Ballington v. Paxton

• Decision Date: 09 June 1997
• Docket Number: No. 2674,2674
• Citation: 327 S.C. 372,488 S.E.2d 882
• Parties: Marguerite P. BALLINGTON, Isadora Lena Hare, Bennie C. Paxton, S., Richard M. Kyzer, and B.F. Paxton, Jr., Personal Representative of the Estate of Mary Paxton, Plaintiffs, Of Whom Marguerite P. Ballington, Isadora Lena Hare, Bennie C. Paxton, Sr., and Richard M. Kyzer are Appellants, v. David Wayne PAXTON, Respondent.
• Court: South Carolina Court of Appeals

Page 882

488 S.E.2d 882

327 S.C. 372

Marguerite P. BALLINGTON, Isadora Lena Hare, Bennie C.

Paxton, S., Richard M. Kyzer, and B.F. Paxton,

Jr., Personal Representative of the

Estate of Mary Paxton, Plaintiffs,

Of Whom Marguerite P. Ballington, Isadora Lena Hare, Bennie

C. Paxton, Sr., and Richard M. Kyzer are Appellants, v. David Wayne PAXTON, Respondent.

No. 2674.

Court of Appeals of South Carolina.

Submitted May 6, 1997

Decided June 9, 1997.

James C. Harrison, Jr., of Harrison & Quinn; Mary Connell Elam, Kenneth E. Ormand, Jr. and Carl A. Brumme, III, Columbia, for appellants.

James E. Barfield, Lexington, for respondent.

HOWELL, Chief Judge:

The Appellants appeal from the master-in-equity's refusal to require David Wayne Paxton to remove a gate and fence constructed on an easement over Paxton's property. We affirm.

I.

This case involves a family dispute over access to Paxton Pond, an approximately 40-acre man-made pond in Lexington County. The pond and adjacent property are located on Highway 34, commonly referred to as Pond Branch Road. A dirt road, Paxton's Pond Road, goes from Highway 34 and follows along a portion of the pond's perimeter.

The Appellants, Paxton, and other family members derived title to the pond from J.E. Paxton. In the early 1960's, title to the land under the pond as well as rights to use the pond was divided into twelve shares and distributed to the children of J.E. Paxton, including J.E. Paxton, Jr. (J.E. Paxton), David Paxton's father. J.E. Paxton owned property adjacent to the pond, and family members traditionally gained access to the pond by crossing over his land. J.E. Paxton's property provided convenient access to one of the pond's two improved swimming areas and the area traditionally used as a boat launch. ¹ In 1972, J.E. Paxton executed an instrument specifically giving his siblings permission to cross his property to gain access to the pond. The document provided:

I, John E. Paxton, Jr., ... do hereby grant to all my brothers and sisters Louise Warner, Marguerite Ballington, Dora Hare, Patricia Kyzer and James and Bennie Charles Paxton and their heirs, the right to cross my property to get to the pond.

If any of their pond rights are sold outside the family, this privilege is revoked to the buyer.

Beginning in the early 1970's, J.E. Paxton and his family experienced problems with trespassers and vandalism in connection with the pond and the access across their property. However, the Paxtons were generally able to control the problems because J.E. Paxton who was largely confined to his home after suffering a stroke, vigilantly patrolled the area. After J.E. Paxton died in 1985, his widow, Iris, who was alone on the property, became increasingly concerned about the trespassers and vandalism. In 1988, Iris built a fence parallel to Highway 34, with the fence beginning at the side of a small "pond house" and apparently extending down into the pond itself. ² The fence blocked the family's traditional access route to the pond. In order to keep an eye on the traffic to the pond, Iris rerouted the existing road so that all cars had to drive by her house to get to the pond. She also installed a locked pedestrian gate in the fence and gave keys to various family members. This arrangement was apparently satisfactory to the family pond owners.

The fence, however, did not solve the trespassing and vandalism problems. Windows on Paxton's pond house were broken and the area was frequently littered with beer bottles and other trash. Trees and Paxton's picnic tables were used as firewood. Paxton also experienced problems with people raising or lowering the level of the pond by tampering with the boards on the spillway, and cars driving on the dam. According to Paxton and his brother, many of the problems were caused by Paxton's cousins--that is, children of the Plaintiffs and the other sibling pond owners. They testified that their cousins and others would often appear at the pond intoxicated, use abusive language, or even discharge firearms. In addition, carloads of strangers would frequently appear at the pond, generally claiming to have been given permission to use the pond by one of the cousins.

