Riverwalk Realty, LLC v. Riverwalk Condominium Association

CourtSuperior Court of Maine
DecidedFebruary 23, 2021
DocketCUMbcd-re-20-02
StatusUnpublished

This text of Riverwalk Realty, LLC v. Riverwalk Condominium Association (Riverwalk Realty, LLC v. Riverwalk Condominium Association) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Riverwalk Realty, LLC v. Riverwalk Condominium Association, (Me. Super. Ct. 2021).

Opinion

STATE OF MAINE BUSINESS & CONSUMER DOCKET PORTLAND, ss. DOCKET NO. BCD-RE-20-02

RIVERWALK REALTY, LLC, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S ) SECOND MOTION TO DISMISS RIVERWALK CONDOMINIUM ) ASSOCIATION, ) ) Defendant. )

This case continues to involve a garage abutting Unit 100 of the Riverwalk Condominium.

This Court previously dismissed Count II of the Complaint, which pled a claim for adverse

possession. Plaintiff Riverwalk Realty, LLC (“Riverwalk Realty”) has since (with leave of Court)

filed an Amended Complaint for Declaratory Judgment (the “Amended Complaint”). The

Amended Complaint asks the Court to “Declare and Order that the garage abutting Unit 100 of

Riverwalk Condominium in Damariscotta, Lincoln County, Maine, is owned by the owners of

Unit 100.” Defendant Riverwalk Condominium Association (the “Association”) has filed (with

leave of Court) a Second Motion to Dismiss on the grounds inter alia that since Plaintiff does not

own Unit 100, Riverwalk Realty lacks standing to bring the action. The Court agrees, and for the

following reasons grants the Association’s Second Motion to Dismiss.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

In reviewing a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), courts “consider the facts in the

complaint as if they were admitted.” Bonney v. Stephens Mem. Hosp., 2011 ME 46, ¶ 16, 17 A.3d

123. The complaint is viewed “in the light most favorable to the plaintiff to determine whether it

1 sets forth elements of a cause of action or alleges facts that would entitle the plaintiff to relief

pursuant to some legal theory.” Id. (quoting Saunders v. Tisher, 2006 ME 94, ¶ 8, 902 A.2d 830).

“Dismissal is warranted when it appears beyond a doubt that the plaintiff is not entitled to relief

under any set of facts that he might prove in support of his claim.” Id. The Court may also properly

consider “official public documents, documents that are central to the plaintiff's claim, and

documents referred to in the complaint…when the authenticity of such documents is not

challenged.” Moody v. State Liquor & Lottery Comm'n, 2004 ME 20, ¶ 10, 843 A.2d 43.

FACTS

Riverwalk Realty is a limited liability company incorporated in the State of Maine.

Plaintiff’s Complaint (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 1.) Riverwalk Condominium is located in

Damariscotta, Maine. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 7 .) Riverwalk Realty owns Units 110, 111, 116, and

119 of Riverwalk Condominium. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 3.) Riverwalk Realty previously owned

Unit 100 of Riverwalk Condominium, but sold Unit 100 to Defendants Todd and Heather Savage

(the “Savages”) before commencing this action. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶¶ 7-8.) During the sale

transaction, Riverwalk and the Savages determined the ownership of the garage abutting Unit 100

was unclear. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 9.)

As the owner of one or more units, Riverwalk Realty is a member of the Association. The

Association is a non-profit corporation comprised of Riverwalk Condominium unit owners. (Pl.’s

Amd. Compl. ¶¶ 2-4.) Riverwalk Realty occupies a seat on the Association’s Executive Board.

Riverwalk Condominium was previously known as the Oyster Shell Motel Condominium

and was originally offered for Public Sale on September 3, 1987. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶¶ 11, 23.)

The Declaration of Condominium is dated September 16, 1987 and recorded in the Lincoln County

Registry of Deeds, Book 1422, Page 256. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 10.) The Declaration defines

2 Unit 100’s boundary lines as follows: “(1) The vertical boundary lines are as shown on the Plats

and Plans, and consist of real estate on which the Building in located. (2) There are no horizontal

boundary lines. (3) The Unit further includes (whether within the aforesaid boundary lines or not)

all roofing and roof overhand, eaves, gutters, doors, chimneys, doorstops and thresholds, and all

other parts of the Building.” (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 10). The plans filed with the 1987 Declaration

of Condominium do not depict a garage abutting Unit 100. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶12.) A revised

site plan and additional plans of other condominium units were recorded in 1992, but these plans

also do not depict the garage. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 19.)

