## IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TENNESSEE AT KNOX VILLE O ct ober 15, 200 3 S es sio n J.M. COX, J R., v. EAST T ENNESSE E NATURAL GAS COMPANY

Direct Appeal fromthe Chancery Court for Washin gton County No. 34275 Hon. G. Richard Johnson , Judge

No. E2002-02946-COA- R3-CV

I n this declar at ory j ud g m ent ac t i on t o d ecl ar e the ri g hts bet w e e n th e do m i nan tand ser vient est at es r e l a t i ng to a n e a s e men t , the Tri a l Courthe l d tha tthe l a ndowne r ’ s pr opos a l t o a dd f i l l di r tov e rthe pi pe l i ne e a s e men tdi d n otun r e a s ona bl y i nt e r f e r e wi th d e f

e nda nt ’ s r i g ht s . De f

e nda ntha s a ppe a l e d. 

### We reverse.
Te nn. R . A pp. P .3 App e al a s o f Right ; J udgme nt of theChanc e ry C ourt Re ve r se d.

H ER SCH EL 

### P I CKE N S 

### FRAN KS 

### , J . delivere d the opinion of the court, in D. M I CH A EL 

### S WI NEY 

### , J ., and Wil liam H. Inman, Sr. J ., joined. Le la M. Ho lla baugh andEi le e n E . B ur

kh alter, Na sh vil le , T e nn e sse e , f or Ap pe llant. Rich J . Be arf

ield and Jason W . Blackburn, Johnson Ci ty , Tenne ssee, f or Appe llee.

OPIN ION

I n this d eclarato ryjud gm en t acti o n b etw een the d o m ina n t and serv ien t estate t o deter m i ne thei rr especti ve ri g hts, the T r i al C ou r t held that the l and ow ner’ s prop osal t o add f i l l dir tov er t he pi pe l i ne ea s e men tdi d n otun r e a s ona bl y i nt e r f e r e wi th d e f

e nda nt ’ s r i g ht s . De f

e nda ntha s a ppe a l e d. The f a c t s a r e un di s put e d. I n 1 952, pl a i nti f f ’ s pr e de c e s s or s i n t i t l e c onve y e d a50

- f oot e a s e men tup on t he s ubj e c tpr ope r t y t o the de f e nda nt
. T he pr ovi s i ons of t he R i g htof

W a y Ag r e e men t

### -2-

as per t i nen tt o this app eal ar e as f oll ow s: [G ran tors co n v ey to gr an tee] a pe rpe tua l rig h t of w ay an d ease m en t f if ty( 5 0 ) feet i n w id th u p o n th e p ro p e rty h e re in a fte r d e s c rib e d , fo r th e p u rp o s e o f layin g, c o n s tru c tin g, mai nt a i ni ng , op e r a t i ng , a l t e r i ng , r e pl a c i ng , i ns pe c t i ng , pa tr ol l i ng , s e r vi c i ng a nd r epair i ng and r em ov i ng pipe l i nes (not t o ex ceed t w o i n nu m ber) t ogether with d r i ps, valves, f i t t i ngs and otherdev i ces app urt e n a nt t o an d n ecessary t o the prop er con structi on and op er at i on of such pipe l i nes for the tr ansp ort at i on of oil , natural g as, p e tro le u m p ro d u c ts
. . .

. . . T h e G ran tee sh all h av e all o the r ri ghts an d b en efit s n ece ssa ryo r co n v en ien t fo r the f u ll e nj oy me nto ru s e o f

the r i g ht s h e r e i n g r a nt e d, i nc l ud i ng , bu twi tho utl i mi t i ng t he s a me t o, the f r e e ri g htof

i ng r e s s a nd e g r e s s ov e r a nd a c r os s s a i d l a nds t o a nd f r om the r i g ht o f w a y an d ea s e m e n t.

. . . The Gr a nt or , hi s s uc c e s s or s , he i r s ora s s i g ns , r e s e r ve the r i g htt o f ul l y use and e nj oythe s a i d p r e mi s e s e xce pta s the s a me m ay b e n ec e s s a r y f orthe pu rpos e s he r e i n g r a nt e d; pr ovi ded , h ow eve r , tha tthe Gr a nt e e s ha l l ha ve the r i g htf r om t i me t o t i me t o c uta nd k e e p c l e a r a l l tr e e s , u n d e r g r o wth a n d o th e r o b s tru c t i o n s o n s a i d r i g htof wa y a nd e a s e men ttha tmay i nj ur e , e nda ng e rori nt e r f e r e wi th the us e of

s a i d p i pe l i ne orpi pe l i nes o rf i t t i ngs and app l i ances app urt enan tt o an y of sai d li nes. Plai nti f f pu r chased this pr op er t y i n 2 00 0 an d w as aware th a t th e propert y w as e nc umbe r e d b y ag a s pi pe l i ne be f or e the pu r c ha s e . T he pr ope rt y a but s Boone s Cr e e kRoa d, ne a rthe interch an ge o f I n terstate 1 8 1

. T h is area ha s b een tr an sfo rm ed in th e last 2 0 y e a rs fro m p ri m aril y ag r i cultural usag e t o a bu sy com m er ci al ar ea. As a r esultof this g r ow th, the S t at e of Ten nessee m ov ed and w i den ed B oo nes C r eek R oad , and r ai sed the el evati o n a p p ro x i m at el y 11 f eeti n the process. Plai nti f f t est i f i ed h e knew abo ut the S t at e’ s plans t o w i den and m ov e the road , b ut he did no tkno w that t he ele vati on w ou l d b e r ai sed. The con structi on chan g ed w hat had been a veryg entl e sl op e between B oo nes C r eek R oad and plai nti f f ’ s propert y , t o a veryst eep sl op e, l eaving h is la nd si tuated ap p rox im ately 2 3 f

eet b elo w the lev el o f th e roa d , a n d p laintiff w ish es to p lace u p to 2 3 f eet o f fi ll d irt o v er th e eas em en t.

