# FILED Jan. 13, 1997 Cecil Crowson, Jr. Appellate Court Clerk I N TH E C O U R T O FA PPEA LSO FTEN N ESSEE W E ST E RN SECT

I O N AT JACK SO N

_______________________________ C LY D E TU LL, ) C he s t e r C

ount y C

ha nc e r y C

our t ) N o. 8596 Pl a i ntif f

- A

pp e lla nt , )

) v. ) ) C / A N O . 02A 01- 9601- C

H - 00020 PAUL W I L SO N , ) ) D e f e nd a nt - A

pp e l l ee. )

______________________________________________________________ Fr om t he C ha nc e r y C

our t of C

he s t e r C

ount y a t H

e nde r s on, H onor abl e Joe C

. M or r i s , Judge

M i c hae l L. W

e i nm an, TATUM AND TATUM

, He n de r s o n , Te nne s s e e A ttor n e yf or Pl a i ntif f

- A pp e lla nt . M i c hae l T

. T abo r , J a c ks on, Te nne s s e e A t t or ne y f or D

e f e nda nt - A

ppe l l e e .

OPI NI ON FI LED: AFFI RM E D AND RE

M ANDE D

FRANK

S, J .2

W . FRANK

CRAW FO RD, P. J . ( W

. S. ) : ( C

onc ur s ) FARM E R, J . : ( C

onc 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 w

i t h pl a i nt i f f ’ s us e of a r oa dw

a y, a nd f or da m

a ge s f or pa s t i nt e r f e r e nc e . Pl a i ntif f a v e r r e dth a t he w a s e ntitle dtou s e the r oa dw a y be c a us e i t w

a 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 .

A pp e lla nt, Tull, re s i de s im m e di a t e l ys out ho f A pp e lle e W

ils o n ’ s f a r m

. Tu ll te s tif i e dth a t he h a dtr a v e l e d t he r oa d c r os s i ng W i l s on’ s pr ope r t y t o a c c e s s hi s ow n f a r m . W he nW i l s o ner ect e dg a t e s acr o s s t he r o a d , t hi s act i o nw a s f i l e d, a nd upon t r i a l , t he C ha 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, T

ul l ins i s t s the r o a dw a s a pub l i c w

a y . A pr i va t e r oa d m

a y be i m

pl 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 ow ne r t o obj e c t t o us e by t he publ i c . Reeves v . Pe r k i n s , 509 S . W . 2d 233, 235 ( Te nn. A pp. 1973) . Suc h us e m us t be f or a l ong pe r i od of t i m e a nd unde r c l a i m of r i ght , a nd not m

e r e l y pe r m

i s s i ve us e . W

i l s o nv. Ac r ee, 37 S . W . 90, 97 Te nn. 378 ( Te nn. 1896) . R e pa i r or c ont r ol by a gove r nm e nt e nt i t y i s a n e l e m e nt of e vi de nc e i n de t e r m i ni ng w

he t he r a r oa d ha s be c om

e publ i c . Sharp v . M y nat t , 69 Te nn. 375, 1 Le a 375,3

2 Le g. R

e p. 205 ( Te nn. 1878) . A not he r f a c t or i s w he t he r t he ow ne r i nt e nde d t o pe r m a ne nt l y pa r t w

i t h t he r oa d a nd ve s t i t w i t h t he publ i c . M c K i nn ey v. D

un c 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 o n Reeves a r gui ngth a 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 R eeves , p l a i ntif f ’ s w itne 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 w

ho w i s he d t o f or m

or e t ha n f i f t y ye a r s . A l l m a nne r s of t r a ns por t a t i on w e r e us e d a nd no ow ne 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 . C ount y e m pl 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 m

e s . A pos t a l w

or ke r ha d us e d t he r oa d a s pa r t of hi s r out e . D

e f e nda nt ’ s w

i t ne s s e s of f e r e d s om e oppos i ng t e s t i m ony but t he Tr i a l C our 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 ab l i s he d .

