Proctor v. Huntington
Proctor v. Huntington
Opinion of the Court
¶1 In 1994 and 1995, Robert and Christina Huntington and Noel Proctor bought adjacent, multiacre parcels of undeveloped land on which they constructed homes. In 2004, they discovered that the Huntingtons’ home and other improvements, which take up nearly an acre, are entirely on Proctor’s property because of a misunderstanding regarding the boundary marker on the north side of their properties. Proctor sued to eject the Hunting-tons and to require them to remove the improvements. He also revoked permission he had given the Huntingtons to
¶2 Proctor appeals the trial court’s forced sale remedy and its admission of certain expert testimony. The Huntingtons cross-appeal the trial court’s denial of their claims for estoppel in pais and for the easement to the driveway. We affirm.
FACTS
¶3 This case concerns a disputed boundary line between two large properties in Skamania County. Both lots were originally owned by Dusty Moss, who sold the eastern lot to Robert and Christina Huntington and the western lot to Noel Proctor. At the time, both lots were undeveloped.
¶4 Before Robert
¶5 The Huntingtons chose a site on which to build a home that summer, and they needed an access road over Proctor’s property. Robert testified that he asked Proctor for permission to build a permanent driveway across Proctor’s land as an offshoot from the access road. Proctor gave his permission to build the road on the condition that Robert construct a gate and share the costs of maintaining the shared part of the road. But he testified that he thought the road was to be temporary while the Huntingtons built their home; the property already had another driveway that he thought they would use as their permanent driveway. The Huntingtons believed that the agreement was for a permanent road or easement but they did not ask for a written easement at the time. In later years, they repeatedly asked Proctor for a written easement, but Proctor refused.
¶6 Robert testified that before he started building the road, he wanted to verify how much of it would be on Proctor’s property and how much would be on his. He testified that by chance, he encountered Dennis Peoples, the surveyor for the region, along the northern boundary of the property. Robert asked Peoples to confirm the northwest corner of his property, and Peoples mistakenly pointed out a marker, now referred to as the “16th pin,” that is about 400 feet west of the true boundary.
¶7 In spring 2004, Proctor hired a different surveyor, Richard Bell, to locate the corners of his property because he was concerned about a possible encroachment by a different neighbor. After completing the survey, Bell discovered that the Huntingtons’ house, well, garage, yard, and driveway were located entirely on Proctor’s property. Proctor sent the Huntingtons a letter withdrawing his permission for them to use their driveway, then brought this action for timber trespass, quiet title, ejectment, and a restraining order against trespass by the Huntingtons. The Hunting-tons counterclaimed to quiet title to the disputed area and for an easement for their driveway.
¶8 During trial, Proctor moved to exclude the testimony of the Huntingtons’ two expert witnesses regarding the costs and difficulty of removing the Huntingtons’ improvements from the land and returning the land to its previous condition. The trial court denied the motion, ruling that the testimony might help it fashion an equitable remedy.
¶9 The trial court ruled that Proctor gave the Hunting-tons an oral license, not an easement, to build and use the driveway across his property. As such, Proctor had a right, at any time, to withdraw his permission. It ordered the Huntingtons to cease using the driveway before June 1, 2007, a deadline that would give them sufficient time to construct a new driveway across their own property.
¶10 The trial court also rejected the Huntingtons’ estoppel in pais claim, ruling that they had failed to prove the elements by clear and convincing evidence. As such, their improvements were on Proctor’s property.
1) The Huntingtons did not act in bad faith, negligently or willfully, when they chose to build their home on a location that was later discovered to be on Mr. Proctor’s property;
2) the Huntingtons acted reasonably and in good faith when they ascertained the boundaries of their property;
3) the damage to Mr. Proctor is slight and the benefit of removing the house is equally small;
4) there are no real limitations on Mr. Proctor’s future use of his property in permitting the Huntingtons to retain their home in its current location;
5) it would be impractical and unduly expensive to remove the structure; and
6) there would be an enormous disparity in resulting hardships if the Huntingtons were required to move their home.
Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 229.
¶11 The trial court ordered the Huntingtons to pay Proctor $25,000
¶12 The principal issues on appeal are whether the trial court erred in finding that the Huntingtons failed to prove estoppel in pais by clear and convincing evidence and in fashioning a remedy that forced Proctor to sell the disputed land to the Huntingtons.
ANALYSIS
¶13 We review a trial court’s findings of fact for substantial supporting evidence in the record. If the evi
¶14 We first consider the Huntingtons’ cross appeal of the trial court’s conclusion that they failed to prove estoppel in pais by clear and convincing evidence.
