Parker v. Desherbinin
| Decision Date | 02 January 2018 |
| Docket Number | No. COA17-377-2,COA17-377-2 |
| Parties | Raymond Clifton PARKER, Plaintiff, v. Michael DESHERBININ and wife, Elizabeth Desherbinin, Defendants. |
| Court | North Carolina Court of Appeals |
257 N.C.App. 319
810 S.E.2d 682
Raymond Clifton PARKER, Plaintiff,
v.
Michael DESHERBININ and wife, Elizabeth Desherbinin, Defendants.
No. COA17-377-2
Court of Appeals of North Carolina.
Filed: January 2, 2018
Hodges, Coxe, Potter, & Phillips, LLP, Wilmington, by Bradley A. Coxe, for Plaintiff-Appellant.
H. Kenneth Stephens, II, Wilmington, for Defendant-Appellees.
TYSON, Judge.
Raymond Clifton Parker ("Appellant") appeals from denial of a directed verdict made at the close of Appellant’s evidence and renewed at the close of all evidence dated 29 August 2016, from a judgment entered on 22 September 2016 in favor of Michael and Elizabeth DeSherbinin (collectively "Appellees"), and from an order dated 1 December 2016, denying Appellant’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, to amend the judgment and for a new trial. For the following reasons, we affirm in part, reverse in part the trial court’s judgment, vacate in part, and remand for further findings of fact.
I. Background
Appellant and Appellees own adjoining tracts of real property located in New Hanover County, adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway. Appellant acquired his property, located at 19 Bridge Rd., from himself as trustee of the Grace Pittman Trust by a general warranty deed dated 21 December 1983. The deed was recorded on 16 January 1984 in Book 1243, at Page 769, in the New Hanover County Registry.
The Appellees acquired their property, a vacant lot, located at 1450 Edgewater Club Rd., by a warranty deed from John Anderson Overton and Holland Ann Overton, dated 16 December 2013 and recorded 17 December 2013 at Book 5788, at Page 1866, in the New Hanover County Registry. Appellees purchased their property with the intent to build a residence. The Appellees hired a surveyor, Marc Glenn, to survey the property and prepare a plat.
Glenn’s survey (the "Glenn survey") fixed the boundary between Appellant’s and Appellees’ properties to be approximately 5 feet south of the line established in a survey completed in 1982 by surveyor George Losak (the "Losak survey") and recorded at Map Book 21, at Page 63, in the New Hanover County Registry. The Glenn survey shows a chain link fence installed by Appellant to the north of the boundary line between the parties’ properties. The Glenn survey failed to reference the prior recorded Losak surveys or show any overlaps in the surveyed boundary lines.
In the Spring of 2014, Appellant and Appellees met regarding the boundary line between their properties. Appellant informed Appellees of an existing issue regarding the location of the boundary line. Appellees were also made aware, by their seller, prior to their purchase, that a dispute existed over the boundary line of the two properties. Appellees’ attorney closed on the property as shown in the Glenn survey, certified title thereto and obtained title insurance thereon.
Appellees filed for a building permit for the residence they intended to construct at 1450 Edgewater Club Rd. Appellees attached a copy of the Glenn survey to their building permit application. Appellant complained and shared the recorded Losak survey with the New Hanover County planning and zoning office, prior to the issuance of the Appellees’ building permit being issued, but to no avail.
Appellees continued to build their residence based on their belief the Glenn survey correctly showed the boundary. Appellant commissioned yet another survey from Charles Riggs, a registered licensed surveyor (the "Riggs survey"), while Appellees’ house was under construction.
Appellant filed an initial complaint on 23 June 2015 and an amended complaint on 7 January 2016. Appellant asserted claims for negligence, nuisance, declaratory judgment to identify the boundary line, adverse possession under color of title, and adverse possession under twenty years of continuous possession. On 4 March 2016, Appellees filed an answer denying Appellant’s claims and a counterclaim seeking a declaratory judgment to identify and establish the boundary line based upon their Glenn survey.
On 29 August 2016, the case came to trial. The parties agreed to waive trial by jury. Appellant moved for a directed verdict at the
close of his evidence and renewed again at the close of all evidence. These motions were denied.
Among the findings of fact made by the trial court are the following:
7. The Plaintiff’s and Defendants’ properties adjoin each other with the Defendants’ property lying adjacent to and to the north of Plaintiff’s property.
