Seven Springs, LLC v. Nature Conservancy

95 A.D.3d 867, 943 N.Y.S.2d 569
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedMay 1, 2012
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 95 A.D.3d 867 (Seven Springs, LLC v. Nature Conservancy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Seven Springs, LLC v. Nature Conservancy, 95 A.D.3d 867, 943 N.Y.S.2d 569 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

In an action pursuant to RPAPL article 15 to compel the determination of a claim to real property, the defendant Nature Conservancy appeals, as limited by its brief, (1) from so much of an order of the Supreme Court, Westchester County (Nicolai, J.), dated May 27, 2011, as granted those branches of the plaintiffs motion which were for summary judgment declaring that (a) the plaintiff has an express easement appurtenant by grant over certain land owned by the defendant Nature Conservancy, entitling the plaintiff to a right of way over the portion of Oregon Road starting at the southwest corner of the plaintiffs parcel and continuing south to the point where Oregon Road becomes a paved public road, (b) the express easement appurtenant entitles the plaintiff to widen Oregon Road to a width of no less than 50 feet for the passage of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, (c) the plaintiff is entitled to a permanent injunction enjoining the defendants from interfering with and obstructing the plaintiffs right, and (d) the plaintiff is authorized to remove the gate and any other impediment existing in the vicinity of “Pole 40” on Oregon Road, and (2) from so much of a judgment of the same court entered July 22, 2011, as, upon the order, [868]*868declared that (a) the plaintiff has an express easement appurtenant by grant over certain land owned by the defendant Nature Conservancy, entitling the plaintiff to a right of way over the portion of Oregon Road starting at the southwest corner of the plaintiff’s parcel and continuing south to the point where Oregon Road becomes a paved public road, (b) the express easement entitles the plaintiff to widen Oregon Road to a width of no less than 50 feet for the passage of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, (c) the defendants are permanently enjoined from interfering with and obstructing the plaintiffs right of way and the plaintiffs right of access to its property, including the maintenance of any obstruction, barrier or gate across Oregon Road that obstructs or blocks the use by the plaintiff, its invitees and utility and other vehicles from their lawful rights to pass over the land to have ingress and egress over Oregon Road to the plaintiffs parcel, and (d) the plaintiff is authorized to remove the gate and any other impediment that exists in the vicinity of “Pole 40” on Oregon Road.

Ordered that the appeal from the order is dismissed; and it is further,

Ordered that the judgment is reversed insofar as appealed from, on the law, those branches of the plaintiffs motion which were for summary judgment declaring that (a) the plaintiff has an express easement appurtenant by grant over certain land owned by the defendant Nature Conservancy, entitling the plaintiff to a right of way over the portion of Oregon Road starting at the southwest corner of the plaintiffs parcel and continuing south to the point where Oregon Road becomes a paved public road, (b) the express easement appurtenant entitles the plaintiff to widen Oregon Road to a width of no less than 50 feet for the passage of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, (c) the plaintiff is entitled to a permanent injunction enjoining the defendants from interfering with and obstructing the plaintiffs right, and (d) it is authorized to remove the gate and any other impediment existing in the vicinity of “Pole 40” on Oregon Road are denied, the order dated May 27, 2011, is modified accordingly, upon searching the record, the defendant Nature Conservancy is awarded summary judgment declaring that (a) the plaintiff does not have an express easement appurtenant by grant over certain land owned by the defendant Nature Conservancy, entitling it to a right of way over the portion of Oregon Road starting at the southwest corner of the plaintiffs parcel and continuing south to the point where Oregon Road becomes a paved public road, (b) the plaintiff is not entitled to widen Oregon Road pursuant to an express easement appurtenant, (c) [869]*869the plaintiff is not entitled to the permanent injunction it requested, and (d) the plaintiff is not authorized to remove the gate or any other impediment existing in the vicinity of “Pole 40” on Oregon Road pursuant to an express easement appurtenant, and it is so declared; and it is further,

Ordered that one bill of costs is awarded to the defendant Nature Conservancy.

The appeal from the intermediate order must be dismissed because the right of direct appeal therefrom terminated with the entry of the judgment in the action (see Matter of Aho, 39 NY2d 241, 248 [1976]). The issues raised on the appeal from the intermediate order are brought up for review and have been considered on the appeal from the judgment (see CPLR 5501 [a] [1]).

The plaintiff, Seven Springs, LLC, and the defendant Nature Conservancy (hereinafter the Conservancy) own abutting parcels of land in Westchester County. Prior to 1973, both parcels were owned by a single entity, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation (hereinafter the Foundation). By deed dated January 19, 1973, the Foundation transferred the parcel now owned by the plaintiff (hereinafter the Seven Springs parcel) to Yale University, one of the plaintiffs predecessors in interest. Thereafter, by deed dated May 25, 1973, the Foundation transferred the abutting parcel to the Conservancy (hereinafter the Conservancy parcel). The Seven Springs parcel lies entirely to the east of a street known as Oregon Road. Part of the Conservancy parcel lies to the west of Oregon Road, directly across the street from the Seven Springs parcel, and the other part of the Conservancy parcel lies under and around Oregon Road to the direct south and southwest of the Seven Springs parcel.

The deed conveying the Seven Springs parcel to Yale University included a provision transferring “all right, title and interest, if any, of [the grantor], in and to any streets and roads abutting the aforesaid premises to the center lines thereof; together with the appurtenances and all the estate and rights of [the grantor] in and to said premises.” The remaining deeds in the plaintiff’s chain of title to the Seven Springs parcel contained identical provisions. The deed conveying the Conservancy parcel to the Conservancy also contained a similar provision.

The plaintiff commenced this action seeking, inter alia, a determination that the Seven Springs parcel is benefitted by an easement appurtenant, entitling its owner to a right-of-way over the portion of Oregon Road which lies on the Conservancy parcel. After this Court held on a prior appeal that the plaintiff [870]*870sufficiently stated a cause of action based upon an implied private easement arising when the Foundation conveyed the Seven Springs parcel to Yale University at a time when Oregon Road was used as a public highway (see Seven Springs, LLC v Nature Conservancy, 48 AD3d 545 [2008]), the plaintiff amended its complaint and moved for summary judgment, inter alia, declaring that the Seven Springs parcel is benefitted by an express easement appurtenant on the basis that the deed transferring the Seven Springs parcel to Yale University contained an express easement by grant, which was transferred to it through the chain of title.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
95 A.D.3d 867, 943 N.Y.S.2d 569, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seven-springs-llc-v-nature-conservancy-nyappdiv-2012.