D efen d an t curren tl y o p erates on e n atu ral gas p ipe li n e w ith in th e eas em en t, w ith r ig h ts t o inst al l and op er at e u p to tw o lin e s . The l i ne is bu r i ed u nd er3-4 f eetof cov er . This di spu t e ar ose whe n d e f e nda ntr e f

us e d t o a l l ow the pl a i nt i f f t o p l a c e mor e tha n f

ourf e e tof f i l l di r ton the e xi s t i ng eas em en t. Atthe c l os e of the pr oof, the Cha nc e l l orf ound tha tthe c ha r a c t e rof the pr ope r t y ha d dr a s t i c a l l y c ha ng e d since the ea s e men tha d b e e n c onve y e d, i n ama nne rno ta nt i c i pa t e d b y the pr e de c e s s or s i n t i t l e ; t hatpl a i nt i f f ne e de d t o f

i l l the pr ope r t y t o r a i s e i tl e ve l wi th the e l e va t i on of B oo ne’s Creek R oad , and that the p r op er t y w ou l d b e w i tho ut val ue if i tcann ot b e fi l l ed. H e con cl ud ed tha t th e p rop o sed f

il l w o u ld n o t un re a s o n a b lyinterfere w ith the ea sem en t; b u t w o u ld u n reaso n ab ly

### -3-

i nt e r f e r e wi th the e a s e men ti f i tc ove r e d the va l ve l oc a t e d i n the tr a c t
. I n a l l owi ng the f i l l , the Cha nc e l l orhe l d t ha tthe f i l l woul d b e l oc a t e d ar e a s ona bl e di s t a nc e f r om the va l ve s o a s no tt o i mpe de defend ant’ s acc ess t o the valve.

The disp os i t i ve i s s ue orqu e s t i on i n thi s a ppe a l i s whe the rpl a i nt i f f ’ s pl a c i ng the prop osed f

i l l w ou l d u nreason ablyi nter f er e w i th d ef

end ant’ s r i g hts un der i t s ease m ent. Tenn essee case law is cl ear tha t defen d an t’ s ri ghts as the o w n er of the ease m en t ar e p aram o u n t in th e eas em en t area to th o s e o f p la in tiff as th e lan d o w n e r. See C arro l lv. Bel cher , No. 0 1A 01

- 98 02- CH

- 0010 6 ( 1999 ) ( Te nne s s e e Appe a l s , L e xi s 89 ), T e n n . C t. A p p . Feb ru a ry 9 , 1 9 9 9 , n o a p p e a l filed

. ( C itin g , Ten n. Juri s, Easem ents § 6 ( 1 9 9 4 ). Plain ti ff can n o t t ake actio n s tha t un reaso n ab lyinterfere w ith d efen d an t’ s ri ghts u n d e r th e e a s e m e n t, in c lu d in g a n y alte ra tio n s in p la in tiff’s p ro p e rty
. C a rro ll , 19 99, L e xi s 89 , a t** 10- 12. With d u e d eferen ce t o the C h an cello r’ s co n clu sio n , w e h o ld th at plain ti ff ’s pro p o sal to fi ll d irt ov er th e eas em en t up to 2 3 feet w o u ld co n stitu te an u n reaso n ab le interferen ce w ith d efen d an t’ s r i g ht s a s hol de r of t he e a s e men t
. The e vi de nc e e s t a bl i s he s tha tthe po t e nt i a l f ori nc r e a s e d e xca va t i on t i me a nd t he ne c e s s i t y of br i ng i ng i n a ddi t i ona l e qui pme nt f r om a thi r d pa r t y t o m ake deep er e xc a v a t i o n s a n d th e r e s u l t i n g t i me d e l a y w h i c h th e p r o c e s s w o u l d e n t a i l , d e mo n s tr a t e th e r e s u l t i ng u n r e a s o n a b l e in t e r f

e r e n c e w i t h d e f

e n d a n t ’ s ri gh t s a s th e h o l d e ro f th e e a s e m e n t
. A c c o rd

, Mi d

-Ame r i c an P ip e lin e C o ., v . L a r id En te r, I n c ., 9 4 2 F
. 2 d 1 5 1 9 ( 1 o 0 th C ir

. 1 9 9 1 ); M i ssi ssi pp i Riv er Therm om et er C orp . , v. W

ach t er C on st. , I

nc. , 7 3 1 S.W.2 d 4 4 5 ( M o . C t. A p p . 1 9 8 7 ). F or these r eason s, w e r everse the J ud g m ent of the Tr i al C ou r t and r em and , w i th the cost o f the ap p eal ass ess ed to th e ap p ellan t, J. M
. C o x , Jr.



### _________________________ H ER SCH EL 

### P I CKE N S 

### FRAN KS 

### , J.