Smaland Beach Ass'n v. Genova

21 Mass. L. Rptr. 258
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedMay 31, 2006
DocketNo. PLCV200500088
StatusPublished

This text of 21 Mass. L. Rptr. 258 (Smaland Beach Ass'n v. Genova) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smaland Beach Ass'n v. Genova, 21 Mass. L. Rptr. 258 (Mass. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

Rufo, Robert C., J.

This is a land dispute in which Smaland Beach Association, Inc. (“Smaland”) filed suit against former members Arthur F. and Patricia A. Genova (“the Genovas”) to determine the legal boundary between the Genovas’ lot 18 and Smaland’s lot 19. The Genovas counterclaimed against Smaland and impleaded Smaland members Allan Bartlett, Louise Johnson, Mark Johnson, Russell Johnson, Carol Mahoney, and William Smith (“Third-Party Defendants"). The Genovas then moved for summaiy judgment. Several motions to strike followed. After a hearing and review of the record and the parties’ memoranda, for the reasons set forth below, the parties’ motions to strike are ALLOWED IN PART and DENIED IN PART, and the Genovas’ motions for summary judgment are DENIED.

BACKGROUND

The Smaland Beach Association is a corporation owned by the residents of the Smaland Beach community, a subdivision located in Plymouth, Massachusetts near Island Pond. Island Pond is a body of water covering approximately 75 acres and is used for recreational purposes. The Genovas own lot 18 of the Smaland Beach subdivision and were members of the Smaland Beach Association prior to August of 2005. The northwesterly border of the Genovas’ lot 18 abuts Crescent Road, which is coincident with the shoreline of Island Pond. Lot 19 lies immediately east of lot 18 and is owned by Smaland. It, too, abuts Crescent Road on its northwesterly border.

Over the years, Smaland has used lot 19 and the portion of Crescent Road lying between lot 19 and Island Pond as a private beach and recreation area called Smaland Beach. Smaland contends that the strip of land running between the edge of Crescent Road and Island Pond adjacent to the Genovas’ lot 18 and bordering Smaland’s lot 19 (“the disputed area”) is also a part of Smaland Beach. The Genovas dispute this claim.

The Genovas purchased lot 18 on Februaxy 4, 1975 from Sven Gunnar Myrbeck (“Mr. Myrbeck”). Mr. Myrbeck described the conveyance as follows: “Lot 18 on a plan of ‘Great Herring Shores, Unit B’ drawn by [259]*259A.L. Wheeler, dated October 1, 1926, duly recorded with Plymouth County Deeds.” Similarly, prior deeds also describe lots 18 and 19 by referring to the same “plan of ‘Great Herring Shores, Unit B’ drawn by A.L. Wheeler” (“the Wheeler Plan”). This plan depicts lots 18 and 19 as bordering, but not including Crescent Road. Each lot line is accompanied by notations of distance which measure the lot boundaries only to the edge of the road.

Mr. Myrbeck received his deed from his mother, Anna Kristina Myrbeck, (“Ms. Myrbeck”) and she received hers from Louis B. Hall and Albert K. Kendrick (“Hall and Kendrick”). Hall and Kendrick’s deeds describe their holdings as follows:

a certain parcel of land situate on Great Herring Pond in Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, bounded Easterly by Great Herring Pond and Carter’s River; Northerly by land now or formerly of E.E. Swift and others the line running through Island Pond; Northwesterly by land now or formerly of G.C. Tobey, formerly of Ichabod Morton; and Southerly by land now or late of Noble Swift and H.G.O. Ellis et al.

The aforementioned Wheeler Plan depicts this parcel as a large, roughly rectangular area. It includes both lots 18 and 19, as well as the entire Unit B area and land lying to the north, northwest, and south.

Through inadvertence, the Genovas constructed a shed and bathroom partially upon Smaland’s lot 19. Subsequently, they expanded the addition and increased the overhang of its roofline. At some point, the Genovas also added a stone retaining wall, plantings, and pathway on the land immediately surrounding this new construction. Today, the bathroom and shed encroach upon Smaland’s lot 19 by a total of 35 square feet, not including the landscaping and pathway. The Genovas discovered this encroachment while conducting a land survey in 2004. At the same time, they discovered an encroachment upon Crescent Road by their neighbor to the west, Carol Mahoney (“Ms. Mahoney”), owner of lot 17.

In front of lot 17, Crescent Road is 30 feet wide. However, since at least 1965, only 20 feet constitute passable road. At the edge of the passable portion lies a steep embankment, approximately three to four feet high and marked by randomly scattered stones intended to minimize erosion. To access her front yard from the lane, Ms. Mahoney installed a series of stepping stones leading up the embankment. The steps are located in the impassable portion of Crescent Road.

