Clyde Tull v. Paul Wilson

I N THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TENNESSEE FILED Jan. 13, 1997 WESTERN SECTI ON AT JACKSON Cecil Crowson, Jr. Appellate Court Clerk _______________________________

CLYDE TULL, ) Che s t e r Count y Cha nc e r y Cou r t ) No. 8596 Pl a i nt i f f - Appe l l a nt , ) ) v. ) ) C/ A NO. 02A01- 9601- CH- 00020 PAUL W LSON,I ) ) De f e nda nt - Appe l l e e . ) _ _ _ _ _ _ _____________________________________________________ _ _ _

Fr o m t he Cha nc e r y Cour t of Che s t e r Count y a t He nde r s on, Ho no r a bl e Joe C. M r i s , Judge or

M c ha e l L. W i nm i e an, TATUM AND TATUM He nde r s on, Te nne s s e e , At t or n e y f or Pl a i nt i f f - Appe l l a nt .

M c ha e l T. Tabor , i J a c k s on, Te nne s s e e At t o r ne y f or De f e nda nt - Appe l l e e .

OPI NI ON FI LED:

AFFI RM AND REM ED ANDED

FRANKS, J.

W FRANK CRAW . FORD, P. J. ( W S. ) : ( Conc ur s ) . FARMER, J . : ( Conc ur s )

I n t hi s a c t i on t he pl a i nt i f f s ought e xt r a or di na r y r e l i e f t o pr e ve nt de f e nd a nt f r om i nt e r f e r i ng wi t h pl a i nt i f f ’ s u s e o f a r oa dwa y, a nd f o r da ma ge s f or pa s t i nt e r f e r e nc e .

Pl a i nt i f f a ve r r e d t ha t he wa s e nt i t l e d t o us e t he r o a d wa y be c a us e i t wa s e i t he r a publ i c r oa d or he ha d a c qui r e d t h e r i ght t hr ough pr e s c r i pt i ve us e .

Appe l l a nt , Tul l , r e s i de s i mme di a t e l y s out h of

Ap p e l l e e W l s on’ s f a r m. i Tul l t e s t i f i e d t ha t he ha d t r a ve l e d

t h e r o a d c r os s i ng W l s on ’ s pr ope r t y t o a c c e s s hi s own f a r m. i

W e n W l s on e r e c t e d g a t e s a c r os s t he r oa d, t hi s a c t i on wa s h i

f i l e d , a nd upon t r i a l , t he Cha nc e l l or r ul e d i n f a vor of t he d e f e n d a nt on a l l i s s ue s .

Fi r s t , Tul l i ns i s t s t he r oa d wa s a publ i c wa y. A p r i v a t e r oa d ma y be i mpl i e dl y de di c a t e d t o t he publ i c by t he f a i l u r e of t he owne r t o obj e c t t o us e by t he publ i c . Re e v e s

v . Pe r k i ns , 509 S. W 2d 233, 235 ( Te nn. App. 1973) . . Suc h us e

mu s t b e f or a l ong pe r i od of t i me a nd unde r c l a i m of r i ght ,

a n d n o t me r e l y pe r mi s s i ve us e . W l s on v . Ac r e e , 37 S. W 90, 9 7 i .

Te n n . 378 ( Te nn. 1896) . Re pa i r or c ont r ol by a gove r nme nt e n t i t y i s a n e l e me nt of e vi de nc e i n de t e r mi ni ng whe t he r a r o a d

h a s b e c ome publ i c . Sha r p v . M nat t , 69 Te nn. 375, 1 Le a 37 5 , y

2 Le g . Re p. 205 ( Te nn. 1878) . Anot he r f a c t or i s whe t he r t h e o wn e r i nt e nde d t o pe r ma ne nt l y pa r t wi t h t he r oa d a nd ve s t i t

wi t h t he publ i c . M Ki nne y v . Dunc an, 118 S. W 683, 121 Te n n . c .