8. A map of Edgewater Subdivision recorded in Map Book 2, at Page 113, is the original map of Edgewater Subdivision (herein "Edgewater Map") and created said subdivision.
9. Plaintiff’s and Defendants’ properties are portions of Lots 4 and Lot 5 as shown on the map of Edgewater Subdivision, as recorded in Map Book 2, at Page 113, of the New Hanover County Registry.
10. The Defendants engaged James B. Blanchard, PLS, a licensed registered land surveyor to perform a survey of the parties properties in February, 2016 to establish the dividing line between Lots 4 and 5 of Edgewater
Subdivision as shown on Map Book 2, at Page 113, of the New Hanover County Registry and then to establish the boundary-line between the property of the parties.
11. At the trial of this matter, Defendants presented the testimony of Mr. Blanchard who was tendered to and accepted by the Court without objection by Plaintiff as an expert witness in land surveying.
12. That none of the original monuments shown on the Edgewater Map could be located by Mr. Blanchard.
13. Mr. Blanchard established the dividing line between Lots 4 and 5 of Edgewater Subdivision as follows:
a. By determining the northern line of Edgewater Subdivision by determining the southern line of Avenel Subdivision, the adjoining property to the north of Edgewater, as shown on a map recorded in Map Book 31, at Page 36 (herein "Avenel Map") and a map recorded in Map Book 7, at Page 14, both in the New Hanover County Registry.
b. That concrete monuments evidencing the southern line of Avenel and the northern line of Edgewater are shown on the Avenel Map and were located by Mr. Blanchard.
c. Mr. Blanchard established a line southwardly and perpendicular to the northern line of Edgewater Subdivision and along the eastern right of way of Final Landing Lane, as shown on the Edgewater Map, for the distance shown on the Edgewater Subdivision Map required to reach the dividing line between Lots 4 and 5 all as shown on the Edgewater Map.
d. Mr. Blanchard located the northern line of the tract adjoining Edgewater Subdivision on the south, i.e. the southern line of Edgewater Subdivision, as shown on a map recorded in Map Book 11, at Page 17, of the New Hanover County Registry.
e. Mr. Blanchard found monuments confirming his determination of the southern line of Edgewater Subdivision as shown on the original Edgewater Map.
f. That the Edgewater Map showed a fence running along the northern line of Edgewater Subdivision and that Mr. Blanchard, during the performance of his field work,
located remnants of a wire fence running along the line which he determined to be the northern line of Edgewater.
14. The Defendants introduced a map by Mr. Blanchard dated July 9, 2016 (Defendants’ Exhibit 21, herein the "Blanchard Map"), showing the findings of his survey and illustrating his testimony and opinions as to the location of the boundary-line between Lots 4 and 5 of Edgewater Subdivision, as well as the boundary-line between the Defendants’ tract to the north described in Deed Book 5788, at Page 1866, of the New Hanover County Registry, and Plaintiff’s tract to the south described in Deed Book 1243, at Page 769, of the New Hanover County Registry.
15. George Losak, registered land surveyor, prepared a map for "The William Lyon Company" dated December 30, 1982, recorded in February 10, 1983 and in Map Book 21, at Page 63, of the New Hanover County Registry (the "Losak Survey") showing or purporting to show the property later purchased by Plaintiff.
16. In August 1983, Mr. Losak prepared a second map of the property for "The Grace Pittman Trust" which was recorded on September 7, 1983 in Map Book 22, at Page 20, of the New Hanover County Registry. The purpose of this map was to correct errors contained in the Losak Survey....
17. Plaintiff’s deed dated December 21, 1983 and recorded on January 16, 1984 referred to the Losak Survey, recorded in Map Book 21, at Page 63, of the New Hanover County Registry.
18. The Losak Survey referred to hereinabove depicts pipes and monuments which Mr. Losak ignored in determining the boundary-line between the subject properties.
19. The Court finds Mr. Blanchard’s testimony to be credible and correct as to the location of the boundary-line between the Plaintiff’s and Defendants’ properties.
20. The true location of the boundary-line between Plaintiff’s property and Defendants’ property is shown on the Blanchard Map dated July 9, 2016 which describes the dividing line between the parties’ properties as
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