dock in the disputed area to their condition at the time of a preliminary injunction issued by the Supreme Court on January 4, 2006, is denied, the order dated July 7, 2009, is modified accordingly, and it is declared that the plaintiffs have no rights in the disputed property and that the easements recorded by Robert E. Becker with the Suffolk County Clerk on May 19, 2005, are invalid and void; and it is further,

Ordered that one bill of costs is awarded to the defendants.

The appeal from the intermediate order must be dismissed because the right of direct appeal therefrom terminated with the entry of judgment in the action (see Matter of Aho, 39 NY2d 241, 248 [1976]). The issues raised on the appeal from the order are brought up for review and have been considered on the appeal from the judgment (see CPLR 5501 [a] [1]).

[577]*577This appeal involves a dispute over the ownership and use of a boardwalk, dock, and beach located on Oak Beach, Suffolk County. The plaintiff Estate of Robert E. Becker (hereinafter the Becker Estate) is the lessee of a beachfront lot designated as lot 29 on Oak Beach. The defendants are the lessees of a beachfront lot designated as lot 30 on Oak Beach, adjacent to lot 29. The plaintiff Douglas C. Koelsch is the occupant of a lot designated as lot 15, located directly north of lot 29. Lot 15 is not located on the beachfront. The plaintiffs Christopher O’Hara and Edward O’Hara (hereinafter together the O’Haras) are the occupants of a lot designated as lot 14, located directly north of lot 30. Lot 14 is not located on the beachfront. The homes on all of the lots involved are privately owned, but the lots are owned by the Town of Babylon, which leases the real property to the occupants pursuant to long-term leases.

In approximately 1965, Robert E. Becker (now deceased) constructed a boardwalk and dock between lot 29 (hereinafter the Becker lot) and lot 30. Robert E. Becker, in an affidavit, stated that, at the time of the construction of the boardwalk and dock, he believed that those structures were located on the Becker lot. The evidence shows that, beginning in 1965, Becker permitted several neighbors to freely use the boardwalk and dock, including Koelsch, the O’Haras, and their respective predecessors. The evidence, including the affidavits and deposition testimony of two of the plaintiffs, also shows that the defendants’ predecessors, Alan Gordon and Nancie Gordon, freely used the dock and boardwalk after those facilities were built. The record also shows that since the early 1960s, Nancie Gordon permitted several neighbors, including the plaintiffs’ predecessors, to use the beach on lot 30. Those persons used the boardwalk between lots 29 and 30 to access the beach on lot 30.

A 1984 survey showed that part of the boardwalk, and the entire dock, were located on lot 30. After that time, Nancie Gordon continued to permit the plaintiffs to use the boardwalk and dock, as well as the beach on lot 30.

In 2004, Nancie Gordon sold her house on lot 30 to the defendants, and assigned her leasehold interest in that property to the defendants. The defendants declined to continue to allow the plaintiffs to use the boardwalk, dock, and the beach on lot 30, and this action ensued. The Becker Estate sought, inter alia, a judgment declaring that it had established title by adverse possession to the property on which the boardwalk and dock was located. Koelsch and the O’Haras, sought, inter alia, a judgment declaring that they had acquired a prescriptive easement for the use of the boardwalk, dock, and beach.

[578]*578On January 4, 2006, the Supreme Court preliminarily enjoined the defendants from interfering with the plaintiffs’ use of the subject boardwalk, dock, and beach. On May 19, 2006, Robert E. Becker recorded two easements with the Suffolk County Clerk by which he purported to grant to Koelsch and the O’Haras the right to use the boardwalk and dock in order to access the beach on lot 30.

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Related

Becker v. Murtagh
968 N.E.2d 433 (New York Court of Appeals, 2012)
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93 A.D.3d 925 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2012)
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84 A.D.3d 987 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2011)
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Bluebook (online)
75 A.D.3d 575, 905 N.Y.S.2d 267, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-becker-v-murtagh-nyappdiv-2010.