Patrick Kelly v. Hristo Tancevski

CourtNew Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division
DecidedFebruary 5, 2025
DocketA-2452-22
StatusUnpublished

This text of Patrick Kelly v. Hristo Tancevski (Patrick Kelly v. Hristo Tancevski) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Patrick Kelly v. Hristo Tancevski, (N.J. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ." Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.

SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION DOCKET NO. A-2452-22

PATRICK KELLY and ROSALIND KELLY,

Plaintiffs-Respondents/ Cross-Appellants,

v.

HRISTO TANCEVSKI and ANICA TANCEVSKI,

Defendants-Appellants/ Cross-Respondents. _________________________

Submitted October 30, 2024 – Decided February 5, 2025

Before Judges Marczyk, Paganelli and Torregrossa- O'Connor.

On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Sussex County, Docket No. C-000044-20.

Weiner Law Group LLP, attorneys for appellants/cross- respondents (Steven R. Tombalakian, of counsel and on the briefs). Gruber, Colabella, Liuzza, Thompson & Hiben attorneys for respondents/cross-appellants (Chris H. Colabella, of counsel and on the brief; Racquel G. Hiben, on the briefs).

PER CURIAM

Defendants Hristo Tancevski and Anica Tancevski (Tancevskis) appeal

from a March 8, 2023 trial court order, entered following a bench trial, denying

their counterclaims for slander of title and a permanent easement over plaintiffs'

Patrick Kelly and Rosalind Kelly (Kellys) property. In addition, the Tancevskis

and Kellys both appeal the trial court's temporary easement remedy. Because

the trial court's factual findings are adequately supported by the credible

evidence in the record, and we conclude there was no error in the court's

application of the relevant legal principles, we affirm.

I.

This matter involves a property boundary dispute between neighbors, the

Kellys and Tancevskis. The Kellys filed a complaint against the Tancevskis

alleging the driveway from the Tancevskis' property encroached onto the Kellys'

property. The Kellys alleged the driveway encroachment caused a nuisance and

sought its removal. Along with filing the complaint, the Kellys' lawyer filed a

notice of lis pendens on the Tancevskis' property that stated there was a lawsuit,

A-2452-22 2 "the general object of which [wa]s: . . . [t]o remove the encroachment of [the

Tancevski]s' driveway upon the property of" the Kellys.

The Tancevskis filed an answer with affirmative defenses and

counterclaims. Included within the affirmative defenses, the Tancevskis alleged

the Kellys were "barred from recovery" under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-6 and N.J.S.A.

2A:14-7 and that the Tancevskis "own[ed] absolutely, and [we]re entitled to the

title and possession of the real property upon which their driveway [wa]s

situated under the [d]octrine of [a]dverse [p]ossession."

In addition, the Tancevskis pleaded counterclaims. As relevant here, the

counterclaims included a claim that the Tancevskis held title to that portion of

the Kellys' property under the driveway encroachment, through adverse

possession. Also, the Tancevskis claimed slander of their title because of a pre-

litigation communication from the Kellys' attorney to the Tancevskis' contract

buyer concerning the driveway encroachment dispute.

The trial court conducted a two-day trial. The Kellys presented testimony

from their landscaper and Patrick. The Tancevskis offered the testimony of their

immediate predecessor in title and Hristo. In addition, the trial court admitted,

without objection, the Kellys' thirty-seven trial exhibits and the Tancevskis'

thirty-eight trial exhibits into evidence.

A-2452-22 3 In the trial court's nineteen-page written opinion, the judge found that all

witnesses were credible. Since the judge thoroughly detailed each attribute of

the witnesses' testimony that led to his credibility conclusions, there is no need

for us to repeat them here.

The Kellys purchased their property in 1986 and moved into the house in

December 1987. The Kellys' survey from the purchase "did not indicate any

encroachments on [their] property." In fact, the Kellys "were unaware of any

encroachments until 1995" when they were approached by one of the

Tancevskis' predecessors in title regarding "a proposed easement agreement."

The Tancevskis' predecessor advised that a "portion of the[ir] driveway

encroached" on the Kellys' property. Patrick testified that no easement

agreement was reached because he preferred a property line adjustment.

The predecessor sold the Tancevski property to another. Patrick discussed

the driveway encroachment with the new owner. He did "not make an issue of

the encroachment" or tell the new owner that they "could not use the area of the

driveway." Patrick suggested that the encroachment could be addressed "if

either of the parties sold their property or refinanced their property ."

In 1999, Patrick received a proposal from the new owner's attorney. The

new owner was in the process of selling the property and proposed "a property

A-2452-22 4 line adjustment to address the driveway encroachment." However, before he

could discuss the proposal with the new owner, the property was sold.

The new owner sold the property to the Tancevskis' immediate

predecessor in title. Patrick and this new owner had discussions about the

driveway encroachment. According to Patrick, the Kellys permitted the new

owner "to use the entire driveway but did not transfer or give up [their] legal

ownership right to the disputed area of the property."

In 2005, Patrick learned that the Tancevskis had purchased the property.

Patrick spoke to Hristo and the "conversation was similar to all of the prior

conversations with [prior] owners relat[ing] to the encroachment and entering

into a property line adjustment to resolve the encroachment issue."

Hristo recalled "that shortly after moving in he met [Patrick] and had a

conversation regarding the encroachment. [He] recalled that [Patrick] proposed

to make a property line adjustment if either of the parties sold or refinanced their

properties." However, Hristo "did not believe that the offer was fair."

In September 2019, Hristo and Patrick again discussed "a property line

adjustment." The Tancevskis were in the process of listing the property for sale.

Hristo rejected Patrick's offer because of concerns with the Tancevskis' septic

system. Instead of selling, the Tancevskis leased the property.

A-2452-22 5 In 2020, Hristo informed Patrick that the Tancevskis were again selling

the property. Patrick "raised the issue of the property line adjustment" but the

Tancevskis "refused to enter into any . . . agreement." The Kellys retained an

attorney to resolve the property line issue.

According to the judge's decision, on October 30, 2020, the Tancevskis

entered into a contract for the sale of their property. The Kellys' attorney "sent

correspondence to the realtors and attorneys regarding the dispute over the

driveway encroachment." "On November 13, 2020, the buyer's attorney advised

that they were pulling out of the deal because of the dispute over the driveway."

The Kellys' attorney filed the complaint on November 19, 2020, and a lis

pendens on the Tancevskis' property on November 25, 2020. Hristo testified

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Patrick Kelly v. Hristo Tancevski, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/patrick-kelly-v-hristo-tancevski-njsuperctappdiv-2025.