FILED

October 1, 1997

Cecil Crowson, Jr.

Appellate Court Clerk

I N THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TENNESSEE

EASTERN SECTI ON

MARK EDWARD KI NSLER ) HANCOCK COUNTY

) 03A01- 9703- CH- 00080

Pl a i ntif f - Appe lle e )

)

)

v. ) HON. THOMAS R. FRI ERSON, I I ,

 ) CHANCELLOR

) 

CARL BAKER, e t ux )

EDI TH BAKER )

 )

De f e nda nt s - Appe l l a nt s ) AFFI RMED AND REMANDED

WI LLI AM E. PHI LLI PS OF ROGERSVI LLE FOR APPELLANT

FLOYD W. RHEA OF SNEEDVI LLE FOR APPELLEE

 O P I N I O N

 Godda r d, P. J .

I n thi s s uit, the Pl a i ntif f s e e ks a de t e r mi na tion tha t

he owns a r i ght - of - wa y f r om hi s pr ope r t y l oc a t e d i n t he Four t h

Di s t r i c t of Ha nc oc k Count y ove r t he a dj oi ni ng pr ope r t y of t he

De f e nda nt s .

The Tr i a l Cour t f ound i n f a vor of t he Pl a i nt i f f ,

r e s ulting in thi s a ppe a l, whi c h r a i s e s the f ollowi ng is s ue s :
2

1. Di d the Tr i a l Cour t e r r in f a iling to f i nd tha t 

t he we i ght of t he e vi de nc e pr e ponde r a t e d t ha t

t he easeme nt of t he domi na nt es t a t e ha d been

a ba ndone d.

2. Di d the Tr i a l Cour t e r r in f a iling to f i nd tha t 

t he we i ght of t he e vi de nc e pr e ponde r a t e d i n a

f i ndi ng t ha t t he e a s e me nt of t he domi na nt e s t a t e

ha d be e n a dve r s e l y pos s e s s e d by t he owne r s of t he

s e r vi e nt es t a t e and t hus t e r mi na t e d.

3. Di d the Tr i a l Cour t e r r in f a iling to f i nd tha t 

t he we i ght of t he e vi de nc e pr e ponde r a t e d i n a

f i ndi ng t ha t a n a t t e mpt e d a dve r s e pos s e s s i on of

t he domi na nt es t a t e ' s eas e me nt ha d comme nced mor e

t ha n s e ve n ( 7) ye a r s pr i or t o t he f i l i ng of

pl a i ntif f ' s s uit thus ba r r i ng pl a i ntif f ' s s ui t

pur s ua nt t o t he pr ovi s i ons of Te nn. Code Ann. §

28- 2- 103.

The de e d whe r e i n t he Pl a i nt i f f a c qui r e d t he r i ght - of -

wa y he c l a i ms a nd pr i or de e ds i n hi s c ha i n of t i t l e a r e a s

f ollows :

1. N. T. Ba ke r a nd wi f e t o L. D. La ws on, da t e d Ma r c h 19, 1931,

c ont a i ne d t he f ol l owi ng l a ngua ge : " Pa r t i e s of t he f i r s t pa r t i s

[ s i c ] t o f ur ni s h pa r t y of t he s e c ond pa r t a La ne r oa d out of

t he m.

2. Nor a Ba ke r a nd wi f e t o L. D. La ws on, da t e d De c e mbe r 1, 1932,

c ont a i ne d t he f ol l owi ng l a ngua ge : " Nor a Ba ke r a nd Lul a Ba ke r

de e ds L. D. La ws on a nd wi f e a r oa d out ove r t he i r l a nd t o publ i c

r oa d. "

3. L. D. La ws on t o Kyl e Si z e mor e a nd wi f e , da t e d Nove mbe r 27,

1943, c onve ye d pr ope r t y a c qui r e d by pr e vi ous de e ds f r om Ba ke r .

No r i ght - of - wa y wa s me nt i one d, a l t hough t he de e d doe s c ont a i n a

"her e di t a me nt and appur t e na nce" cl a us e .
3

4. Kyl e Si zemor e and wi f e t o Ros c oe Ki ns l e r , da t e d Ma r c h 24,

1945. No r i ght - of - wa y wa s me nt i one d, a l t hough t he de e d doe s

c ont a i n a "her e di t a me nt and appur t e na nce" cl a us e .

5. Ros c oe Ki ns l e r a nd wi f e t o Euge ne Si z e mor e , da t e d Apr i l 6,

1956. No r i ght - of - wa y wa s me nt i one d, a l t hough t he de e d doe s

c ont a i n a "her e di t a me nt and appur t e na nce" cl a us e .

6. Euge ne Si zemor e t o Kyl e Si zemor e and wi f e , da t e d Decembe r 7,

1962. No r i ght - of - wa y wa s me nt i one d, nor doe s t he de e d c ont a i n a

"her e di t a me nt and appur t e na nce" cl a us e .