On January 20, 2005, Smaland brought suit against the Genovas seeking a determination of ownership of the disputed area, removal of the portion of the Genovas’ cottage which encroaches on its property, removal of obstructions to a walkway crossing lot 18, as well as a permanent injunction preventing the Genovas from interfering with Smaland’s use of the disputed area. Smaland also seeks damages for the Genovas’ alleged intentional interference with Smaland’s right of use. In the alternative, Smaland contends that even if the Genovas do own the disputed area, Smaland has openly and continuously used the area over the years in a manner which establishes a prescriptive easement.

On March 8, 2005, the Genovas counterclaimed against Smaland and impleaded the aforementioned Third-Party Defendants, challenging Smaland’s corporate makeup, asserting abuse of process, and seeking a declaratory judgment stating that they, the Genovas, own the disputed area and that any use of the properly by Smaland, including use of a dock and boat ramp, was permissive use based on neighborly courtesy. As to Smaland’s encroachment claim, the Genovas contend that the addition to their cottage should be allowed to stand as they have adversely possessed the underlying portion of Smaland’s lot 19, or in the alternative, have an easement permitting their use of the land.

On July 21, 2005, the Genovas moved this Court to enter summary judgment as to counts III, VII, and X of their counterclaim and as to counts I and V of Smaland’s amended complaint. In response, Smaland opposed the Genovas’ motion, submitted the affidavits of Lee P. Alfieri, Janet Alfieri, Grace Coombs, Elsa Anderson, Gustav Edward Olsson, and Leo T. Scarry, Esq. (“the Smaland Summary Judgment Affidavits”) in support of its opposition, and moved to strike the affidavit of Henry H. Thayer and the Hancock Plot Plan, both submitted with the Genovas’ motion for summary judgment.

The Genovas then moved to strike the Smaland Summary Judgment Affidavits and filed additional affidavits in support of their motion to strike, including the June 21, 2005 affidavit of Patricia Genova and the June 29, 2005 affidavit of Kathleen Genova, Esq. (“the Genova Motion to Strike Affidavits”). Smaland opposed the Genovas’ motion to strike, filed additional affidavits in support of their opposition and moved to strike portions of the Genova Motion to Strike Affidavits. In addition, Smaland submitted the affidavit of Mark Johnson pursuant to Mass.R.Civ.P. 56(f), apparently with the intention of moving the Court to refuse the Genovas’ application for judgment or to order a continuance to permit Smaland to obtain the affidavit of J. Randolph Parker, Jr., a registered professional land surveyor. The Genovas “opposed" Mr. Johnson’s affidavit. Subsequently, Smaland submitted Mr. Parker’s affidavit, which the Genovas have moved to strike.

DISCUSSION

The following discussion is separated into two sections. The first addresses the parties’ several motions to strike.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Diehl
276 F.3d 32 (First Circuit, 2002)
Kershaw v. Zecchini
173 N.E.2d 624 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1961)
Pederson v. Time, Inc.
532 N.E.2d 1211 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1989)
Murphy v. Mart Realty of Brockton, Inc.
205 N.E.2d 222 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1965)
Texon, Inc. v. Holyoke MacHine Co.
394 N.E.2d 976 (Massachusetts Appeals Court, 1979)
Ottavia v. Savarese
155 N.E.2d 432 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1959)
Mendonca v. Cities Service Oil Co. of Pennsylvania
237 N.E.2d 16 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1968)
Kourouvacilis v. General Motors Corp.
575 N.E.2d 734 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1991)
Commonwealth v. Geisler
438 N.E.2d 375 (Massachusetts Appeals Court, 1982)
Cassesso v. Commissioner of Correction
456 N.E.2d 1123 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1983)
Smith v. Hadad
314 N.E.2d 435 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1974)
Fowles v. Lingos
569 N.E.2d 416 (Massachusetts Appeals Court, 1991)
Ryan v. Stavros
203 N.E.2d 85 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1964)
Boutin v. Perreault
178 N.E.2d 482 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1961)
Tattan v. Kurlan
588 N.E.2d 699 (Massachusetts Appeals Court, 1992)
Perry v. Medeiros
343 N.E.2d 859 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1976)
Fox v. Union Sugar Refinery
109 Mass. 292 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1872)
May v. Bradlee
127 Mass. 414 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1879)
Bond v. O'Gara
58 N.E. 275 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1900)
Matthys v. First Swedish Baptist Church
223 Mass. 544 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1916)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
21 Mass. L. Rptr. 258, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smaland-beach-assn-v-genova-masssuperct-2006.