Reese Howell Co. v. Brown

158 P. 684, 48 Utah 142, 1916 Utah LEXIS 14
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 12, 1916
DocketNo. 2748
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 158 P. 684 (Reese Howell Co. v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Reese Howell Co. v. Brown, 158 P. 684, 48 Utah 142, 1916 Utah LEXIS 14 (Utah 1916).

Opinions

FRICK, J.

Some time in 1911 or 1912, the exact time is not shown in the abstract, Reese Howell commenced an action against the defendants Sarah J., George F., and Elliott Brown to restrain them from closing a certain passageway used by Reese Howell. After the commencement of the action Reese Howell transferred all of his interest in the subject-matter of the action to the Reese Howell company, a corporation, and the action thenceforth proceeded in its name. The defendants George F. and Elliott Brown disclaimed all interest in the subject-matter of the controversy, and so they were eliminated from the case. The action then proceeded to judgment between the Reese Howell Company, as plaintiff, hereinafter called appellant, and Sarah J. Brown, a daughter and heir at law of John Broom, deceased, hereinafter referred to as respondent, as sole defendant.

Three causes of action were stated in the complaint. In the [145]*145first cause of action appellant claimed an easement in the nature of a right of passage, which right, it was alleged, was granted by a deed of conveyance over certain real property now owned by the respondent and formerly owned by her father John Broom, deceased. In the second cause of action it was, in substance, alleged that by mutual mistake the duration or the time the right of passage should continue was omitted from the deed aforesaid, and hence appellant asked that the deed be reformed in that particular and enforced as reformed. In the third cause of action the appellant alleged practically the same facts alleged in the first cause of action, and further alleged that it had acquired a right of passage by adverse user, etc.

Respondent demurred to all three causes of action separately, and the court sustained the demurrers to the first and to the second causes of action, and overruled the demurrer to the third cause of action. Respondent then filed her answer to the third cause of action, in which she denied plaintiff’s claim of adverse user, and a trial was had which resulted in findings of fact, conclusions of law, and a judgment in favor of respondent. The appellant presents the record of the proceedings in the court below to this court, and asks us to reverse the judgment upon various grounds.

For the purpose of avoiding long descriptions in the deeds, etc., and, further, to avoid explanations which would be necessary without a plat, we append the following plat:

[146]*146By reference to the plat it will be understood at once just what the controversy is about. The facts are undisputed, and, in substance, are: That in August, 1882, and prior thereto, Reese Howell, the predecessor in interest of appellant, owned and was in possession of a strip .of ground marked “H” on the plat; that at the time aforesaid one John Broom, the father and predecessor in interest of respondent, owned and was in possession of the ground marked “B” on the plat._ Mr. Broom, prior to 1882, had erected °a hotel on the whole of the ground marked “B” and in that year it seems Mr. Howell also erected a business building on the full 33-foot front of the parcel marked i£H” extending back approximately 80 feet. On the 26th day of August, 1882, Mr. Howell and Mr. Broom exchanged deeds. Mr. Howell conveyed,to Mr. Broom the strip of ground which is marked- ‘ ‘ 15x80 ’ ’ on the plat, to wit, a strip of ground 15 feet wide by 80 feet long, and Mr. Broom conveyed to Mr. Howell the small strip of ground marked “6'x80” on the plat, to wit, a strip of ground six inches wide by eighty feet in length. In the deed from Broom to Howell the right to pass through the alley marked ‘ ‘ 12 ” on the plat was granted in the following words:

“Also a right of way along and through that certain alley or passageway situated about 155 feet west of the southeast corner of lot one (1) aforesaid (being in the west end and forming a part of the brick building now owned by the grantor herein), and running north from Fifth street, so long as the same shall be used as a passageway, and the gates of which shall be closed and locked from six o’clock p. m. until seven o’clock a. m. on each day, and the grantee herein is allowed the privilege of entering or passing through said alley at any time, night or day, and to be provided with a key to unlock the same, and said grantee is to see that the same are locked during the time herein mentioned when used by him or by Ms. authority. ”

The habendum clause, so far as material, reads as follows:

“To have and to hold, all and singular, the said premises, together with the appurtenances, unto the said party of the second part, and to his heirs and assigns forever.”

The parties, as well as their attorneys, disagree with re[147]*147gard to the meaning of the alleged grant. Counsel for appellant contend that in using the language in the deed aforesaid it was the intention of the grantor therein and that he did grant to Mr. Howell and his heirs and assigns a perpetual right of way or a perpetual right of passage through the alley marked “12” on the plat; while counsel for respondent vigorously argues that nothing was granted, or intended to be granted, except a limited and revocable right of passage— that is, the right of Howell to use the alleyway for passage should continue “so long as the same shall be used as a passage way” by the grantor and his heirs and assigns,' and no longer. Counsel therefore contends that respondent had the right to cease the use of the alleyway as a passage at any time, and whenever she did so she had the legal and moral right to use the same for any purpose she saw fit. Upon the other hand, counsel for appellant contend that respondent was bound to permit it to use the passageway under the terms and conditions stipulated in the grant, which meant a perpetual use or until it or its successors or assigns consented to abandon it or did abandon its use.

We remark that it was made to appear that at the time the deeds were exchanged Mr. Broom’s hotel covered the whole parcel marked “B” except that portion marked “12,” which constituted the passageway. Some time after 1882, however, Mr. Broom extended the hotel building over the passageway and left the lower story open as a passageway over the whole twelve feet aforesaid. It was further made to appear that in deeding the strip marked ‘ ‘ 15x80 ’ ’ Mr. Howell reserved no right of way over it, and hence he never had a right of way by grant over said fifteen foot strip. It was further shown that the six inches by eighty feet strip was granted to Mr. Howell for a partial foundation for the south wall of his building, and that fifteen by eighty feet strip was granted so as to prevent the light for that distance from being shut off from the rear of Mr. Broom’s hotel.

1 In referring to the alleged grant in question here counsel for appellant contend- that, if there is any uncertainty or ambiguity respecting the extent or scope of the right of passage as contained in the grant, such grant must be [148]*148construed most strongly against the grantor. They cite and rely upon the following authorities, which, they contend, support their contention: Dunn v. English, 23 N. J. Law 126; Dodge v. Walley, 22 Cal. 224, 83 Am. Dec. 61; Lamb v. Medsker, 35 Ind. App. 662, 74 N. E. 1012; American Unitarian Ass’n v. Minot, 185 Mass. 589, 71 N. E. 551; Mining Co. v. Mining Co., 5 Utah 635, 19 Pac. 198; 2 Devlin on Deeds (2d Ed.), Sec. 848.

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Bluebook (online)
158 P. 684, 48 Utah 142, 1916 Utah LEXIS 14, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reese-howell-co-v-brown-utah-1916.