I. Estoppel In Pais
¶15 Estoppel in pais requires the claimant to prove that (1) the owner made an admission, statement, or act inconsistent with a claim afterward asserted; (2) the other party acted on the faith of such admission; and (3) allowing the owner to contradict or repudiate his admission, statement, or act would result in injury to the other party. Thomas v. Harlan, 27 Wn.2d 512, 518, 178 P.2d 965 (1947). Because this doctrine estops an owner from asserting legal title to real property, we require proof by “ Very clear and cogent evidence.’ ” Sorenson v. Pyeatt, 158 Wn.2d 523, 539, 146 P.3d 1172 (2006) (quoting Tyree v. Gosa, 11 Wn.2d 572, 578, 119 P.2d 926 (1941)).
¶16 The Huntingtons base their claim on the meeting that they asserted occurred between Robert and Proctor at the 16th pin in 1995. The trial court found that at that meeting, Robert told Proctor that Peoples had told him the pin was his northwest corner and Proctor “did not offer any protest.” CP at 226. The trial court found, however, that the Huntingtons proved Proctor’s acquiescence to the boundary by only a preponderance of the evidence, not by clear and convincing evidence.
II. Remedy
¶18 Proctor argues that the trial court abused its discretion by refusing to order the Huntingtons to remove their encroachments and by instead granting them title to the property.
A. Denying Mandatory Injunction
¶19 Generally, courts will order an encroacher to remove encroaching structures even though it is extraordinary relief.
¶20 In this case, the trial court concluded that all five of these elements were met. Proctor challenges the first, second, and fifth elements.
1. First Element — Negligent Encroachment
¶21 Proctor argues that the Huntingtons failed to satisfy the first element of the Arnold test because they took a calculated risk or acted negligently or indifferently when locating their encroachments. He maintains that in its oral ruling, the trial court “specifically found [that] the Huntingtons were negligent” even though it later declined to enter a written finding to that effect. He also contends that the court ignored “considerable testimony” that (1) neither Peoples nor Proctor met with Robert at the 16th pin and (2) Peoples did not even set the 16th pin until after the meeting allegedly took place. Br. of Appellant at 31-32.
¶22 Proctor’s first argument fails for two reasons. First, the evidence supports the trial court’s written findings and they adequately resolve all critical disputes; we do not look beyond them. In re Det. of Smith, 117 Wn. App. 611,
¶23 Nor are we persuaded by Proctor’s argument that the court “ignored testimony” by Proctor and Peoples that the meetings at the 16th pin never occurred. Br. of Appellant at 32. Robert testified that they did occur, and we defer to the trier of fact on issues of conflicting testimony and the credibility of witnesses. State v. Thomas, 150 Wn.2d 821, 874-75, 83 P.3d 970 (2004). Substantial evidence supported the trial court’s finding.
2. Second Element — Slight Damage to Landowner
¶24 Proctor argues that the Huntingtons failed to establish the second element of the Arnold test for an exception to enjoining an encroacher: that the damage to the landowner is “slight.”
¶25 To satisfy the “slight” harm requirement, the encroachment need not be so small as to be de minimis. See Arnold, 75 Wn.2d at 148. For instance, in Arnold, the defendant’s house encroached onto the plaintiff’s land by about three feet and his fence encroached by about nine feet along the boundary; the court held that this invasion was “something more than a trifle” but still of only slight harm to the plaintiff. Arnold, 75 Wn.2d at 148, 152. In Hanson, the only other published case applying the Arnold exception, the encroachment onto the plaintiff’s land was one
¶26 Here, the Huntingtons’ improvements do not extend slightly beyond the boundary line with Proctor’s land; they are entirely on Proctor’s land. Moreover, the improvements take up nearly an acre of that land; the house alone has a 1,650 square-foot footprint. But although the Huntingtons’ encroachment does not fit within the slight encroachment illustrated by Arnold and Hanson, the Arnold court specifically cited Peoples Savings Bank v. Bufford, 90 Wash. 204, 155 P. 1068 (1916), as support for its premise that the court is not required to issue an oppressive injunction, and as support for its five-part rule setting the parameters of the exception. Arnold, 75 Wn.2d at 152. In Bufford, as here, the encroacher built his home on the wrong lot in a subdivision. Bufford, 90 Wash, at 204-05. When the true owner discovered the situation, it sued to eject the encroacher, who raised the defense of adverse possession. Bufford, 90 Wash, at 205. The Supreme Court held that the evidence was insufficient to show the encroacher’s open hostile possession for the required 10 years, but it nonetheless refused to quiet title in the true owner because “it would be inequitable to permit [the title owner] to oust [the encroacher].” Bufford, 90 Wash, at 209. The court then fashioned an equitable remedy allowing the title owner to take either the encroacher’s lot in the same addition or a refund of the taxes the title owner had paid on the disputed lot. Bufford, 90 Wash, at 209.