A c om pa r i s on of t he t e s t i m ony i n t hi s c a s e s how s t ha t W i l s o n ’ s w

i t ne s s e s te s t i f i e dtothe p o or c o n di t i on , r a r e us e , a nd pr i m

a r i l y pr i va t e m

a i nt e na nc e of t he r oa d. The r e w a s a l s o t e s t i m

ony t ha t W

i l s on ha d gi ve n Tul l pe r m i 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 w a s bl oc ke d i n t he f a l l of m a 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. O ur 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 oupon t he r e c or d, w i t h a pr e s um

pt 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 C

our t ’ s f i ndi ng s th a t p l a i ntif f f a ile dtoc a r r ythe4

bur de n i n s how

i ng t ha t t he r oa d ha d be c a m e a publ i c w

a y. Fi n a lly , it is a r gu e dth a t the C our t e r r e din 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 m e nt t o us e t he r oa dw

a y. A n e a s e m

e nt by pr e s c r i pt i on i s a c qui r e d by us e w hi 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 w i t h t he know

l e dge a nd acqui e s cence o f t he o w ne r o f t he s e r vi e nt t e ne m e nt , andm

u s 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. . . . ? H ous e v . Cl o s e , 48 Te nn. A pp. 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 . W h itw o r t hv . H

u t c h i s o n , 731 S . W

. 2d 915, 917 ( Te nn. A pp. 1986) . O

ne w ho e nt e r s upon a pr i va t e r oa dw

a y f or t e m

por a r y us e w

i l l not s a t i s f y t he r e qui r e m

e nt of a dve r s e pos s e s s i on. Se e Round M ount ai n Lum

be r & C oal C o. v . Bas s , 136 Te nn. 687, 700, 191 S . W . 341 ( 1916) ; M ac am m on v . M

e r e di t h , 830 S . W

. 2d 577 ( Te nn. A

pp. 1991) . I n t hi s c a s e , t he C ha nc e l l or f ound: t he r oa d m

a y ha ve be e n us e d by t he publ i c , but on t he s e o ccasi o n s i t w a s i nt he p a s t , andw a s f or f a r m i 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 w i t h a t r e e i n t he w i nt e r t i m

e i n or de r t o pr ohi bi t hunt e r s f r om us i ng i t . A t 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 om obi l e , c om

bi ne s , or l oa de d t r uc ks . The r oa d w a s bui l t a nd m

a i nt a i ne d by M

r . W i l s on’ s f a m

i l y i n t he pa s t a nd i s now m a i nt a i ne d by t he de f e nda nt a nd G l e nn M a ne s s . The pl a i nt i f f w a s gi ve n pe r m

i 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 , w

hi c h w a 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 m i ng ope r a t i ons . A ga i n, our r e vi e w

i s de nov oupon t he r e c or d, w i t h a pr e s um pt 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 C our t5

unl e s s t he e vi de nc e pr e ponde r a t e s ot he r w i s e . M

c C ammo n ; T. R. A . P. 1 3 ( d) . The evi de nce est a b l i s he s t h a t Tu l l ’ s w i t ne s s e s w

e r e ne i ghbor s a nd f or m e r r oa d c om

m i s s i one r s w

ho t e s t i f i e d t he r oa d w a s us e d of t e n by t he c om m uni t y a nd ha d be e n m a i nt a i ne d by t he c ount y. W

i l s on’ s w

i t ne s s e s w

e r e ne i ghbor s a nd r oa d c o m m i s s i o ne r s w

h ote s tif i e dth a t W ils o n ’ s f a t he r h a db uilt the r oa d a nd m

a i nt a i ne d i t w

i t h m i ni m a l a s s i s t a nc e by t he c ount y. The yte s tif i e dth a t the r e w a s lim ite d , o c c a s i o n a l u s e b y hunt e r s or fa r m

e r s . The Tr i a l C

our t ’ s a s s e s s m

e nt o f the c r e di b ilityo f w i t ne s s e s i s gi ve n gr e a t w e i ght . Leek v. Po w e l l , 884 S . W

. 2d 118 ( Te nn. A

pp. 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 C our t ’ s f i ndi ng t ha t pl a i nt i f f di d not e s t a b l i s he dt he el e m e nt s o f a pr e s c r i p t i v e easem e nt b ycl ear a nd pos i t i ve pr oof . W hi t w or t h; M

c C am m on . W e a f f i r m

t he j udgm

e nt of t he Tr i a l C our t a nd r e m

a nd a t app e l l a nt ’ s co s t .

_________________________ H e r s c he l P. Fr a nk s , J .

___________________________ W . Fr a nkC

r a w f or d , P. J . ( W

. S . )6

___________________________ D a vi dR. Fa r m

e r , J .