Underwood Livestock, Inc. v. United States

89 Fed. Cl. 287, 39 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20235, 2009 U.S. Claims LEXIS 323, 2009 WL 3286686
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedOctober 7, 2009
DocketNo. 05-0162L
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 89 Fed. Cl. 287 (Underwood Livestock, Inc. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Underwood Livestock, Inc. v. United States, 89 Fed. Cl. 287, 39 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20235, 2009 U.S. Claims LEXIS 323, 2009 WL 3286686 (uscfc 2009).

Opinion

OPINION GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION AND ENTERING SUMMARY JUDGMENT FOR DEFENDANT

WILLIAMS, Judge.

In this Fifth Amendment takings case, Plaintiff Underwood Livestock, Inc. (“Underwood”) alleges that the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) obstructed Underwood’s use of its water rights by removing a water diversion structure in a creek flowing within Underwood Canyon in Nevada, and by fencing and barricading the surrounding area. The Interior Board of Land Appeals (“IBLA”) concluded that there was no right-of-way authorizing the construction or maintenance of the diversion structure on federal land and found that the builders of the structure — Underwood’s predecessors-in-interest — had trespassed. In a previous opinion, this Court denied the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment and noted that the IBLA decision, unless overturned by a court of competent jurisdiction, precluded Plaintiff from demonstrating that it had a cognizable property interest in the alleged right-of-way, thus defeating its takings claim. This Court stayed the case to allow Plaintiff to appeal the IBLA decision to the appropriate district court, which possessed exclusive jurisdiction for such review under the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”).1 Although the District Court of Nevada did not overturn the IBLA decision, Plaintiff has returned to this Court seeking reconsideration of this Court’s denial of summary judgment, and the Government cross-moved for reconsideration and entry of summary judgment. Because it is now clear that the IBLA decision remains in full force and effect, the Court grants the Government’s motion for reconsideration and enters summary judgment for Defendant, holding that Plaintiff cannot relitigate the issue of ownership of the alleged right-of-way under principles of collateral estoppel.

Background 2

Plaintiff is a Nevada Corporation formed on December 29, 1989. Dalton Wilson is [291]*291Underwood’s owner, president, sole shareholder, and sole employee. Wilson is not a party to this litigation in his personal capacity-

The “Brackney Water Diversion Structure” and 1924 Land Patent

In 1917, Thomas Brackney filed an application with the Nevada State Engineer for a permit to appropriate water from Underwood Canyon for irrigation and domestic purposes. Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J. Ex. G at 2, 3. The application indicated that water would be diverted at a point described as “Underwood Canyon S.W. 1/4 of N.E. 1/4 of Sec. 12, T. 22 N., R 47 E., M.D.B. & M.” Id. Ex G at 3. The Nevada State Engineer approved the application on February 25, 1919, and granted Brackney a permit to appropriate water known as “Permit 4613.” Id. Ex. G at 3-4. In 1919, Brackney built a water diversion structure consisting of a dam and a ditch. Id. Ex. H. Subsequently, in or about the 1920s, Brackney installed a pipeline in part of the ditch and erected a spring box in connection with this improvement. Id. Ex. I; Wilson and Bowman, 156 IBLA 89, 97 n. 11 (2001).

On June 17, 1930, the State Engineer issued a Certificate of Appropriation of Water (Certificate 1656) to Brackney, which indicated that the appropriation of water related to Permit 4613 was a vested water right. Specifically, the Certificate afforded Brackney and his suecessors-in-interest the right to divert 0.323 cubic feet per second (“cfs”) of surface waters of the Canyon during the period from April 1 to October 1 of each year from a diversion point defined as NW 1/4 NE 1/4 sec. 7 T. 22 N.; R. 48 E., Mount Diablo Meridian, Lander County, Nevada. Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J. Ex. G at 2.

Meanwhile, on February 19, 1924, the United States issued a patent to Brackney under the Act of Congress of May 20, 1862, Ch. 75 § 1, 12 Stat. 392, for 80 acres of land described as the “south half of the northwest quarter of Section twelve in Township twenty-two north of Range forty-seven east of the Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada, containing eighty acres.” Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J. Ex. J. The patent provided in pertinent part:

NOW KNOW YE, That there is, therefore, granted by the United States unto the said claimant the tract of Land, ... with the appurtenances thereof, unto the said claimant and to the heirs and assigns of the said claimant forever; subject to any vested and accrued water rights for mining, agricultural, manufacturing, or other purposes, and rights to ditches and reservoirs used in connection with such water rights, as may be recognized and acknowledged by the local customs, laws, and decisions of courts; and there is reserved from the lands hereby granted a right of way thereon for ditches or canals constructed by the authority of the United States.

156 IBLA at 95, Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J. Ex. J (emphasis added).

Wilson’s Purchase of the Land and Subsequent Chain of Title

In 1980, Dalton Wilson purchased the same 80 acres of land, with an appurtenant Nevada water right, Certificate 1656. Pl.’s Mot. for Summ. J. Ex. A, (Declaration of Dalton Wilson, Sept. 26, 2002 (“Wilson Deck”) ¶¶ 2, 6). Over the next few years, the property changed hands several times. In 1994, Don Bowman purchased the property and leased it to Underwood the same year. Am. Compl. ¶ 7; see also Pl.’s Supp., Declaration of Don Bowman (“Bowman Decl.”) ¶¶ 1-2, (Sept. 20, 2006).3

[292]*292On May 23, 1994, Bowman signed a two-year agreement, agreeing to lease these land and water rights to Wilson for $1,200 a month, giving Wilson an option to purchase the land and water rights. Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J. Ex. K. The lease included the water rights pertaining to Permit No. 4613 and Water Certificate 1656. Id. Ex. K at 2. Underwood was not mentioned in the lease.

The lease was set to expire on May 20, 1996, but Wilson asserts that he and Bowman orally agreed to extend the lease agreement and that Underwood subsequently exercised the option to purchase the property on April 4, 2002.4 Id. Ex. A (Wilson Dep. at 40-41, Feb. 27, 2002), Ex. D at 8, Ex. L (Bowman Dep. at 23-24, Feb. 26, 2002). There was no mention of any transfer of water rights in the grant, bargain and sale deed governing Underwood’s purchase of the property. Pl.’s Mot. for Summ. J. Ex. C at 14-15. Underwood subsequently lost the property by defaulting on its mortgage in June 2005. Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J. Ex. M. The IBLA decision concluded that in 2000, at the time of the alleged taking, Bowman owned the water rights, citing Certifícate 1656. 156 IBLA at 91 n. 4.

The Wilson Water Diversion Structure and BLM Trespass Proceedings

By 1998, all that remained of the original Brackney Water Diversion Structure were “scraps of old wood, which might be remnants of the spring box” and a pipeline that appears to have “been abandoned for at least 10 years ... [with] small aspen trees growing through the metal.” 156 IBLA at 98 n. 12 (2001) (internal quotations and citations omitted).

In approximately 1998, Wilson constructed a new water diversion structure in the vicinity of the Brackney water diversion structure which consisted of 19 heavy equipment tires. Wilson built this dam by taking “an old military four-by-four” to haul three tires at a time and then “took a 933[CAT] loader, crawler loader in there with a front-end bucket on it and back grippers on it ...

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
89 Fed. Cl. 287, 39 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20235, 2009 U.S. Claims LEXIS 323, 2009 WL 3286686, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/underwood-livestock-inc-v-united-states-uscfc-2009.