Powell v. Sims

• Decision Date: 31 July 1871
• Court: West Virginia Supreme Court
• Parties: Robert Powell v. Gilmore F. Sims.

5 W.Va. 1

Robert Powell

v.Gilmore F. Sims.

Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

July Term, 1871.

1. The common law of England is in torce in this State only so far as it is in harmony with its institutions, and its principles applicable to the.state of the country and the condition of society.

2. The English common law doctrine of Ancient Lights disapproved.

8. An implied grant of an easement of light will be sustained only in cases ol real necessity; and will be denied or rejected in cases when it appears that the owner claiming the easement can, at a reasonable cost, have or substitute other lights to his building.

Owen D. Downey owned a property in Piedmont, Mineral county, known as the "Downey House." It consisted of two adjoining buildings, built of brick and wood. The latter had a wing which extended to the rear. On the 29th of March, 1869, he sold to Gilmore F. Sims, the wooden part of the building, and on the 24th of April following he sold to Robert Powell the brick building.

Powell shortly thereafter commenced the erection of a porch from the rear of his brick building along the side of the wooden wing of the Sims building to the street in the rear, and was closing up the windows in the same. Sims thereupon filed his bill of injunction in the circuit court of Mineral county, in July, 1869, alleging the destruction of his lights, which was the origin of this cause. The deeds to the parties respectively set forth the boundaries of the grounds by metes and bounds, and both parties were aware of the location of the buildings and their situation at the date of their purchases. Neither of the deeds contained any allusion to the subject of lights, or express grant or restriction in relation thereto.

It appeared in the testimony that the ground floor of the wing extending back on the property of Sims, was used by him as a kitchen to his hotel, and the second story as chambers for his guests. It further appeared that if the windows on the side next to the yard of Powell were closed up, that they could be transferred to the other or east side of the wing, where they would open upon a porch from which access was had to the rooms.

The circuit court of Mineral perpetuated the injunction at the October term, 1869; from which decree the defendant Powell appealed to this court.

George A. Pearre for appellant.

C. X Faulkner and F. M. Reynolds for the appellee.

Berkshire, P. The principles to be settled in this case are certainly important to the parties to be immediately affected by our decision, but they are much more so in their wider application to the citizens at large. And as the rule established in this case is to apply to and govern future cases in this State, the case has been examined and considered with the attention and care which its importance would seem to require. Each of the parties to this controversy claim under deeds from a common vendor, Owen D. Downey, who it appears, was the owner of both tenements at the time of the sale and conveyance to the appellee, which sale and conveyance were prior to that to the appellant. Downey, it also appears, built both of the houses the one conveyed to the appellee first and afterwards occupied them together as a hotel. But at the time of, and for some time prior to the sale to the appellee, they were separately occupied by different persons or families and for different purposes. In the deeds to the parties, the boundaries of their respective premises are accurately described by metes and bounds, and the partition line or boundary between them is called for and clearly defined in each of the deeds. It further appears, that each of the parties examined the premises and had full notice of their location and condition at the time of their purchases. Also that the wing or rear building of the appellee's house extends southward from the main building, along and immediately upon the division line of the two properties, the windows in said wing being in the west side and overlooking the open space and yard of the appellant so conveyed to him by Downey; and that the appellant, when enjoined by the appellee, was erecting on his own ground a porch extending from his own building along the said wing to the street in the rear of the buildings, which porch, when completed, it is conceded would close up said windows and thereby exclude the flow of light and air through them into the rooms of said wing and rear building. The case was fully and ably argued, and our labors in its examination thereby much relieved and facilitated. On behalf of the appellee it was strongly and earnestly maintained that by his deed from Downey, he acquired by an implied grant an easement of light and air through the windows in controversy, and that a perpetual restriction and incumbrance was thereby imposed on the adjoining property of the appellant, which made it unlawful for him to obstruct and close the windows by the erection of the porch now in dispute. On behalf of the appellant it was insisted, with equal earnestness, that under the circumstances of this case, no such right or easement under his deed passed to the appellee, and that he had no right, therefore, to hinder or restrain the appellant from making any necessary or useful improvements on his own property, including the porch in controversy. It was also contended by the counsel for the appellee, that this case should be determined upon the doctrine and principles of the common law as established in England in reference to easements of light in similar cases. While on the other side it was maintained that the English doctrine as applied to similar cases there, is repugnant to and inconsistent with our institutions and unsuited and inappropriate to the state of things in this country, and ought not therefore to be applied in this instance; and that the rule, as established by the American cases, should be applied to and govern this case. And in my view, our decision must depend mainly on the fact whether we follow the authorities of the one country or the other. For it cannot be questioned, that if we adhere to and are governed solely by the rule as established and applied under the English authorities, in that country, the appellee here must prevail; while on the other hand, it is clear, that if we adopt and apply the rule as settled by the decided weight of the American cases and authorities, independent of the effect of our registration act, the case must be determined for the appellant. It now, therefore, becomes material to enquire how far we are bound under our Constitution, to adopt and apply the English rule; and if not so bound, whether it or the prevailing doctrine as established in this country ought to be applied in this instance. To what extent, then, is the common law of England in force in this State? By section 8 of article 11 of the Constitution, it is provided that "such parts of the common law and the laws of the State of Virginia as are in force within the boundaries of the State of West Virginia, when this Constitution goes into operation, and not repugnant thereto, shall be and continue the law of this State until altered or repealed by the Legislature." The Constitution of the State of Virginia in force at the time of the creation of this State, as well as all previous constitutions of the former State, contained similar provisions adopting the common law so far as its principles were not repugnant to said constitutions. And I...