The garage was built between 1980 and 1993. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 13.) According to the

Town’s February 25, 2003 Valuation Report for Unit 100, the garage abutting Unit 100 was built

in 1993. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 14.) However, other town documents indicate the garage may have

been built in 1980. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 15.) Since being built, the garage has been visibly used,

occupied, and controlled exclusively by the Owner of Unit 100. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 16). The

owners of Unit 100 have been taxed for the garage since at least 1993. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 17.)

Utilities serving the garage are also billed to and paid by the owners of Unit 100. (Pl.’s Amd.

Compl. ¶ 18.)

On August 18, 2006, the Declaration of Condominium was restated (the “Restated

Declaration”) and recorded on August 25, 2006 in the Lincoln County Registry of Deeds Book

3279, Page 53. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶ 20.) Section 3.1(b) of the Restated Declaration describes

the boundary lines for Unit 100 using the identical description as in the original Declaration but

does not mention the abutting garage. (Pl.’s Amd. Compl. ¶¶ 21, 22.)

3 DISCUSSION

It is axiomatic that in order to maintain an action, a plaintiff must have standing to sue.

Horton & McGehee, Maine Civil Remedies §1-5(a), p.8 (2004). “Standing to sue means that the

party, at the commencement of the litigation, has sufficient personal stake in the controversy to

obtain judicial resolution of that controversy.” Halfway House, Inc. v. City of Portland, 670 A.2d

1377, 1379 (Me. 1996) (citations omitted). With regard to real property, a party may not seek

judicial action without having an interest in the property at issue. DiVeto v. Kjellgren, 2004 ME

133, ¶ 24, 861 A.2d 618.

Normally, to maintain in action to enforce property rights, a plaintiff must have sustained injury to his personal or property rights, and must stand to benefit from the relief sought. Similarly, a plaintiff must assert his own rights and interests, and may not seek relief based on the rights and interests of others, except in a recognized representative capacity.

Horton & McGehee, Maine Civil Remedies §1-5(a), p.8 (2004); see also Laux v. Harrington, 2012

ME 18, 24 n.4, 38 A.3d 313 (cannot advocate for easement rights on behalf of non-parties). Absent

an interest in the disputed property, a party may not seek judicial action concerning land use.

Nichols v. Rockland, 324 A.2d 295, 296 (Me. 1974).

In this case, Riverwalk Realty sold its right, title and interest in Unit 100 prior to the

commencement of the litigation. Riverwalk Realty does not claim to have sustained any injury to

its personal or property rights. Riverwalk Realty is not acting in a representative capacity. The

current owners of Unit 100 are not parties to the action. Moreover, Riverwalk Realty is not

claiming any ownership in the garage. To the contrary, as the Amended Complaint makes

explicitly clear, Riverwalk Realty is seeking a declaratory judgment that the garage abutting Unit

4 100 is owned by the owners of Unit 100.1 Accordingly, Riverwalk Realty lacks standing to bring

this action, and the action must be dismissed.

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Related

Moody v. State Liquor & Lottery Commission
2004 ME 20 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2004)
Halfway House, Inc. v. City of Portland
670 A.2d 1377 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1996)
Nichols v. City of Rockland
324 A.2d 295 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1974)
Saunders v. Tisher
2006 ME 94 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2006)
Stull v. First American Title Insurance
2000 ME 21 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2000)
Madore v. Maine Land Use Regulation Commission
1998 ME 178 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1998)
DiVeto v. Kjellgren
2004 ME 133 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2004)
Bonney v. Stephens Memorial Hospital
2011 ME 46 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2011)
Homeward Residential, Inc. v. Marianne A. Gregor
2015 ME 108 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2015)
Voisine v. Berube
2011 ME 137 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2011)
Laux v. Harrington
2012 ME 18 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2012)

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