As a result of the continuing problems, Paxton extended the fence in 1994, after he inherited the property burdened with the easement. The extended fence now completely surrounds the swimming area, extending approximately 100 feet into the water on each side of the swimming area. Thus, the only access to the swimming area is either through the fence or through one of the swampy or marshy areas of the pond. The extended fence includes a gate wide enough to accommodate a car.

Paxton left a key to the gate outside, hanging in a tree. After the key or the lock and chain began disappearing and the pond area continued to be littered, Paxton created a sign-in sheet and asked the pond owners to sign in when using the pond. The purpose of the sign-in procedures was to allow Paxton to know who was using the pond and when they used it, so he would know who to approach in the event there were problems.

Not surprisingly, the Plaintiffs were not pleased with the more restricted access to the pond, and they filed this action seeking an order enjoining Paxton from obstructing their easement rights across his property and seeking daily damages for the obstruction of the easement. Paxton answered, contending that his fence was necessary for the protection of his property and that it did not completely obstruct the Plaintiffs' access to the pond. Paxton also asked that the court "[d]etermine the allegations of abuse and misconduct by Plaintiffs' invitees claiming under them and enjoin and restrain them from entering [Paxton's] property and otherwise interfering with the property rights of [Paxton]."

The master concluded that the 1972 document executed by J.E. Paxton created a private easement or right-of-way across his property in favor of the Plaintiffs and their heirs. The master further concluded that Paxton's obstruction of the easement through the locked fence was reasonable under the circumstances. Nonetheless, the master imposed certain restrictions on the operation of the fence and the conduct of the parties.

The order requires that Paxton maintain a locked receptacle in which the gate key and sign-in log will be located and that each of the Plaintiffs be given a key to the receptacle. The order provides that giving the key to a person who was not a party to this action or failing to use the sign-in log "shall be cause to restrain use of the easement." The order further provides that, "so long as a named Plaintiff is present, any of his or her family members, or non-family members, shall be permitted to use the easement, i.e. crossing [Paxton's] land to the pond. Any other use of [Paxton's] land shall only be with [Paxton's] express permission." Finally, as to three of Paxton's cousins, the order provides that they are

restricted to being accompanied by a named Plaintiff and each is specifically enjoined and restrained from discharging firearms, use of non-prescription drugs, excessive consumption of alcohol, trashing or otherwise damaging [Paxton's] property, or otherwise acting in any unreasonable manner. These individuals are authorized to petition the Court under this action for relief from this restraint under a proper reasonable showing.

While the master concluded that neither party had proven monetary damages, he did order that the costs of the action be assessed against the Plaintiffs. The Appellants, four of the five original Plaintiffs, then filed this appeal.

II.

On appeal, the Appellants first challenge the master's conclusion that the fence and gate across Paxton's property were not unreasonable obstructions of their easement rights. We find no error.

As a general rule, an owner of a servient estate may erect gates across an easement if the gates: "(1) are so located, constructed and maintained as not to unreasonably interfere with the right of passage of the dominant estate, (2) are necessary for the preservation of the servient estate, and (3) are necessary for the use of the servient estate." Brown v. Gaskins, 284 S.C. 30, 33, 324 S.E.2d 639, 640 (Ct.App.1984); accord Watson v. Hoke, 73 S.C. 361, 53 S.E. 537 (1906); Davis v. Epting, 317 S.C. 315, 454 S.E.2d 325 (Ct.App.1994), cert. denied (August 28, 1995). Whether any such gates may also be locked depends upon the circumstances of the case. Thomas v. Mitchell, 287 S.C. 35, 336 S.E.2d 154 (Ct.App.1985).

In this case, based upon our own view of the preponderance of the evidence, we conclude that Paxton's fence is necessary to protect his property and does not unreasonably interfere with the Appellants' right of access over the easement. ³ The record establishes that Paxton frequently had trespassers crossing his property to gain access to the pond and that the trespassers caused damage to his property. Given the attractive nature of the pond, a locked fence is the only reasonable means of controlling the problems. Thus, we conclude that the fence is necessary for the use and preservation of Paxton's property.

The Appellants presented no evidence at trial demonstrating that obstacles created by the locked gate were unreasonable. Instead, the Appellants simply argued at trial and continue to argue on appeal that, by virtue of the easement granted by J.E. Paxton, they are entitled to free and unfettered access across Paxton's property. We disagree.

A "right of way" means what those words imply; it does not mean a way always open; it does not mean a way without any obstruction.... The right reserved, is to pass and repass; and in the absence of express language, that means to pass and repass in a reasonable manner.

Watson v. Hoke, 73 S.C. 361, 362, 53 S.E. 537, 537 (1906) (Order of circuit court, affirmed by Supreme Court). Because there is no language in J.E. Paxton's easement limiting his right to build a...