Rick Haynes and Karen Haynes v. John Walker and wife Rosa Mae Walker and Harold Woods

Court of Appeals of Tennessee

Rick Haynes and Karen Haynes v. John Walker and wife Rosa Mae Walker and Harold Woods

DecidedOctober 2, 1995

Docket03A01-9504-CH-00133

StatusPublished

This text of Rick Haynes and Karen Haynes v. John Walker and wife Rosa Mae Walker and Harold Woods (Rick Haynes and Karen Haynes v. John Walker and wife Rosa Mae Walker and Harold Woods) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Rick Haynes and Karen Haynes v. John Walker and wife Rosa Mae Walker and Harold Woods, (Tenn. Ct. App. 1995).

Pincite

Opinion

I N THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TENNESSEE

EASTERN SECTI ON FILED October 2, 1995

Cecil Crowson, Jr. Appellate C ourt Clerk RI CK HAYNES a nd ) J EFFERSON COUNTY KAREN HAYNES ) 03A01- 9504- CH- 00133 ) Pl a i nt i f f s - Appe l l a nt s ) ) ) v. ) HON. CHESTER S. ) RAI NWATER, J R. , ) CHANCELLOR J OHN WALKER a nd wi f e ) ROSA M AE WALKER a nd ) HAROLD W OODS ) ) De f e nda nt s - Appe l l e e s ) AFFI RMED AND REMANDED

CARL R. OGLE, J R. , OF J EFFERSON CI TY FOR APPELLANTS

J AMES R. SCROGGI NS OF J EFFERSON CI TY FOR APPELLEES

O P I N I O N

Godda r d, P. J .

The Pl a i nt i f f s , Ri c k Ha yne s a nd hi s wi f e Ka r e n Ha yne s ,

i n i t i a l l y s ue d t he i r a dj a c e nt l a ndowne r s , De f e nda nt s J ohn W l k e r a

a n d wi f e Ros a M e W l ke r a nd Ha r ol d W a a oods . The Pl a i nt i f f s s ou g h t

a d e c l a r a t i on t ha t t he y we r e e nt i t l e d t o a r i ght - of - wa y t o ga i n

a c c e s s t o t r a c t 8 of t he Cl i nt J one s pr ope r t y, a 15. 72- a c r e t r a c t o wn e d b y t he m i n J e f f e r s on Count y. The r e a f t e r , M c ha e l W i oods a n d

h i s wi f e Pa ul a Young Woods , who a c qui r e d a por t i on of Ha r ol d

W ods ' o pr ope r t y, we r e a dde d a s pa r t y De f e nda nt s by a n a gr e e d

or de r .

The Pl a i nt i f f s c ont e nd t ha t t he r i ght - of - wa y i n

q u e s t i o n wa s f or me r l y a publ i c r oa d, known a s t he Ol d M l l s i

Sp r i n g Roa d, a nd ha d ne ve r be e n of f i c i a l l y c l os e d. The y a l s o

a s s e r t t ha t t he i r p r e de c e s s or s i n t i t l e a c qui r e d a n i nt e r e s t b y

p r e s c r i pt i on a nd, f ur t he r , t ha t t hi s r oa dwa y " pr ovi de s t he onl y

s u i t a b l e me a ns of i ngr e s s a nd e gr e s s t o t he i r pr ope r t y, "

p r e s u ma bl y a l l e gi ng t ha t t he y a r e e nt i t l e d t o a r i ght - of - wa y b y

n e c e s s i t y.

The Tr i a l Cour t f i r s t f ound t ha t t he Pl a i nt i f f s ha d n o t

c a r r i e d t he i r bur de n t o s how t ha t t he r oa d i n que s t i on wa s e ve r a

p u b l i c r oa d a nd, e ve n ha d t he y done s o, i t ha d be e n " a ba ndone d

5 0 o r mor e ye a r s a go. "

The Pl a i nt i f f s a ppe a l r a i s i ng t he f ol l owi ng i s s ue :

WHETHER THE CHANCELLOR ERRED I N HOLDI NG THAT THE PLAI NTI FFS FAI LED TO PROVE THE EXI STENCE OF A PUBLI C ROAD CONSTI TUTI NG A RI GHT- OF- W TO THE PLAI NTI FFS' AY PROPERTY, THAT SUCH PUBLI C ROAD HAD BEEN ABANDONED, AND THAT THI S ROADW DI D NOT CONSTI TUTE AN EASEM AY ENT BY NECESSI TY.

2 The onl y e vi de nc e i n t he r e c or d t ha t t hi s wa s e ve r a

p u b l i c r oa d a r e c e r t a i n r e f e r e nc e s i n de e ds t o t he pa r t i e s a nd t o

t h e i r p r e de c e s s or s i n t i t l e , s ome of whi c h s pe a k of " a r oa d, "

a n d o t h e r s of " a n ol d r oa d , " a nd t he " Ol d M l l Spr i ngs Roa d. " i

