Jamison v. Waldeck United Methodist Church

• Decision Date: 27 May 1994
• Docket Number: No. 21963,21963
• Citation: 445 S.E.2d 229,191 W.Va. 288
• Court: West Virginia Supreme Court
• Parties: Michael G. JAMISON and Mary J. Jamison, his wife; Earl L. Jamison and Nora Lea Jamison, his wife; Lane Godfrey and Mary Godfrey, his wife; and Larry Heater, Plaintiffs Below, Appellees, v. The WALDECK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, an Ecclesiastical Body, and Ruth Snyder, Allen Marple, Loy Byrd, Jr., Howard Wylie, Ruby Queen, Mary Marple, Patrick West, Ramona West, and Denver Turner, as Trustees of the Waldeck United Methodist Church, Defendants Below, Ruth Snyder, Allen Marple, Loy Byrd, Jr., Howard Wylie, Ruby Queen, Mary Marple, Patrick West, Ramona West, and Denver Turner, as Trustees of the Waldeck United Methodist Church, Appellants. . January 1994 Term

Page 229

445 S.E.2d 229

191 W.Va. 288

Michael G. JAMISON and Mary J. Jamison, his wife; Earl L.

Jamison and Nora Lea Jamison, his wife; Lane

Godfrey and Mary Godfrey, his wife; and Larry Heater, Plaintiffs Below, Appellees, v. The WALDECK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, an Ecclesiastical Body, and Ruth Snyder, Allen Marple, Loy Byrd, Jr., Howard Wylie, Ruby Queen, Mary Marple, Patrick West, Ramona West, and Denver Turner, as Trustees of the Waldeck United Methodist

Church, Defendants Below,

Ruth Snyder, Allen Marple, Loy Byrd, Jr., Howard Wylie, Ruby

Queen, Mary Marple, Patrick West, Ramona West, and

Denver Turner, as Trustees of the

Waldeck United Methodist

Church, Appellants.

No. 21963.

Supreme Court of Appeals of

West Virginia.

January 1994 Term.

Submitted May 3, 1994.

Decided May 27, 1994.

[191 W.Va. 289] Syllabus by the Court

1. " 'The open, continuous and uninterrupted use of a road over the land of another, under bona fide claim of right, and without objection from the owner, for a period of ten years, creates in the user of such road a right by prescription to the continued use thereof. In the absence of any one or all of such requisites, the claimant of a private way does not acquire such way by prescription over the lands of another.' Syl. pt. 1, Holland v. Flanagan, 139 W.Va. 884, 81 S.E.2d 908 (1954)." Syllabus Point 2, Keller v. Hartman, 175 W.Va. 418, 333 S.E.2d 89 (1985).

2. " ' " 'The burden of proving an easement rests on the party claiming such right and must be established by clear and convincing evidence.' Syl. pt. 1, Berkeley Development Corp. v. Hutzler, 159 W.Va. 844, 229 S.E.2d 732 (1976)." Syllabus Point 3, Keller v. Hartman, W.Va. , 333 S.E.2d 89 (1985).' Syl. pt. 3, Norman v. Belcher, 180 W.Va. 581, 378 S.E.2d 446 (1989)." Syllabus Point 2, Crane v. Hayes, 187 W.Va. 198, 417 S.E.2d 117 (1992).

3. "[I]f the use is by permission of the owner, an easement is not created by such use." Syllabus Point 1, in part, Town of Paden City v. Felton, 136 W.Va. 127, 66 S.E.2d 280 (1951).

4. " ' "Where, in the trial of an action at law before a jury, the evidence is conflicting, it is the province of the jury to resolve the conflict, and its verdict thereon will not be disturbed unless believed to be plainly wrong." Syl. pt. 2, French v. Sinkford, 132 W.Va. 66, 54 S.E.2d 38 [ (1948) ].' Syllabus Point 1, McCormick v. Hamilton Business Sys., Inc., 175 W.Va. 222, 332 S.E.2d 234 (1985)." Syllabus Point 7, Keister v. Talbott, 182 W.Va. 745, 391 S.E.2d 895 (1990).

W.T. Weber, Jr., W.T. Weber, III, Weston, for appellees.

John R. Haller, Haller & Wagoner, Weston, for appellants.

PER CURIAM:

This appeal is brought by the defendants below and appellants herein, the Trustees of the Waldeck United Methodist Church (Church). The plaintiffs below and the appellees herein are certain persons who claim a prescriptive easement across the Church's property as a means of ingress and egress to and from certain adjoining property. The appellants appeal the final order of the Circuit Court of Lewis County, dated April 7, 1993, that denied their motion to set aside the jury verdict granting the prescriptive easement to four of the named plaintiffs and denied their motion to enter a judgment notwithstanding the verdict.

I. FACTS

The Church's property fronts U.S. Route 33 and 119 in Lewis County. From the highway, a roadway exists across the Church's property to access the church building, its parking area, and its cemetery. At some point, this roadway separates into a "Y" with one branch continuing on the Church's property and the other branch bearing towards the properties of the plaintiffs, Lane and Mary Godfrey and Michael G. and Mary J. Jamison. The beginning section of the Church's roadway is blacktopped pavement. In early 1982, the section of roadway leading to the Godfrey and Jamison properties was grass and dirt. At trial, Mr. Jamison testified that he spread gravel over the area, and he took care of it during the time he lived on his property.

