Evans v. Shephard

142 N.E. 730, 81 Ind. App. 147, 1924 Ind. App. LEXIS 39
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 21, 1924
DocketNo. 11,706
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 142 N.E. 730 (Evans v. Shephard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Evans v. Shephard, 142 N.E. 730, 81 Ind. App. 147, 1924 Ind. App. LEXIS 39 (Ind. Ct. App. 1924).

Opinion

Nichols, J.

This was an action by appellee for a mandatory injunction against appellants to require the removal of certain alleged obstructions extending beyond the wall of a certain building adjoining appellee’s lands, the closing of certain windows, doors and openings in such wall, and the removal of certain permanent structures and obstructions extending from said appellants’ building onto the lands of appellee.

The theory of the complaint is that the use of such windows, doors and openings for ingress and egress to and from the appellants’ building upon and over the lands of the appellee, and the maintaining of such obstructions upon and adjoining said wall of appellants’ building constitutes a nuisance and a continuing trespass upon the appellee’s lands and pre[149]*149vents her free use of the same. That it is averred that such continued trespass, if uninterrupted, would ripen into an easement, does not in bur opinion change the theory of the complaint.

Appellants filed answer in five paragraphs, the first in general denial; the second alleging the construction of the wall involved, pursuant to the terms of a parol license, and that appellee had full notice and knowledge of the construction thereof as it was being built, stood by and without objection, saw that appellants were expending large sums of money, and made no objections until long after the wall and building were completed; the third, the same facts practically as the second paragraph, with the additional averments that the open space on the west end of appellee’s lot was an open space used by the public generally for parking autos and other vehicles, and that the use of such open space by appellants was'not different from that of the public generally; the fourth avers facts practically the same as the third paragraph and, in addition thereto, that the parol license was granted by appellee’s agent; the fifth, that the appellants constructed the wall in question under the terms of a written contract authorizing the construction thereof.

The cause was tried by the court, and the court rendered its finding in favor of appellee and rendered judgment in her favor that appellants and each of them be required and compelled to close all of the doors, windows and transoms constructed by them in the north wall of their said building, and to restore said wall to a solid wall, by filling up such openings with brick and mortar in a good and workmanlike manner so that the same will conform and correspond to the adjoining part of said wall; to remove that part of the stone windowsills which project north and beyond the line of said wall, to fill up two excavations dug by them on the [150]*150premises of appellee and used by them in connection with the basement of their building; to remove the water drain and downspout attached to their building and projecting beyond the north line of said wall, all on or before July 1, 1923, and that they be thereafter perpetually enjoined from maintaining such trespasses.

The errors relied upon for reversal are the action of the court in overruling appellants’ motion for a new trial, and in overruling appellants’ motion to modify judgment.

The motion for a new trial presents that the decision of the court is not sustained by sufficient evidence, and that it is contrary to law.

The facts, as disclosed by the evidence, are that appellee’s predecessor in title several years ago built a fire-wall about fifteen feet high and thirteen inches thick, on the south side of his lot in Clinton, Indiana, for protection against a frame livery barn on the adjoining lot on the south. Appellee inherited from her predecessor, who was her brother, the south twenty-six feet of this lot, together with the fire-wall thereon, about the year 1918. The fire-wall and livery barn remained intact until the spring of 1919, when the appellants became the owners of said livery barn and the west fifty-eight feet of the lot upon which it was located. Soon thereafter, the livery barn was condemned by the Fire Marshal and was torn down. Thereafter appellants decided to erect a new building on the west fifty-eight feet of such lot adjoining the south side of said fire-wall, and to use said fire-wall in the new building. Pursuant thereto; appellant Evan A. Evans saw one Waggoner, the manager of Morgan’s Emporium store, which was situated on a part of the lot on which said fire-wall stood, and in which store the appellee had an interest, with a view to purchasing an interest in said fire-wall. Waggoner informed such appellant that the [151]*151appellants could purchase one-half interest in such firewall by paying therefor $173.67, one-half of the cost of the same. This proposition was accepted by the appellants, and without payment of the money at such time, they did, on May 30, 1919, proceed to tear down said wall and reconstruct it in the construction of their new building, without molestation or interference from the appellee. The new wall was built where the old one stood, on the lands of the appellee, and was made the back, or north wall of the appellants’ building. In reconstructing the wall as the back wall of the Evans’ Building, certain openings were left in the wall, including three doors with transoms and several windows, as alleged in the complaint; that the windows had projecting stone sills and caps reaching out over appellee’s premises. Certain excavations had been made in appellee’s land, adjoining said wall, for openings into the basement of the appellants’ building, extending several feet into appellee’s land, and cement walls were constructed around them, which were of a permanent nature. There had been originally two of these, but one had later been filled up. Drains and a downspout had been attached to this wall over appellee’s premises. In using the doors of said building, appellants’ tenants and others used the lands of appellee to get in and out of said Evans’ Building, and there was no way to enter or leave the said building and use said doors without using appellee’s lands. Appellants used appellee’s lands for the purpose of removing ashes from the basement of their building. The wall had not been reconstructed as a fire wall, but as a wall with openings, and used entirely by appellants. Said projections, downspout and gutter, excavations, and cement structures, were on appellee’s premises, and had been placed there by appellants.. Said doors, windows and openings were placed in said wall by appellants, and all said openings, [152]*152and structures were being used by appellants, and continued to be used by them, and, in so doing, they were using appellee’s premises. As the work on the new building progressed, appellant Evans claims that he saw Waggoner and reached an agreement with him about inserting openings, with the necessary projections incidental thereto, about which appellee complains in her complaint. Waggoner denies that the appellant ever said anything to him about erecting a new wall before it was done, but admits that he saw such wall in course of construction and made no objection. Appellee says that she did not give the appellants any authority to make such openings or to tear down or rebuild such wall, either in person or by agent, that said Waggoner was not her agent for any such purpose, and never had been. She says that she did not know appellants, and had never talked to them. Appellants admit that appellee gave them no such authority in person. After the building was completed, appellants paid the money amounting to $173.67 to said Waggoner for a half interest in the fire wall, and Waggoner paid the same to appellee.

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Bluebook (online)
142 N.E. 730, 81 Ind. App. 147, 1924 Ind. App. LEXIS 39, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/evans-v-shephard-indctapp-1924.