Th e s e d e e ds , howe ve r , do not r e f e r t o a publ i c r oa d. Howe ve r ,

a s s u mi n g, a s di d t he Cha nc e l l or i n hi s me mor a ndum opi ni on a nd

j u d g me n t , t ha t i t wa s i n f a c t a publ i c r oa d, t he undi s put e d

t e s t i mo ny i s t ha t i t ha d not be e n known or us e d a s a publ i c r o a d

f o r o v e r 50 ye a r s pr i or t o t he he a r i ng be l ow. The r e i s a l s o

u n d i s p u t e d t e s t i mony t ha t Cl i nt J one s , whos e c hi l dr e n c onve ye d

t h e p r o pe r t y t o t he Pl a i nt i f f s , f e nc e d a c r os s t he r oa d, whi c h 1 wo u l d e vi de nc e a n i nt e nt t o a ba ndon i t . M e ove r , M . J one s or r

a l s o c o nve ye d a t r a ns mi s s i on l i ne e a s e me nt t o t he Te nne s s e e

Va l l e y Aut hor i t y whi c h s pe a ks of t he r oa d a s " a n a ba ndone d r oa d . "

I n v i e w of t he f or e goi ng, we do not be l i e ve t he e vi de nc e

p r e p o n d e r a t e s a ga i ns t e i t he r of t he Cha nc e l l or ' s f i ndi ngs .

W t hus c onc l ude t ha t a s t o t he f i r s t t wo poi nt s r a i s e d e

b y t h e De f e nda nt s ' i s s ue o n a ppe a l - - t he Cha nc e l l or ' s f i ndi ng t h a t

t h e p r o of doe s not e s t a bl i s h t he r oa d i n que s t i on wa s publ i c a n d ,

e v e n i f s o, i t ha d be e n a ba ndone d- - t hi s i s a n a ppr opr i a t e c a s e 2 f o r a f f i r ma nc e unde r Rul e 10( a ) of t hi s Cour t .

1 Al t h o u g h n o t a s s e r t e d a s a t h e o r y b y t h e P l a i n t i f f s , a n y p r i v a t e r i g h t a c c r u i n g t o t h e m a f t e r t h e p u b l i c r o a d wa s a b a n d o n e d wo u l d l i k e wi s e h a v e be e n a ba ndone d by t he a c t s o f M . J o ne s . r

2 Ru l e 1 0 . ( a) Af f i r ma n c e W t h o u t Op i n i o n . i Th e Co u r t , wi t h t h e c o n c u r r e n c e o f a l l j u d g e s p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n t h e c a s e , ma y a f f i r m t he ac t i on of t h e t r i a l c o u r t b y o r d e r wi t h o u t r e n d e r i n g a f o r ma l o p i n i o n wh e n a n o p i n i o n wo u l d h a v e n o p r e c e d e n t i a l v a l u e a n d o n e o r mo r e o f t h e f o l l o wi n g c i r c u ms t a n c e s e x i s t a n d a r e d i s p o s i t i v e o f t h e a p p e a l :

3 The onl y r e ma i ni ng i s s ue i s whe t he r t he Pl a i nt i f f s

a c qu i r e d a n e a s e me nt b y n e c e s s i t y.

The r ul e a s t o s uc h e a s e me nt s i s we l l s t a t e d by t he

a u t h o r s of Ame r i c a n J ur i s pr ude nc e Se c ond wi t h a ppr opr i a t e

c i t a t i ons a s f ol l ows :

A wa y of ne c e s s i t y i s a n e a s e me nt f ounde d on a n i mpl i e d g r a nt or i mpl i e d r e s e r va t i on. I t ar i s es wh e r e t he r e i s a c onve ya nc e of a pa r t of a t r a c t of l a nd of s uc h na t ur e a nd e xt e nt t ha t e i t he r t he pa r t c o nve ye d or t he pa r t r e t a i ne d i s s hut of f f r om a c c e s s t o a r oa d t o t he out e r wor l d by t he l a nd f r om whi c h i t i s s e ve r e d or by t hi s l a nd a nd t he l a nd of s t r a nge r s . I n s uc h a s i t ua t i on t he r e i s a n i mpl i e d gr a nt of a wa y a c r os s t he gr a nt or ' s r e ma i ni ng l a nd t o t he pa r t c o nve ye d, or c onve r s e l y, a n i mpl i e d r e s e r va t i on of a wa y t o t he gr a nt or ' s r e ma i ni ng l a nd a c r os s t he por t i on o f t he l a nd c onve ye d. The or de r i n whi c h t wo pa r c e l s o f l a nd a r e c onve ye d ma ke s no di f f e r e nc e i n de t e r mi ni ng wh e t he r t he r e i s a r i ght of wa y by ne c e s s i t y a p pur t e na nt t o e i t he r .

A wa y of ne c e s s i t y r e s ul t s f r om t he a ppl i c a t i on of t h e pr e s umpt i on t ha t whe ne ve r a pa r t y c onve ys pr ope r t y h e c onve ys wha t e ve r i s ne c e s s a r y f or t he be ne f i c i a l us e o f t ha t pr ope r t y a nd r e t a i ns wha t e ve r i s ne c e s s a r y f or t h e be ne f i c i a l us e of l a nd he s t i l l pos s e s s e s . Suc h a wa y i s of c ommon- l a w or i gi n, a nd i s pr e s ume d t o ha ve b e e n i nt e nde d by t he pa r t i e s . A wa y of ne c e s s i t y i s a l s o s a i d t o be s uppor t e d by t he r ul e of publ i c pol i c y t h a t l a nds s houl d not be r e nde r e d unf i t f or oc c upa nc y o r s uc c e s s f ul c ul t i va t i on.

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