Worthy Creek Shingle Co. v. Anderson
Worthy Creek Shingle Co. v. Anderson
Opinion of the Court
This action was brought to prevent the respondent from interfering with appellant’s use of a roadway on the east side of Worthy Creek across respondent’s lands, upon the ground that the roadway is public by adverse user; and further, that in the event it is not such a public way, that the respondent is estopped by his conduct to deny the use of the road to the appellant. The respondent denied that the road was public by prescription or otherwise, denied the allegations charging him with estoppel, and filed a cross-complaint claiming damages by reason of trespass on the part of the appellant. The court, without
Upon the subject of the character of the road, while there is a conflict in the evidence, we' are satisfied it preponderates in favor of the conclusion reached by the trial court.
As to the charge of estoppel against the respondent, it appears that the premises occupied by the appellant, upon which it established a shingle mill in the early part of the year 1920, is separated from a public road by the premises of the respondent, across which runs the roadway in question that was used as an outlet by the appellant until prevented by the respondent about May 1, 1920. In establishing the mill, and thereafter until prevented, the appellant used the private road • of the respondent as a means of going and coming. There is a sharp conflict in the evidence as to the representations made by the respondent concerning the right of the appellant to use the roadway upon which it claims it depended in locating its mill. There can be no question, however, that a number of years ago partial steps were taken to establish a public road through respondent’s lands on the west side of the creek, and that such way had been opened sufficiently to permit public travel thereon for several years, but thereafter, and for the last eight or ten years, that way had fallen into disuse and was unfit for travel.
The appellant corporation was organized about January, 1920, the officers and stockholders of which are the same persons who in October or November, 1919, purchased by contract, with the right of removal, the timber upon the land whereon the mill was later placed. About the time of the purchase of the timber, they interviewed the respondent with reference to a way of
As to respondent’s damages, we do not agree with the trial court. Such alleged damages, as defined by the evidence, consisted of so-called trespass upon
The cause is remanded with directions to the trial court to modify the judgment by eliminating therefrom damages awarded to the respondent. Appellant will recover its costs on the appeal.
Parker, C. J., Main, Holcomb, and Tolman, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Worthy Creek Shingle Company v. Charles A. Anderson
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Estoppel (46, 54)—Public Way—Acquiescence in Use—Evidence—Sufficiency, In an action to prevent defendants’ interference with plaintiff’s use of a roadway over the land of defendants on the ground they were estopped by conduct to deny the use of the road to plaintiff, held that the evidence was insufficient to support plaintiff’s cause of action. Trespass (15, 16)—Damages to Real Property—Evidence—Sufficiency. A judgment for damages for trespass was unwarranted, where it appeared that defendant, in making use of a private roadway over plaintiff’s land for which it paid a rental, was compelled to make a slight detour because the roadway had been partially destroyed in blasting stumps and rocks.