Harlan Bakeries, Inc. v. Muncy

835 N.E.2d 1018, 2005 Ind. App. LEXIS 1931, 2005 WL 2560380
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 13, 2005
Docket32A01-0411-CV-469
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 835 N.E.2d 1018 (Harlan Bakeries, Inc. v. Muncy) 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
Harlan Bakeries, Inc. v. Muncy, 835 N.E.2d 1018, 2005 Ind. App. LEXIS 1931, 2005 WL 2560380 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

CRONE, Judge.

Case Summary

Harlan Bakeries, Inc. ("Harlan") appeals a $239,082.12 judgment in favor of four siblings, Kelly Lee Muncy, Kendra Marie Vondersaar, Karen Kay Muncy, and Kim Sue Muncy (collectively, "Muncy"; individually, by first name). We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings.

Issues

Harlan challenges numerous specific findings and conclusions entered by the trial court. Harlan asserts that the court erred by:

I. Reforming the North Boundary Line to "a line that runs through 'the center of an east to west running drain";
II. Reforming the West Boundary Line to be eighteen (18) feet east of the freezer building Harlan built in 2000; '
III. Awarding damages based upon erroneous findings and conclusions, or speculation and conjecture, and in awarding damages that are unrecoverable under the law; and
IV. Holding Harlan in contempt of a restraining order that did not comply with Indiana law.

Facts and Procedural History

This case, between owners of adjoining property on Production Drive in Avon, Indiana, involves disputes regarding boundaries and surface water drainage.

*1024 The parcel owned by Muncy has been in that family since approximately 1961, at some point being acquired through inheritance. Tr. at 485. Harlan owns and operates a commercial baking plant on land that it purchased in two parts: Maplehurst sold the majority of the land to Harlan in 1994; a fifth Muncy sibling, Kerry, sold a small portion of land to Harlan in 1999. Together, Harlan's parcel and Muncy's parcel form a large rectangle, with Mun-cy's property consisting of a smaller rectangle in the southeast corner of the large rectangle. Two common borders exist: one on the north end of Munecy's property (the "North Boundary Line") and one on the west side of Muncy's property (the "West Boundary Line"). More detailed facts follow.

In 1981 and 1982, Lewis Engineering, Inc. ("Lewis"), prepared a "Road & Drainage Plan" for Avon Production Lane Association, Inc. ("APLA"), covering an area of land that includes what is now Harlan's and Muncy's respective parcels. As per that plan, Production Drive runs east-west at the south end of Muncy's parcel and ends in a cul-de-sac. In April 1983, the Estate of Edward Muncy quitelaimed to APLA a 12.5-foot-wide strip across the south end of Muncy's parcel. Appellant's App. at 179. The quitelaim deed included an "easement for installation and maintenance of storm sewer having 10 feet on either side of" a described centerline. Id. In November 1983, APLA deeded, via corporate quitclaim, to Hendricks County a strip of land with a very similar legal description. Id. at 181-82. The corporate quitclaim noted that the deed was "subject to all easements{[.]' Id. at 182. On both the North Boundary Line and the West Boundary Line, storm sewer pipes (hereinafter "North Storm Sewer" and "West Storm Sewer" respectively) were installed.

Sometime after the North Storm Sewer was installed, Kelly uncovered the pipe, removed a thirty-five- to forty-foot portion of it, bulldozed a depression where the pipe had been, and created a pond. Tr. at 561-63. In 1995 or 1996, Harlan President Hugh Harlan and Kelly met with a Lewis surveyor, who explained the property lines. Id. at 501-02. The surveyor indicated a rebar stake at the south end of the West Boundary Line. Id. Neither Kelly nor Hugh Harlan objected to the location of the stake, though Kelly believed that the stake was within six to twelve inches of the West Boundary Line. Id. at 502-08. On November 22, 1995, Lewis prepared for Harlan a site plan, which was revised on January 12, 1996 ("1996 Lewis site plan"). Appellant's App. at 264; Tr. at 144. The 1996 Lewis site plan showed the West Storm Sewer on Muncy's parcel and running parallel to and slightly east of the West Boundary Line. Appellant's App. at 264.

On February 12, 1997, Kerry signed a written agreement to sell approximately 57 acres of the north part of Muncy's parcel to Harlan. Id. at 148-51. As a condition precedent, Kerry agreed to "obtain fee simple title to the Premises by acquiring such" from his four siblings. Id. at 148. To that end, Kerry filed a partition action on March 10, 1998, against Muncy regarding the parcel. Id. at 155. Thereafter, Kerry learned that he could not deliver as large a parcel as he originally promised to Harlan. Tr. at 100. Harlan sought a corresponding price reduction. See id. at 100-01; 358-59. In conjunction with renegotiations, Hugh Harlan, Kerry, and Kelly conducted a meeting at the property. Id. at 511, 517. At the meeting, the North Boundary Line, which was originally going to start at an air conditioner on a certain building, was *1025 moved to the "beehive" 1 collectors located on either end of the pond, thus making the line run through the center of the North Storm Sewer. Id. at 100-03, 106-08 (Hugh Harlan testimony), 514, 518 (Kelly Muncy testimony).

Harlan hired Lewis to prepare a legal description of the parcel to be purchased. Id. at 100-02. In a drawing prepared by Lewis at the end of April 1998, the parcel to be purchased measured 141.50 feet long by 91.00 feet wide and consisted of approximately .29 acres. Appellant's App. at 254. In a May 7, 1998 letter written to Muncy's counsel, Kerry's attorney, Kevin Hinkle, memorialized the relevant proposed renegotiated terms as follows:

[Ujpon the execution of a real estate sales and purchase agreement between Kerry and Harlan Bakeries, Kerry will agree to resolve the lawsuit by accepting a deed from your clients [Muncy] for a portion of the Real Estate described in the Complaint. That portion is roughly described as the northern tract of the Real Estate with a southern boundary that extends along a line that runs through the dead center of the existing ["North"] storm sewer in the pond.
Harlan Bakeries must have the right to fill-in the entire pond. Kerry will seek contractual provisions with Harlan Bakeries that the fill must. consist of clean dirt and that the existing storm sewer is not disturbed 'and remains "hooked-up." Your ' clients [Muney] would still have access [to] and use of the storm sewer.
In turn, Kerry will agree to dismiss the suit with prejudice and to enter into a releage agreement with your clients [Muncy] that will relinquish all of Ker— ry's right, title and interest in and to the remaining Real Estate to your clients [Muney].

Id. at 229. On or about January 22, 1999, Attorney Hinkle circulated to the title company, Muncy's counsel, and Harlan's counsel various. documents provided by Lewis, including (1) a written Legal Description 2 of the parcel to be sold by Kerry to Harlan, and (2) a Plot Diagram thereof. Id. at 281-55; Tr. at 865-66, 875. According to the Legal Description, the parcel measured. 141.50 feet long by 106.00 3 feet wide, and consisted of approx *1026

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Bluebook (online)
835 N.E.2d 1018, 2005 Ind. App. LEXIS 1931, 2005 WL 2560380, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harlan-bakeries-inc-v-muncy-indctapp-2005.