Estate of Welliver v. Alberts

663 N.E.2d 1094, 278 Ill. App. 3d 1028, 215 Ill. Dec. 580, 1996 Ill. App. LEXIS 194
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided April 3, 1996·No. 2 — 95 — 0742·Published·Cited by 31 cases

Opinion

PRESIDING JUSTICE McLAREN

delivered the opinion of the court:

The plaintiffs, Barry Welliver, as executor of the estate of Edward Welliver, and Deborah Siebold, as the successor in interest, heir, and beneficiary of Edward Welliver, brought this action to quiet and confirm title to a parcel of land. The plaintiffs claimed title to the property through adverse possession. See 735 ILCS 5/13 — 101 (West 1994). The defendant, Charel Alberts, who held record title to the disputed property, filed a countercomplaint to quiet title and for ejectment. After a bench trial, the trial court found the Wellivers had acquired title through adverse possession to the bulk of the disputed area, namely, the "woods.” The court set the boundary line at the line set forth in an utility easement granted Central Illinois Electric and Gas Company. Further, the trial court granted the plaintiffs an easement by implication, encompassing an access road which traversed the disputed property. We reverse.

The rough diagram appearing below will assist in an understanding of the facts.

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On February 10,1964, Ed and Pauline Welliver acquired two separate parcels of land. The first, labeled as property A on the diagram, was conveyed by Lowell and Ruth Baxter, consisted of approximately 18 acres, was located on the Kishwaukee River, and was intended to be the site for the Welliver home. The second, labeled as property B, was conveyed by John and Estella Baxter, consisted of a 50-foot strip of property, approximately 2,652 feet long, which connected property A with Rotary Road, to the south of property A and the river, and was intended to be the site for a private road to the Welliver home. However, the record reveals that Ed and Pauline Welliver could not lay the entire road on propertjr B, as they had intended, due to the topographical features of property B.

As a result of the road problem, Ed and Pauline Welliver bought a third parcel, property C, from John and Estella Baxter in June 1964. Property C was approximately 610 feet, east to west, and adjoined property A to the south and property B to the east. The land in dispute lies adjacent to the south boundary of property C and the east boundary of property B and was included in the legal description of the property purchased by the defendant in May 1993. On August 12, 1964, Edward Welliver gave Central Illinois Electric and Gas Company an utility easement over the disputed property.

The defendant’s grantors, Troy and Erma Venable and J.B. and Jewell Bowling, acquired their parcel from the Baxter family by an alleged agreement for deed in 1974 and, subsequently, a warranty deed in 1984.

During the summer of 1993, the defendant began erecting a fence on her parcel 5 to 10 feet south of the line of trees which demarcated the "woods.” The defendant was informed by Siebold that the defendant was on the Wellivers’ land and that the property line was approximately 100 yards south of the edge of the woods. In September 1993, the defendant was barred from using the private road on the Wellivers’ access strip. The instant action commenced shortly thereafter.

At trial, the plaintiffs argued that they had gained title, through adverse possession, to the "woods,” as well as property up to 40 feet south of the "woods.” The daughter of John and Estella Baxter testified for the plaintiffs that, despite the legal description of the deeds, there was never any dispute between her parents and the Wellivers that the boundary line between the properties was "[ajbout 3 feet south of the wood line.” Further, the plaintiffs presented testimony and evidence that in 1964 and 1965, Ed Welliver ran his tractor through the "woods” to create trails on the property at issue. The Wellivers presented testimony regarding their maintenance of the trails, which involved snipping away encroaching vegetation. The plaintiffs also testified as to their use of the trails for walking, horseback riding, cycling, and snowmobiling, and the "woods” for camping. In addition, the plaintiffs presented testimony that a motorcycle group obtained the Wellivers’ permission to hold a motorcycle endurance race on the trails one day a year. The plaintiffs also presented testimony that Ed Welliver posted a "No Hunting” sign at the edge of the "woods” on the disputed property, but the defendant presented testimony that the "No Hunting” sign was not erected until after the present dispute over the boundary line had commenced. Further, the plaintiffs presented testimony that, following Ed Welliver’s death, they spread his ashes throughout the woodland trails.

With regard to the portion of the road which traversed the northwest corner of the defendant’s deeded property, the plaintiffs presented testimony that the road was "put in” in 1964 and that the reason a portion of it juts across the defendant’s land is because in 1964, the Wellivers could not put a road from Rotary Drive the entire length of their access strip to their residence, going straight north, because of the existence of a gully. Thus, they had to curve the road to the east at that point.

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Estate of Welliver v. Alberts, 663 N.E.2d 1094, 278 Ill. App. 3d 1028, 215 Ill. Dec. 580, 1996 Ill. App. LEXIS 194 (Ill. Ct. App. 1996).

663 N.E.2d 1094 (Estate of Welliver v. Alberts) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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