Mosher v. Hibbs

14 Ohio C.C. Dec. 375
CourtTuscarawas Circuit Court
DecidedJune 15, 1902
StatusPublished

This text of 14 Ohio C.C. Dec. 375 (Mosher v. Hibbs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tuscarawas Circuit Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mosher v. Hibbs, 14 Ohio C.C. Dec. 375 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1902).

Opinion

VOORHEES, J.

This action comes into this court on appeal. The nature of the suit is to enjoin the defendant from using a certain right of way over the premises oí the plaintiff. The plaintiff in his petition describes his premises and alleges that the defendant is threatening to use a certain right of -way that extends over such premises.

The situation of the property in controversy is substantially this:

The plaintiff is the owner of a large tract of land, through which there has been in use for many years a road or private way leading from the public highway, known as the New Philadelphia and Uhrichsville road, in a southeasterly direction to a remote portion of his farm, crossing the tracks of the C. L. & W. railroad at a designated farm crossing, and thence continuing in a southeasterly direction to other portions of plaintiff’s premises, owned by him prior to 1893.

[378]*378In 1898 the plaintiffs sold a portion of said lands, a twenty-two acre tract, to the defendant. The portion sold lies in a southeasterly direction from 'where this road or private way leads into the public highway and south of the railroad. It is surrounded on three sides, at least, by lands owned by the plaintiff; the other side, at the time’of said purchase, belonged to a man by the name of Kinsey. At the time of said purchase this road or private way for at least two-thirds of its distance was enclosed on each side by a fence, and it was a clearly marked roadway for the use and convenience of that part of the farm owned by the plaintiff lying in that remote portion where said twenty-two acre tract was situated. This right of way crossed the tracks of the said railroad at a permanent farm crossing and continued in a southeasterly direction to said twenty-two acre tract. After it leaves the railroad crossing the way was not so distinctly marked by fences as the other portion of the route, but it is contended that there was a distinct, visible, well defined and marked way. leading from said crossing to said twenty-two acre tract. The only access to the twenty-two acre tract from the public highway was through this road or right of way over the lands of the plaintiff. The plaintiff has maintained along this way gates for the convenience of himself and for the use of his farm, and this was its condition when the purchase was made by the defendant.

It is contended by defendant that when this land was sold and conveyed to him there was this distinct, definite right of way, leading from the public road, the New Philadelphia and Uhrichsville highway, through the premises of the plaintiff to said twenty-two acre tract; that it had been used for that purpose by the plaintiff and by any one who had occasion to use that portion of the farm that was remote from the public road, and the defendant claims and insists that he purchased said tract with it in view, although it is not referred to in the deed, and there was no exception in the deed to a right of way, nor was it excluded from the covenants of the deed.

The first question involved is: Whether there was any visible, well defined right of way to this twenty-two acre tract at the time of its purchase by plaintiff. If so, what right, if any, would this purchaser, the defendant, have in this right of way.

The second and principal question involved is: Whether the right to use this right of way vested in the purchaser of this twenty-two acre tract by grant.

We find as a fact:

(1) That there was this distinct, visible well defined and marked road or .way, leading from the public highway over the land of the plaintiff to this twenty-two acre tract at the time of the purchase by defend[379]*379ant; that said way was continually used and reasonably necessary to the use and enjoyment of, and added materially to the value of, said twenty-two acre tract, and that by reason thereof, when the defendant purchased said tract from the plaintiff, he secured by grant a right of way in such road or way that cannot be interfered with by the plaintiff by injunction or otherwise.

(2) That this right being by grant, rather than a right from necessity, the defendant takes it subject to conditions or burdens that were imposed upon it by the owner at the time of the purchase. That is, the defendant must take it subject to such gates of the plaintiff as were thereon at the time of said purchase, and he is charged with the duty of opening and closing the same in lawful manner while in the use of said way. On the other hand plaintiff has no right to impose any additional or further burden upon the right of way than existed at the time of the purchase.

(3) There is another issue of facts to be considered and that is: It is contended by the plaintiff that after this property was sold he required of the defendant that he pay rent for the use of this right of way. If that were true; if that was the nature of the contract between the parties; if, instead of the defendant relying upon the rights that would be secured to him by the law, he undertook to secure a right to use the way by paying rent for it, then it might be terminated by the plaintiff. But, as a question of fact, we find there was no such understanding or arrangement between the parties, and what was paid by the defendant to the plaintiff was not paid as rent for the right of way, but was paid for the use of a strip of ground that belonged to plaintiff for raising vegetables, etc., and the amounts so paid were not intended and were not paid as rent for the use of said right of way.

(4) There is still another question to be considered and that is: What effect, if any, does the fact, that since defendant purchased this twenty-two acre tract from plaintiff he has purchased an eleven acre tract from a third party, by which he can have access to another way or outlet, from his premises to the public highway, have upon his rights in or to this right of way secured by grant as found when be purchased this twenty-two acre tract. If his right were only such as inured to him from necessity, perhaps he could only use it so long as that necessity existed. But that question is not before us, and it is not necessary for us to pass upon it, for the reason, we hold that this is not a right of way from necessity, but is a grant secured to him by reason of the situation of the property of the plaintiff at the time he sold the twenty-two acre tract to the defendant; and we hold, although the defendant may now have another right of way, it does not divest him of the rights se[380]*380cured to him from conditions and circumstances as they existed at the time the purchase and the conveyance was made to him. Although he may have since acquired another outlet, this will not deprive him of the rights that vested in him when he purchased the twenty-two acre tract.

If these propositions or conclusions are sustained by the law, they dispose of this case.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
14 Ohio C.C. Dec. 375, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mosher-v-hibbs-ohcircttuscaraw-1902.