Porter v. Johnson County Judge/Executive

357 S.W.3d 500, 2010 WL 1253382
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedMay 14, 2010
Docket2009-CA-000428-MR
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 357 S.W.3d 500 (Porter v. Johnson County Judge/Executive) 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
Porter v. Johnson County Judge/Executive, 357 S.W.3d 500, 2010 WL 1253382 (Ky. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

OPINION

DIXON, Judge.

Appellants, David and Brenda Porter, appeal from an order of the Johnson Circuit Court granting summary judgment in favor of Appellees, the Johnson County Judge/Executive, the Johnson County Fiscal Court, and the Johnson County Conservation District. Finding no error, we affirm.

In May 2006, Appellants purchased a tract of real property located in Johnson County, Kentucky. The majority of the property is bordered by property owned by the U.S. Corp of Engineers and referred to as the Paintsville Lake Project. Apparently, when Appellants purchased *502 the property, they were informed by the sellers that a gravel road which cuts through the property, Blanton Branch Road, was private. Blanton Branch Road provides access not only to Appellants’ home, but also to the Paintsville Lake property as well as the Blanton Branch Cemetery.

In July 2006, Appellants observed grading equipment at the entrance to the road. In the process of trying to prevent the paving work, Appellants were informed that Blanton Branch Road was part of Johnson County’s official road system. As a result, and despite Appellants’ protests and claims that the road was private, the paving work was completed several days later.

In June 2008, Appellants filed a declaratory judgment action against the Johnson County Judge/Executive and Fiscal Court claiming that Blanton Branch Road is a private rather than public or county road. Further, Appellants asserted claims against the Johnson County Conservation District for trespass and nuisance due to the District’s use of an outdoor classroom located on the Corp’s lake property.

On February 9, 2009, the trial court entered an order granting summary judgment in favor of Appellees and dismissing Appellants’ claims. Therein, the court found that the evidence unequivocally demonstrated that Blanton Branch Road had been documented on county road maps since 1969, had been adopted by the fiscal court as a county road, and had been maintained by the county for years. Following the denial of Appellants’ motion to alter, amend or vacate, they appealed to this court as a matter of right. Additional facts are set forth as necessary in the course of this opinion.

On appeal, Appellants argue that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment because David Porter’s deposition and affidavit created a genuine issue of material fact. As they did in the trial court, Appellants contend that they were informed by their predecessor in interest that the road in question was private. Further, they claim that their deed shows another abandoned road that they believe is what is actually documented on the county road maps. Finally, Appellants argue that they were entitled to partial summary judgment on the grounds that Blan-ton Branch Road was not properly adopted by Johnson County.

Summary judgment serves to terminate litigation when there is no issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law. Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure (CR) 56. On a motion for summary judgment, 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 its favor. Steelvest, Inc. v. Scansteel Service Center, Inc., 807 S.W.2d 476, 480 (Ky.1991). Summary judgment “is only proper where the movant shows that the adverse party could not prevail under any circumstances.” Id. (citing Paintsville Hospital, Co. v. Rose, 683 S.W.2d 255 (Ky.1985)).

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.” Scifres v. Kraft, 916 S.W.2d 779, 781 (Ky.App.1996). Because summary judgment involves only legal questions and the existence of any disputed material issues of fact, an appellate court need not defer to the trial *503 court’s decision and will review the issue de novo. Lewis v. B & R Corporation, 56 S.W.3d 432, 436 (Ky.App.2001) (internal footnotes and citations omitted). See also Goldsmith v. Allied Building, Components, Inc., 833 S.W.2d 378, 381 (Ky.1992).

Prior to the enactment of the current Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) Chapter 178, which governs county roads, there were several methods of establishing a public or county road. First, was a formal decree by the county that the road would be a county road. See Commonwealth v. Boyle County Fiscal Court, 113 Ky. 325, 68 S.W. 116 (1902). The second method was for a property owner to seek a declaration of a county road, thus essentially giving up the road in exchange for county maintenance. See Gernert v. City of Louisville, 155 Ky. 589, 159 S.W. 1163 (1913). Finally, the public could adversely utilize the particular road for a requisite number of years, thus establishing a “public” road. Tolliver v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, 226 Ky. 132, 10 S.W.2d 623 (1928).

Through the use of the above methods, Kentucky established a system of public roads, meaning those used by the public free of charge, and county roads, which were simply public roads maintained by a county. Rose v. Nolen, 166 Ky. 336, 179 S.W. 229, 230 (1915). However, when it became apparent that counties were burdened by the maintenance of too many roads, Kentucky passed the Road Act of 1914 whereby county roads were required to be accepted into the county road system by a formal decree. The Act was the basis for KRS Chapter 178, which currently governs county roads. KRS 178.010(l)(b), as amended in 1964, provides:

“County roads” are public roads which have been formally accepted by the fiscal court of the county as a part of the county road system, or private roads, streets, or highways which have been acquired by the county pursuant to subsection (3) of this section or KRS 178.405 to 178.425. “County roads” includes necessary bridges, culverts, sluices, drains, ditches, waterways, embankments or retaining walls[.]

Clearly, under the current statutory scheme, the terms “public roads” and “county roads” are no longer interchangeable.

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Related

Cary v. Pulaski County Fiscal Court
420 S.W.3d 500 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2013)
Fuqua v. United States
869 F. Supp. 2d 814 (W.D. Kentucky, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
357 S.W.3d 500, 2010 WL 1253382, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/porter-v-johnson-county-judgeexecutive-kyctapp-2010.