Mountaineers Foundation v. The Mountaineers

District Court, W.D. Washington·Decided May 24, 2023·No. 2:19-cv-01819·Unknown

Opinion

WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON 6 AT SEATTLE 7 8 MOUNTAINEERS FOUNDATION, Case No. C19-1819RSL-TLF

9 Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING 10 v. TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER 12 Defendant. 13

14 This matter comes before the Court on “Defendant the Mountaineers’ Motion for 15 Temporary Restraining Order” (Dkt. # 139). The Court, having reviewed the submissions of the 16 parties and the remainder of the record, finds as follows: 17 I. Background 18 A. Procedural History of Easement Issue 19 On April 8, 2022, Magistrate Judge Theresa L. Fricke issued a Report and 20 Recommendation, recommending that the Court deny plaintiff, the Mountaineers Foundation’s, 21 motion for partial summary judgment (Dkt. # 87), and grant in part and deny in part defendant, 22 the Mountaineers’, motion for summary judgment (Dkt. # 91). Dkt. # 129 at 48. As relevant 23 here, the Report concluded that the Mountaineers had a valid easement granting it access to the 24 Kitsap Rhododendron Preserve (the “Preserve”), property owned by the Mountaineers 25 Foundation. Id. at 49-50. Specifically, the alleged easement provided the Mountaineers with the 26 right to use the Preserve for “historic and present uses,” including “vehicle access necessary to 27 prepare for and host theatrical productions at the beloved Kitsap Forest Theater.” Id. at 39; Dkt. 28 # 135 at 2. 1 The Report thus recommended that summary judgment be granted to defendant on its 2 seventh counterclaim, which asks the Court to enter a declaratory judgment finding that the 3 Mountaineers have an enforceable property right to continued use of the Preserve for historic 4 and present uses. Id. 5 In its Objections to the Report & Recommendation, plaintiff argued that the Report 6 “erroneously concludes the Mountaineers have an enforceable easement to continued use of the 7 Preserve for historic and present uses.” Dkt. # 130 at 3. Specifically, plaintiff noted that in 8 Washington, any interest in real property, including easements, must be conveyed by a deed 9 complying with the statute of frauds, not, as is the case here, by mere contract. Id. at 3-6. 10 Defendant also submitted Objections to the Report & Recommendation, noting that the “statute 11 of frauds does not apply where the easement is in writing, the easement was intended by the 12 parties, and where there has been at least part performance by the parties.” Dkt. # 132 at 3 13 (citing Kirk v. Tomulty, 66 Wn. App. 231, 237 (1992)). 14 The Court agreed with plaintiff’s argument that typically, an easement can only be 15 created under Washington law by a deed complying with the statute of frauds, and declined to 16 adopt the Report and Recommendation’s conclusion as to the existence of an easement. Dkt. 17 # 34 at 2-3. However, the Court concluded that the issue raised by defendant – whether the 18 alleged easement may be taken outside the statute of frauds by the doctrine of part performance 19 – was not adequately briefed for the Court’s consideration. Dkt. # 134 at 3. Accordingly, the 20 Court requested additional briefing from the parties addressing how the doctrine of part 21 performance applies to the property rights at issue. Id. The Court has yet to issue its ruling on 22 the easement issue. 23 B. The Kitsap Forest Theater 24 The Kitsap Forest Theater is a natural outdoor amphitheater located on land belonging to 25 defendant the Mountaineers. Dkt. # 141 at 3. It is used by defendant to stage public theatrical 26 performances – this summer season will be the 100th anniversary of the first performance at the 27 Theater. Id. at 2-3. This summer, defendant plans to stage two theatrical productions: The Sound 28 of Music and Seussical the Musical. Id. at 6. The Mountaineers have scheduled performances on 1 May 28, 29, June 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18 (The Sound of Music) and July 28, 30, August 5, 6, 12, 13, 2 19 & 20 (Seussical the Musical). Id. Children and adult volunteers began rehearsals in March, 3 and a dress rehearsal for The Sound of Music is scheduled for May 27, 2023. Id. at 6-7. 4 The Theater is constructed into a hillside. Id. at 3. While accessing the Theater using only 5 property owned exclusively by the Mountaineers is possible, doing so requires taking a “steep, 6 narrow, winding woodland pathway that is approximately one quarter mile from the trailhead.” 7 Dkt. # 139 at 2. Given the limitations of this route, the Mountaineers constructed a road decades 8 ago (the “Back Access Road”) “that crosses several parcels of property owned by third parties to 9 service the back stage area and permit disability access to the Theater.” Id. at 3. One of those 10 parcels is a lot now owned by plaintiff. Id. It is undisputed that the Mountaineers have 11 historically and consistently used this road in connection with its theater productions. See, e.g., 12 Dkt. # 140-1 at 3-4. Whether this use was pursuant to longstanding contractual agreements 13 between the parties as plaintiff contends, or an easement held by the Mountaineers as defendant 14 contends, is the subject of the pending summary judgment motion before the Court. See Dkt. 15 # 135. 16 In 2022, the parties entered into a temporary “access agreement” permitting reciprocal 17 access to each party’s property. Dkt. # 149-1 at 17-21. The stated purpose of the agreement was 18 to “facilitate the operations of their programs on their respective properties” “in the spirit of 19 cooperation.” Id. at 20. The agreement specifically noted that it did not serve to “waive[] or 20 release[] any claims [either party] may have against the other party or rights it may have in the 21 property of the other party.” Id. The agreement specifically allowed (1) defendant to use 22 plaintiff’s “Parking Parcel” “for the purpose of conducting its 2022 theater program” and (2) 23 defendant to use the “Back Access Road . . . together with the trail from the Back Access 24 Road . . . to access the back of [the Mountaineers’] theater . . . for the purpose of conducting its 25 2022 theater program.” Id. at 18. The agreement expired on December 31, 2022. Id. at 20. 26 C. Motion for Temporary Restraining Order 27 In its instant motion, defendant alleges that “throughout this litigation, the parties have 28 maintained the status quo of access, both allowing the other to access their respective properties 1 while the litigation has unfolded.” Id. at 1-2. However, on May 17, 2023, defendant discovered 2 that plaintiff “had installed new locks on the easement gates that prevent vehicle access to the 3 Theater and parking for theatrical performances.” Id. at 4-5.1 4 On May 19, 2023, defendant the Mountaineers filed a motion for a temporary restraining 5 order, asking the Court to “maintain the status quo ante” and restrain plaintiff from taking any 6 actions that would impair, hinder, or prevent defendant from accessing and using the Kitsap 7 Forest Preserve as necessary to host its summer theatrical productions at the Kitsap Forest 8 Theater, pending the Court’s ruling on the parties’ motions for summary judgment. Id. at 2; Dkt. 9 # 139-1 at 3. On May 20, 2023, plaintiff the Mountaineers Foundation filed a notice of intent to 10 oppose the temporary restraining order. Dkt. # 144. Plaintiff filed its opposition on May 22, 11 2023. Dkt. # 146. Defendant, with leave of Court, see Dkt. # 145, filed a reply on May 23, 2023, 12 Dkt. # 153. 13 II. Discussion 14 A. TRO Standard 15 A TRO, as with any preliminary injunctive relief, is an extraordinary remedy that is 16 “never awarded as of right.” See Winter v. Natural Res. Def. Council, Inc., 555 U.S. 7, 24 17 (2008). A party seeking a TRO must establish: (1) a likelihood of success on the merits; (2) a 18 likelihood of irreparable harm in the absence of the preliminary relief; (3) a balancing of equities 19 tips in favor of the injunction; and (4) the injunction is in the public interest.

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