Gaddie v. Benaitis

548 S.W.3d 896
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedApril 27, 2018
DocketNO. 2016-CA-001660-MR
StatusPublished

This text of 548 S.W.3d 896 (Gaddie v. Benaitis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gaddie v. Benaitis, 548 S.W.3d 896 (Ky. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

LAMBERT, J., JUDGE:

Mary Blanche Gaddie appeals from the Taylor Circuit Court's order granting summary judgment to Raymond J. and Viola Benaitis in a boundary line dispute. We affirm.

Gaddie's late husband purchased the property at 321 Moss Road in 1954. Gaddie was added to the deed after the marriage in 1955. Gaddie became owner in fee simple when her husband passed away in 1991. The Benaitises purchased their property at 144 Moss Road in 2004. They had the property surveyed prior to the closing. The parties share a common boundary line on one side.

The dispute arose in 2012, after the Benaitises cleared a thicket and made improvements near the shared boundary line. In March 2013, Gaddie filed a complaint to quiet title and for injunctive relief regarding 0.002 acres of contested property; her theories of recovery were adverse possession, trespass, parol boundary line agreement, timber cutting, and acquiescence. The Benaitises filed a counterclaim early *897the following year, and the parties agreed to a temporary injunction pending the outcome of the litigation.

In November 2014, the Benaitises filed a motion to dismiss or for summary judgment, which was partially granted on the issue of adverse possession (after Gaddie had admitted in discovery that she could not support that claim). Gaddie filed her survey and surveyor's report in July 2015. The circuit court, in November of that year, took judicial notice of previous court actions concerning the properties, including the surveys filed and adopted setting the boundary lines.

In January 2016, the Benaitises filed an amended motion to dismiss or for summary judgment. The record contains no written response by Gaddie, although she maintained throughout that her survey created a genuine issue of material fact. A hearing was held on April 19, 2016. On October 5, 2016, the Taylor Circuit Court entered its Order for Summary Judgment granted in favor of the Benaitises. Gaddie filed her timely notice of appeal.

We initially note that the Benaitises have failed to file a brief before this Court. Kentucky Rule of Civil Procedure (CR) 76.12(8)(c) states:

If the appellee's brief has not been filed within the time allowed, the court may: (i) accept the appellant's statement of the facts and issues as correct; (ii) reverse the judgment if appellant's brief reasonably appears to sustain such action; or (iii) regard the appellee's failure as a confession of error and reverse the judgment without considering the merits of the case.

"The decision as to how to proceed in imposing such penalties is a matter committed to our discretion. Kupper v. Kentucky Bd. of Pharmacy , 666 S.W.2d 729, 730 (Ky. 1983) ; Flag Drilling Co., Inc. v. Erco, Inc. , 156 S.W.3d 762, 766 (Ky. App. 2005)." Roberts v. Bucci , 218 S.W.3d 395, 396 (Ky. App. 2007). See also Hallis v. Hallis , 328 S.W.3d 694 (Ky. App. 2010). We elect to "accept the appellant's statement of the facts and issues as correct." CR 76.12(8)(c)(i).

Gaddie argues before this Court that summary judgment was improper, that there were material issues of fact regarding "the true boundary line as shown by [her] surveyor" and "regarding any parol boundary line agreement." She also contends that there were issues of fact concerning equitable estoppel and acquiescence.

The proper standard of review in appeals from summary judgments has frequently been recited and is concisely set forth in Lewis v. B & R Corporation , 56 S.W.3d 432, 436 (Ky. App. 2001) as follows:
The standard of review on appeal when a trial court grants a motion for summary judgment is "whether the trial court correctly found that there were no genuine issues as to any material fact and that the moving party was entitled to judgment as a matter of law." The trial court must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, and summary judgment should be granted only if it appears impossible that the nonmoving party will be able to produce evidence at trial warranting a judgment in his favor. The moving party bears the initial burden of showing that no genuine issue of material fact exists, and then the burden shifts to the party opposing summary judgment to present "at least some affirmative evidence showing that there is a genuine issue of material fact for trial." (citations omitted).

*898Suter v. Mazyck , 226 S.W.3d 837, 841 (Ky. App. 2007).

[E]ven though an appellate court always reviews the substance of a trial court's summary judgment ruling de novo , i.e., to determine whether the record reflects a genuine issue of material fact, a reviewing court must also consider whether the trial court gave the party opposing the motion an ample opportunity to respond and complete discovery before the court entered its ruling.

Blankenship v. Collier , 302 S.W.3d 665, 668 (Ky. 2010).

We disagree with all of Gaddie's assertions. It was incumbent upon Gaddie to present " 'at least some affirmative evidence showing that there [was] a genuine issue of material fact for trial.' " Suter, supra at 841 (citation omitted). The circuit court specifically found otherwise. We quote sections from its order granting summary judgment to the appellees:

On April 19, 2016, counsel for plaintiff [Gaddie] admitted in open court that none of the original theories in the Complaint had been supported by the evidence gleaned during the discovery process. She was relying solely on the 1807 deed, and the recent survey attempting to recreate the boundaries from that deed, to support [Gaddie's] claim to the disputed property.
Plaintiff took no depositions of any witnesses to support the claims made in her Complaint.

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Related

Lewis v. B & R CORPORATION
56 S.W.3d 432 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2001)
Flag Drilling Co., Inc. v. Erco, Inc.
156 S.W.3d 762 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2005)
Suter v. Mazyck
226 S.W.3d 837 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2007)
Hallis v. Hallis
328 S.W.3d 694 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2010)
Roberts v. Bucci
218 S.W.3d 395 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2007)
Hubble v. Johnson
841 S.W.2d 169 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 1992)
Kupper v. Kentucky Board of Pharmacy
666 S.W.2d 729 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 1983)
Blankenship v. Collier
302 S.W.3d 665 (Kentucky Supreme Court, 2010)

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Bluebook (online)
548 S.W.3d 896, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gaddie-v-benaitis-kyctapp-2018.