Michael Jamison acquired his property from his parents, Earl L. and Nora Lea Jamison, ¹ who owned approximately seventeen acres of land that adjoined, in part, the Church's property. On March 2, 1982, Earl and Nora Lea deeded to Michael Jamison a one-acre tract of land from the southwest corner of their property. Upon the one-acre tract, Michael and Mary Jamison, his wife, built a house and moved onto the property around November of 1982. Michael and Mary Jamison lived in this house until they moved in 1989. Thereafter, they rented the house to various tenants. The plaintiff, Larry Heater, was renting the house at the time this action was brought.

Although Earl and Nora Jamison do not use the Church's roadway to reach their house, the one-acre tract they deeded to their son does not front any public highways. Generally, to the north and the east, the one-acre tract adjoins the remaining property owned by Earl and Nora Jamison; to the south, it adjoins the lot owned by the plaintiffs, Lane and Mary Godfrey; and, to the west, it adjoins the Church's property. To access the one-acre tract, Michael and Mary Jamison and their tenants have relied exclusively upon the roadway across the Church's property.

The Godfreys purchased their house and approximately one-half acre of attached land from Theodore and Lisha Nash on March 3, 1982. Generally, the Godfrey property fronts U.S. Route 33 and 119 to the south, adjoins the one-acre tract owned by the Michael and Mary Jamison to the north, adjoins the Church's property to the west, and adjoins a part of Earl and Nora Jamison's property along with other property not involved in this dispute to the east.

The Godfrey house sits atop a steep embankment on the side that fronts the highway. There are steps that lead from the highway to the house. At trial, Mr. Nash testified that he built a driveway to the house, but he was unable to use it during the winter. Before he built the driveway or when the driveway was impassable, Mr. Nash stated that he either crossed the Church's property, or, at times, he parked near the main road and walked up the steps.

Mrs. Godfrey testified that since the time she and her family have lived on their lot, they have crossed the Church's property to reach their house. Mrs. Godfrey further testified that she never asked anyone at the Church for permission to cross the property because she assumed the roadway was there for their use.

At trial, the court directed a verdict against Larry Heater because he was merely a tenant of the Jamisons. Mr. Heater does not appeal this ruling. Consequently, the Church's appeal involves only the Jamisons' and Godfreys' claims to a prescriptive easement across its property.

II. THE JAMISON PROPERTY

We find that Michael and Mary Jamison failed to establish an easement by prescription. The elements of an easement by prescription are stated in Syllabus Point 2 of Keller v. Hartman, 175 W.Va. 418, 333 S.E.2d 89 (1985):

" 'The open, continuous and uninterrupted use of a road over the land of another, under bona fide claim of right, and without objection from the owner, for a period of ten years, creates in the user of such road a right by prescription to the continued use thereof. In the absence of any one or all of such requisites, the claimant of a private way does not acquire such way by prescription over the lands of another.' Syl. pt. 1, Holland v. Flanagan, 139 W.Va. 884, 81 S.E.2d 908 (1954)."

See also Syllabus Point 1, Crane v. Hayes, 187 W.Va. 198, 417 S.E.2d 117 (1992); Syllabus Point 1, Shrewsbury v. Humphrey, 183 W.Va. 291, 395 S.E.2d 535 (1990); Syllabus Point 2, Norman v. Belcher, 180 W.Va. 581, 378 S.E.2d 446 (1989).

The Jamisons should not have been granted the prescriptive easement because they did not present evidence that they satisfied the required ten-year period. It is well settled that it is the responsibility of the party claiming the easement to establish by clear and convincing evidence that it exists. As we stated in Syllabus Point 2 of Crane v. Hayes, supra:

" ' " 'The burden of proving an easement rests on the party claiming such right and must be established by clear and convincing evidence.' Syl. pt. 1, Berkeley Development Corp. v. Hutzler, 159 W.Va. 844, 229 S.E.2d 732 (1976)." Syllabus Point 3, Keller v. Hartman, W.Va. , 333 S.E.2d 89 (1985).' Syl. pt. 3, Norman v. Belcher, 180 W.Va. 581, 378 S.E.2d 446 (1989)."

Here, the suit against the Church to establish the plaintiffs' rights to a prescriptive easement was filed in the Circuit Court of Lewis County on November 13, 1992. However, the facts indicate that the Jamisons only lived on the property from 1982 until 1989, and then they began renting the property. In Keller, 175 W.Va. at 424, 333 S.E.2d at 95, we cited "the leading case of Deregibus v. Silberman Furniture Co., 121 Conn. 633, 186 A. 553, 105 A.L.R. 1183 (1936), ... [which] held that adverse use by a lessee of a way appurtenant to the leasehold premises inures to the benefit of the lessor only where the way is included, expressly or impliedly in the lease."

We do not find any indication in the record that the Jamisons provided in their lease of the property the right to use the Church's roadway. Likewise, we do not find any argument in their brief that the lease was sufficient to allow a tacking of the period the property was rented to the approximately seven years that they lived on the property. ² Thus, we conclude that the Jamisons did not prove by clear and convincing evidence that they accrued the ten years necessary to establish the prescriptive easement. We, therefore, reverse the judgment of the trial court as to its entering a verdict in favor of the Jamisons.

III. THE GODFREY PROPERTY

The Godfreys present a different situation than the Jamisons because they have lived in their house continuously since March 3, 1982 We agree with the Church that it is well established that if a property owner grants...