2 6 5 ( Te nn. 1909) . The bur de n r e s t s upon t he pl a i nt i f f t o e s t a b l i s h t ha t a r oa d c r os s i ng pr i va t e l a nd i s a publ i c r oa d . Re e v e s .

Tul l r e l i e s o n Re e v e s a r gui ng t ha t i t s f a c t s a r e a n a l o g ous t o t hi s c a s e . I n Re e v e s , p l a i nt i f f ’ s wi t ne s s e s t e s t i f i e d t ha t t he r oa d ha d be e n i n e xi s t e nc e a nd us e d by a n y o n e who wi s he d t o f or mor e t ha n f i f t y ye a r s . Al l ma nne r s o f t r a ns por t a t i on we r e u s e d a nd no owne r of t he pr ope r t y f e n c e d of f t he e nds of t he r oa d or r e s t r i c t e d t he us e . Cou n t y e mp l o y e e s t e s t i f i e d t ha t t he c ount y ha d gr a de d t he r oa d s e v e r a l t i me s . A pos t a l wor ke r ha d us e d t he r oa d a s pa r t of h i s r o ut e . De f e nda nt ’ s wi t ne s s e s of f e r e d s ome oppos i ng t e s t i mony but t he Tr i a l Cour t f ound t ha t t he pl a i nt i f f s ha d c a r r i e d t he bur de n of pr ovi ng t ha t a publ i c r oa d ha d be e n e s t a b l i s he d.

A c ompa r i s on of t he t e s t i mony i n t hi s c a s e s hows

t ha t W l s on’ s wi t ne s s e s t e s t i f i e d t o t he poor c ondi t i on, r a r e i

u s e , a nd pr i ma r i l y pr i va t e ma i nt e na nc e of t he r oa d. The r e wa s

a l s o t e s t i mony t ha t W l s on ha d gi ve n Tul l pe r mi s s i on t o us e i

t h e r o a d a nd t ha t a c c e s s t o t he r oa d wa s bl oc ke d i n t he f a l l o f ma n y ye a r s by pl a c i ng a t r e e a c r os s t he r oa d.

Our r e vi e w of t he t r i a l c our t ’ s f i ndi ngs of f a c t i s d e n o v o upon t he r e c or d , wi t h a pr e s umpt i on of c or r e c t ne s s . T. R. A. P. 13( d) . The e v i de nc e doe s not pr e ponde r a t e a ga i ns t t he Tr i a l Cour t ’ s f i ndi ngs t ha t pl a i nt i f f f a i l e d t o c a r r y t he *4 b u r d e n i n s howi ng t ha t t he r oa d ha d be c a me a publ i c wa y.

Fi na l l y, i t i s a r gue d t ha t t he Cour t e r r e d i n f i n d i ng t ha t Tul l di d not ha ve a pr e s c r i pt i ve e a s e me nt t o us e t h e r o a dwa y.

An e a s e me nt by pr e s c r i pt i on i s a c qui r e d by us e wh i c h i s ?a dve r s e , unde r c l a i m of r i ght , c ont i nuous , uni nt e r r upt e d , o p e n , vi s i bl e , e xc l us i ve , a nd wi t h t he knowl e dge a nd a c qu i e s c e nc e of t he owne r of t he s e r vi e nt t e ne me nt , a nd mus t c o n t i n ue f or t he f ul l pr e s c r i pt i ve pe r i od. . . . ? Hous e v .

Cl o s e , 48 Te nn. App. 341, 346 S. W 2d 445, 447 ( 1961) . . The

a d v e r s e pos s e s s or ha s t he bur de n of e s t a bl i s hi ng by c l e a r a n d

c o n v i nc i ng pr oof s uc h a dve r s e us e . W t wor t h v . Hut c hi s on, hi

7 3 1 S. W 2d 915, 917 ( Te nn. App. 1986) . . One who e nt e r s upon a

p r i v a t e r oa dwa y f or t e mp or a r y us e wi l l not s a t i s f y t he r e q u i r e me nt of a dve r s e pos s e s s i on. Se e Round Mount ai n Lumb e r

& Co a l Co. v . Bas s , 136 Te nn. 687, 700, 191 S. W 341 ( 1916) ; .