7. Kyl e Si zemor e and wi f e t o Mi c hael C. Hi c kma n and wi f e , da t e d

J ul y 15, 1991, a l s o c onve yi ng " a ny r i ght , t i t l e a nd i nt e r e s t

whi c h t he y [ t he gr a nt or s ] ma y ha ve t o a ny e a s e me nt s or r i ght s - of -

wa y be ne f i t i ng t he a bove - de s c r i be d pr e mi s e s . "

I t wi l l be not e d t ha t t he de e ds numbe r 3, 4, 5 a nd 6 do

not me nt i on t he r i ght - of - wa y. The Tr i a l Cour t de t e r mi ne d t ha t

t he r i ght - of - wa y pa s s e d by vi r t ue of t he he r e di t a me nt a nd

a ppur t e na nt c l a us e a nd no que s t i on i s ma de a s t o t hi s poi nt . We

do not e t ha t de e d numbe r s i x doe s not ha ve a he r e di t a me nt a nd

a ppur t e na nt cl a us e . But , becaus e i t i s t he ge ne r a l r ul e t ha t

" upon c onve ya nc e of pr ope r t y t he l a w i mpl i e s a gr a nt of a l l

i nc i de nt s r i ght f ul l y be l ongi ng t o t ha t pr ope r t y a t t he t i me of

t he conve ya nce whi c h wa s es s e nt i a l t o t he f ul l and pe r f ect

e nj oyme nt of t he pr ope r t y, " Bi s hop v. Vi l l a ge of Br ookf i e l d, 425

N. E. 2d 1113 ( I l l . App. 1981) , a nd be c a us e no que s t i on i s ma de a s

t o thi s poi nt e ithe r , we will notic e it no f ur t he r .
4

Our r e a di ng of t he r e c or d, i nc l udi ng t he Tr i a l Cour t ' s

me mor a ndum opi ni on, pe r s ua de s us t ha t t hi s i s a n a ppr opr i a t e c a s e

f or a f f i r ma nc e unde r Rul e 10( a ) of t hi s Cour t . I n r e a c hi ng t hi s

c onc l us i on, we f i nd t ha t t he e vi de nc e doe s not pr e ponde r a t e

a ga i ns t t he Tr i a l J udge ' s f i ndi ngs of f a c t , a nd t ha t hi s

c onc l us i ons of l a w ba s e d t he r e on a r e a ppr opr i a t e .

Not wi t hs t a ndi ng our a f f i r ma nc e unde r Rul e 10( a ) , we

de e m i t a ppr opr i a t e t o br i e f l y a ddr e s s t wo poi nt s ma de by t he

De f e nda nt s . Fi r s t , a s t o t he f e nc e t he y c ont e nd e nc l os e d t he i r

pr ope r t y f or t he pr e s c r i pt i ve pe r i od a nd t he r e by e xt i ngui s he d t he

r i ght - of - wa y c l a i me d by the Pl a i ntif f , it a ppe a r s tha t the f e nc e

wa s not c ons t r uc t e d, ma i nt a i ne d, or us e d i n a f a s hi on t ha t woul d

e xt i ngui s h t he Pl a i nt i f f ' s r i ght s . I nde e d, t he r e i s pr oof t ha t

t he ma i n pur pos e of t he f e nc e wa s t o c onf i ne c a t t l e . 

The r e i s a no t r e s pa s s i ng s i gn ne a r t he publ i c r oa d i n 

c l os e pr oxi mi t y t o a c e me t e r y. The De f e nda nt s di d pe r mi t f a mi l y

me mbe r s of t hos e bur i e d t o vi s i t t he c e me t e r y, a s i s r e qui r e d

unde r our c a s e l a w. Hi ne s v. St a t e , 126 Te nn. 1, 149 S. W. 1058

( 1911) . Howe ve r , t he y a l s o pe r mi t t e d Mr . Ki ns l e r a nd hunt e r s t o

t r a ve r s e the i r pr ope r t y. In thi s r e ga r d, Edith Ba ke r te s tif i e d

a s f ollows :

Q Ri ght . Now, Mr . Rhe a a s ke d you a bout di d you

mi nd Mr . Ki ns l e r c omi ng a c r os s you, wa l ki ng. Do you

a l l ow pe opl e t o wa l k up a nd down your pr ope r t y?

A Ye a h, t he r e ' s a l ot of pe opl e go i n t he r e a nd

I s a y not hi ng.
5

I t i s a ppa r e nt f r om t he r e c or d t ha t t he s i gn wa s

" mor e honour ' d i n t he br e a c h t ha n t he obs e r va nc e . "

For t he f or e goi ng r e a s ons t he j udgme nt of t he Tr i a l

Cour t i s a f f i r me d a nd t he c a us e r e ma nde d f or c ol l e c t i on of c os t s

be l ow. Cos t s of a ppe a l a r e a dj udge d a ga i ns t t he De f e nda nt s a nd

t he i r s ur e t y.

_______________________________

Hous t on M. Godda r d, P. J .

CONCUR:

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Cha r l e s D. Sus a no, J r ., J .

________________________________

Wi l l i a m H. I nma n, Sr . J .