FILED

Jan. 13, 1997

Cecil Crowson, Jr.

Appellate Court Clerk

 I N THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TENNESSEE

WESTERN SECTI ON AT JACKSON

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CLYDE TULL, ) Che s t e r Count y Cha nc e r y Cour t

) No. 8596

Pl a i ntif f - Appe lla nt , ) 

)

v. )

) C/ A NO. 02A01- 9601- CH- 00020

PAUL WI LSON, )

)

De f e nda nt - Appe l l ee. )

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Fr om t he Cha nc e r y Cour t of Che s t e r Count y a t He nde r s on,

Honor abl e Joe C. Mor r i s , Judge

Mi c hae l L. We i nman,

TATUM AND TATUM, He nde r s on, Te nne s s e e

Attor ne y f or Pl a i ntif f - Appe lla nt .

Mi chae l T. Tabor ,

J a c ks on, Te nne s s e e

At t or ne y f or De f e nda nt - Appe l l e e .

OPI NI ON FI LED:

AFFI RMED AND REMANDED

FRANKS, J.
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W. FRANK CRAWFORD, 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 nda nt f r om i nt e r f e r i ng wi t h pl a i nt i f f ’ s

us e of a r oa dwa y, a nd f or da ma ge s f or pa s t i nt e r f e r e nc e . 

Pl a i ntif f a ve r r e d tha t he wa s e ntitle d to us e the

r oa dwa 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 he r i ght t hr ough pr e s c r i pt i ve us e .

Appe lla nt, Tull, re s i de s imme di a t e l y s out h of

Appe lle e Wils on’ s f a r m. Tull te s tif i e d tha t he ha d tr a ve l e d

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

Whe n Wi l s on er ect e d ga t e s acr os s t he r oa d, t hi s act i on wa s

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

de f e nda nt on a l l i s s ue s .

Fi r s t, Tul l ins i st s the r oa d wa s a publ i c wa y. A

pr i va 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 ur e of t he owne r t o obj e c t t o us e by t he publ i c . Reeves

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

mus t be 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 nd not me r e l y pe r mi s s i ve us e . Wi l s on v. Ac r ee, 37 S. W. 90, 97

Te nn. 378 ( Te nn. 1896) . Re pa i r or c ont r ol by a gove r nme nt

e nt 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 oa d

ha s be c ome publ i c . Shar p v . My nat t , 69 Te nn. 375, 1 Le a 375,
3

2 Le g. Re p. 205 ( Te nn. 1878) . Anot he r f a c t or i s whe t he r t he

owne 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 . Mc Ki nney v. Dunc an, 118 S. W. 683, 121 Te nn.

265 ( 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 bl 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.

Reeves. 

Tull r e lie s on Reeves a r gui ng tha t its f a c t s a r e

a na l ogous t o t hi s c a s e . I n Reeves , p l a i ntif f ’ s witne 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 nyone 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

of t r a ns por t a t i on we r e us e d a nd no owne r of t he pr ope r t y

f e nc 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 . Count y

e mpl oye 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 ve 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

hi s r out 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 bl 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 Wi l s on’ s wi t ne s s e s te s t i f i e d to the poor c ondi t i on, r a r e

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

t he r oa 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

of ma ny 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

de nov 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 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 Cour t ’ s f i ndi ngs tha t pl a i ntif f f a ile d to c a r r y the
4

bur de 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 lly, it is a r gue d tha t the Cour t e r r e d in

f i ndi 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 he r oa 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 whi 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,

ope n, vi s i bl e , e xc l us i ve , a nd wi t h t he knowl e dge a nd

acqui e s cence of t he owne r of t he s e r vi e nt t e ne me nt , and mus t

c ont i nue f or t he f ul l pr e s c r i pt i ve pe r i od. . . . ? Hous e v .

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

a dve 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 nd

c onvi nc i ng pr oof s uc h a dve r s e us e . Whitwor t h v . Hut c hi s on,

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

pr i va t e r oa dwa y f or t e mpor a r y us e wi l l not s a t i s f y t he

r e qui r e me nt of a dve r s e pos s e s s i on. Se e Round Mount ai n Lumbe r

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

Mac ammon v . Me r e di t h, 830 S. W. 2d 577 ( Te nn. App. 1991) . 

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 occasi ons i t wa s i n t he pa s t , and 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 he

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 ng

i t . 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 by 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 Mr .

Wi 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 by

t he de f e nda nt a nd Gl e nn Ma ne s s . 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

pr e s umpt 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 Cour t
5

unl e s s t he e vi de nc e pr e ponde r a t e s ot he r wi s e . McCammon;

T. R. A. P. 13( d) . 

The evi de nce est a bl i s he s t ha t Tul l ’ s wi t ne s s e s we r e

ne i ghbor 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 oa d

wa s us 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 he

c ount y. Wi l s on’ s wi t ne s s e s we r e ne i ghbor s a nd r oa d

c ommi s s i one r s who te s tif i e d tha t Wils on’ s f a t he r ha d built the

r oa 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.

The y te s tif i e d tha t the r e wa s limite d, o c c a s i ona l us e by

hunt e r s or fa r me r s .

The Tr i a l Cour t ’ s a s s e s s me nt of the c r e di bility of

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

118 ( Te nn. App. 1994) . The 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 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 el e me nt s of a pr e s c r i pt i ve easeme nt by cl ear

a nd pos i t i ve pr oof . Whi t wor t h; McCammon.

We 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 nd

a t appe l l a nt ’ s cos t .

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

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W. Fr a nk Cr a wf or d, P. J . ( W. S. )
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Da vi d R. Fa r me r , J .