¶27 The Supreme Court has never overruled Bufford. In fact, it has cited the case a number of times for its
3. Fifth Element — Disparity in Resulting Hardships
¶28 Proctor argues that the trial court erred in concluding that there was an “enormous disparity” between his hardship in keeping the Huntingtons’ improvements on his land and the Huntingtons’ hardship in removing them. He asserts that his land is designated as forest land for tax purposes, which requires that a certain number of his total acres be devoted to forestry activities. Thus, according to Proctor, the acre of land taken up by residential improvements subtracts from his available nonforestry acreage allowance and limits what he can do with the rest of the land. In addition, having two residences on the property instead of one endangers the forestry designation altogether.
¶29 Proctor’s arguments are speculative. At trial, he acknowledged that he still maintains his forestry tax designation, and he presented no evidence of any specific plans for the rest of his property that were thwarted by the Huntingtons’ improvements on the property. Furthermore, even if Proctor’s tax designation were eliminated, his hardship would be monetary in nature and therefore subject to
B. Alternate Remedy/Granting Title
¶30 Proctor argues that even if the Arnold doctrine applies to this case, the trial court erred in imposing the remedy of a forced sale of the disputed property.
¶31 In Arnold, the court granted the defendant an easement for the area covered by his encroachments as long as he paid the plaintiff the value of the land as damages. Arnold, 75 Wn.2d at 153. Unlike this case, title did not change hands. In fact, the court specifically ordered that while the defendant could repair his existing encroachments, any replacement of those improvements must be within his own lot. Arnold, 75 Wn.2d at 153. But our facts are unlike those in Arnold where the encroachment was minor. Rather, as we have discussed, the facts here are most like Bufford — a home and other improvements built entirely on another’s property. Under these circumstances, an easement is not workable, and the trial court’s boundary adjustment was an appropriate remedy.
III. Expert Testimony
¶32 Proctor argues that the trial court abused its discretion by admitting expert testimony regarding the value of the disputed property and the costs of moving the Huntingtons’ improvements. He argues that the only possible relevance of this testimony was to the “balancing the equities” inquiry; therefore, the court’s decision to admit
¶33 We review a trial court’s evidentiary rulings for an abuse of discretion. In re Pers. Restraint of Davis, 152 Wn.2d 647, 691, 101 P.3d 1 (2004). A trial court abuses its discretion when its decision is manifestly unreasonable or exercised on untenable grounds or for untenable reasons, i.e., if the court relies on unsupported facts, takes a view that no reasonable person would take, applies the wrong legal standard, or bases its ruling on an erroneous view of the law. State v. Lord, 161 Wn.2d 276, 283-84, 165 P.3d 1251 (2007). The trial court did not abuse its discretion here. Even if the court had denied the Huntingtons equitable relief, they were entitled to ask for the relief and to present evidence to support it.
IV. Driveway Easement
¶34 The Huntingtons contend that the trial court erred by finding that they had merely a license and not an easement for their driveway across Proctor’s land.
¶35 Licenses and easements are distinct in principle. 25 Am. Jur. 2d Easements and Licenses in Real Property § 2 (2004). The basic difference is that an easement is a right and a license is a privilege. 17 William B. Stoebuck & John W. Weaver, Washington Practice: Real Estate § 2.1, at 82 (2d ed. 2004). Unlike an easement, a license is revocable, nonassignable, and created by the licensor’s oral, written, or implied consent. Conaway v. Time Oil Co., 34 Wn.2d 884, 894, 210 P.2d 1012 (1949); Showalter v. City of Cheney, 118 Wn. App. 543, 548, 76 P.3d 782 (2003). An easement is a property right, albeit distinct from ownership, to use another’s land. Dickson v. Kates, 132 Wn. App. 724, 731, 133 P.3d 498 (2006). And because easements are “ ‘encumbrance [s] upon real estate,’ ” any contract creating or evidencing an easement must be in writing and comply with
¶36 Here, because no deed establishes an easement, the Huntingtons assert that the doctrines of part performance and estoppel entitle them to specific performance of an agreement to create such an easement.