M c a mmon v . M r e di t h, 8 30 S. W 2d 577 ( Te nn. App. 1991) . a e .

I n t hi s c a s e , t he Cha nc e l l or f ound:

t he r oa d ma y ha ve be e n us e d by t he publ i c , but on t he s e oc c a s i ons i t wa s i n t he pa s t , a nd wa s f or f a r mi ng or hunt i ng pur pos e s . For s e ve r a l ye a r s , t h e de f e nda nt ha s bl oc ke d t he r oa d wi t h a t r e e i n t he wi nt e r t i me i n or de r t o pr ohi bi t hunt e r s f r om us i n g it. At be s t t he r oa d i s ve r y r ough, not s ui t a bl e f or pa s s a ge b y a n a ut omobi l e , c ombi ne s , or l oa de d t r uc ks . The r oa d wa s bui l t a nd ma i nt a i ne d by M . r W l s on’ s f a mi l y i n t he pa s t a nd i s now ma i nt a i ne d b y i t he de f e nda nt a nd Gl e nn M ne s s . a The pl a i nt i f f wa s gi ve n pe r mi s s i on by t he de f e nda nt t o us e t he r oa d f or f a r m pur pos e s , whi c h wa s t he ne i ghbor l y t hi ng t o do. The pl a i nt i f f i s not l a ndl oc ke d, a nd ha s a t l e a s t t hr e e ( 3) ot he r r out e s on pa ve d or gr a ve l r oa ds t o ge t t o hi s f a r mi ng ope r a t i ons .

Aga i n, our r e vi e w i s de nov o upon t he r e c or d, wi t h a p r e s u mpt i on of c or r e c t ne s s of t he f i ndi ngs of t he Tr i a l Cou r t

u n l e s s t he e vi de nc e pr e ponde r a t e s ot he r wi s e . M Cammon; c

T. R. A. P. 1 3( d) .

The e vi de nc e e s t a bl i s he s t ha t Tul l ’ s wi t ne s s e s we r e n e i g h b or s a nd f or me r r oa d c ommi s s i one r s who t e s t i f i e d t he r o a d wa s u s e d of t e n by t he c ommuni t y a nd ha d be e n ma i nt a i ne d by t h e

c o u n t y. W l s on’ s wi t ne s s e s we r e ne i ghbor s a nd r oa d i

c o mmi s s i one r s who t e s t i f i e d t ha t W l s on’ s f a t he r ha d bui l t t he i

r o a d a nd ma i nt a i ne d i t wi t h mi ni ma l a s s i s t a nc e by t he c ount y . Th e y t e s t i f i e d t ha t t he r e wa s l i mi t e d, o c c a s i ona l us e by h u n t e r s o r f a r me r s .

The Tr i a l Cour t ’ s a s s e s s me nt of t he c r e di bi l i t y of

wi t n e s s e s i s gi ve n gr e a t we i ght . Le e k v . Powe l l , 884 S. W 2 d .

1 1 8 ( Te nn. App. 1994) . The e vi de nc e doe s not pr e ponde r a t e a g a i n s t t he Tr i a l Cour t ’ s f i ndi ng t ha t pl a i nt i f f di d not e s t a bl i s he d t he e l e me nt s of a pr e s c r i pt i ve e a s e me nt by c l e a r

a n d p o s i t i ve pr oof . W t wor t h; hi M Cammon. c

W a f f i r m t he j udgme nt of t he Tr i a l Cour t a nd r e ma n d e

a t a ppe l l a nt ’ s c os t .

_________________________ He r s c he l P. Fr a nks , J .

_ _ _ _ _ _ _____________________ W Fr a nk Cr a wf or d, P. J . ( W S. ) . .

_ _ _ _ _ ______________________ Da vi d R. Fa r me r , J .