¶37 A grantor must intend to convey an easement. M.K.K.I., Inc. v. Krueger, 135 Wn. App. 647, 654, 145 P.3d 411 (2006), review denied, 161 Wn.2d 1012 (2007). Here, the trial court impliedly found that Proctor did not intend to create an easement when it (1) concluded that no easement existed and (2) noted that Proctor had repeatedly refused to execute a written easement. Substantial evidence supports these findings. Proctor testified that the word “permanent” never came up in his discussions with the Huntingtons; in fact, he assumed at the time that the Huntingtons would be using the driveway only temporarily during the construction of their home because they already had a permanent driveway on their own property. Furthermore, after the Huntingtons’ construction was finished,
V. Attorney Fees
¶38 Proctor argues that he is entitled to attorney fees under RAP 18.9 because the Huntingtons’ cross appeal is frivolous. Specifically, he contends that we should sanction the Huntingtons because “Washington does not recognize an easement by estoppel and there is no clear case law supporting their arguments.” Reply Br. of Appellant at 32.
¶39 An appeal is frivolous if there are no debatable issues on which reasonable minds might differ and it is so totally devoid of merit that there was no reasonable possibility of reversal. Malted Mousse, Inc. v. Steinmetz, 150 Wn.2d 518, 535, 79 P.3d 1154 (2003) (quoting Fay v. Nw. Airlines, Inc., 115 Wn.2d 194, 200-01, 796 P.2d 412 (1990)). The Huntingtons cite several Washington cases in which easements by estoppel are discussed favorably. See Ormiston v. Boast, 68 Wn.2d 548, 552, 413 P.2d 969 (1966); Canterbury Shores Assocs. v. Lakeshore Props., Inc., 18 Wn. App. 825, 827, 572 P.2d 742 (1977). We cannot find that the Huntingtons’ cross appeal was frivolous. We deny Proctor’s request for sanctions.
¶40 Affirmed.
Review granted at 165 Wn.2d 1041 (2009).
When referring to Robert Huntington, we use his first name.
Peoples had placed this marker for the benefit of the logging operation conducted on the property on the other side of the fence.
Proctor denied at trial that this meeting ever took place.
The court had previously dismissed the Huntingtons’ adverse possession claim, finding that they had failed to meet all of the elements under RCW 7.28.085.
An expert appraiser, Jim Lyons, testified that this was the fair market value for a one-acre parcel of Proctor’s property if conveyed by a boundary line adjustment to the Huntingtons. The trial court explicitly found Lyons to be credible.
A mandatory injunction is also often an appropriate remedy for violation of a restrictive covenant, but because such violations do not involve actual encroachments of real property, we disregard the parties’ extensive citations to restrictive covenant cases.
Proctor also cites several cases from other jurisdictions to argue that Arnold applies to only slight encroachments. See Stuttgart Elec. Co. v. Riceland Seed Co., 33 Ark. App. 108, 115, 802 S.W.2d 484 (1991) (warehouse encroached 2.3 feet onto neighboring property); Golden Press, Inc. v. Rylands, 124 Colo. 122, 128-29, 235 P.2d 592 (1951) (footings seven feet below surface of ground encroached by about three inches); Zerr v. Heceta Lodge No. 111, 269 Or. 174, 185, 523 P.2d 1018 (1974) (encroachment of nine inches; no mandatory injunction where no substantial damages); cf. Goulding v. Cook., 422 Mass. 276, 279-80, 661 N.E.2d 1322 (1996) (while Massachusetts courts will not enjoin “truly minimal encroachments,” injunction to remove septic system taking up a “spatially significant portion of the plaintiffs’ lot” was upheld).
Under the doctrine of part performance, a court may specifically enforce an oral agreement to convey an estate in real property if there is sufficient part performance of the agreement. Berg, 125 Wn.2d at 556 (citing Miller v. McCamish, 78 Wn.2d 821, 826, 479 P.2d 919 (1971)). Equitable estoppel applies where there has been an admission, statement, or act that has been justifiably relied on to another party’s detriment. Adler v. Fred Lind Manor, 153 Wn.2d 331, 362-63, 103 P.3d 773 (2004). Some commentators have noted that the estoppel doctrine is often confused with the part performance doctrine because they arise out of essentially the same fact pattern and usually may be used interchangeably. 17 Stoebuck & Weaver, supra, § 2.8, at 108. We need not consider the distinctions between the two doctrines because the Huntingtons fail to meet their burden on either.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Noel Proctor v. Robert Huntington
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- Published