SECOND DI VI SI ON

BA RNES, P. J.

, BOGGS and RI CKM A N, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

http://w w w .ga a ppe a l s .us /r ule s

A ugust 18, 2016



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 6 A1 07 0 . M O RRIS v . BYRD.

B O G G S , J u d g e.

Sh ei la M o rri s ap p eal s fro m t h e t ri al co u rt ’ s g ran t o f s u m m ary ju d g m en t in

fav o r o f Lo i s By rd on By rd ’ s cl ai m fo r an ex p res s eas em en t o v er M o rri s ’ s p ro p ert y

.

M o rri s as s ert s t hat th e t ri al co u rt erred b ecau s e t h e ex p res s eas em en t at i s s u e i s t o o

i n d efi n i te t o b e en fo rced . W e ag ree an d t h erefo re rev ers e.

S u m m a r y j u d gm en t i s p ro p er wh en t h ere i s n o gen u in e is s u e o f m at eri al fact

an d t h e m o v an t i s en t i t l ed t o ju d g m en t as a m at t er of law. O CGA § 9 -1 1 -5 6 (c). W e

rev i ew a g ran t o r d en ial o f s u m m ary ju d g m en t d e no v o an d co n st ru e t h e ev i d en ce in

t h e li g h t m o s t fav o rab l e to t h e n o n m o v an t

. Ho me B ui l d er s As s n

. o f S a va n n a h v.

Ch a t ha m Co u n t

y , 2 7 6 G a. 2 4 3

, 2 4 5 (1 ) (5 7 7 SE2 d 5 64 ) (2 0 0 3 ). So v i ewed

, t h e reco rd

s h o ws th at By rd rel i ed s o l el y u p o n t he fo l l o wi n g l an g u ag e i n a deed g i v en b y h er toM o rri s ’ s fat h er an d p red eces s o r i n t i t le, Ken n et h Tro wel l

, t o pro v e t h e ex p res s

eas em en t : “ Gran t o r h erei n res erv es a r i g h t o f i n g res s an d eg res s o v er, i n an d t o t h e

ab o ve-d es cri bed p ro p ert y .” Fo l l o wi n g a h eari ng i n wh i ch it recei v ed ev i d en ce o n t h e

i s su e, t h e t ri al co u rt i ss u ed an o rd er g ran t i n g Bry d ’ s m o t i o n fo r s um m ary ju d g m en t

“ as t o t h e t h eo ry o f ex pres s eas em en t on l y .” It fo u n d t h at t he eas em en t ap p l i ed t o “ a

cert ai n ro ad o v er lan d own ed b y [M o rri s ] wh en [By rd ] co n v e ye d s ai d l an d ” to

M o rri s ’ s fat h er, t h at t h i s ro ad was i d en t i fi ab l e an d had b een i n u s e s i n ce t h e 1 9 3 0 s ,

t h at t h e l o cat i o n o f t h e ro ad was k n own to b o t h p art i es , an d t h at it b eg an wh ere a g at e

was l o cat ed

. Bas ed u po n th es e co n cl u s i o ns , t h e tri al co urt o rd ered By rd t o pay fo r a

s u rv ey o r t o p rep are a p l at fo r t h e l o cat i on o f th e ro ad

, wh i ch t h e co u rt d eem ed t o b e

2 0 feet i n wi d t h

.

On ap p eal

, M o rri s as k s t h i s co u rt t o co n cl u d e t h at th e ex p res s eas em en t By rd

s o u g ht t o co n v ey

i s u n en fo rceab l e an d v o id d u e t o v ag u en es s

.

A des cri p t i o n o f l an d i n a d eed n eed n o t b e p erfect t o be v al i d

. A d eed

i s su ffi ci en t t o p as s t it l e, an d wi l l no t b e decl ared v o i d fo r u n cert ai n t y o f

d es cri p ti o n, i f t h e d es cri pt i v e av erm en t s are cert ai n , o r i f t h ey affo rd a

k ey b y wh i ch th e l an d can b e d efi n i t el y l o c a t e d b y t h e ai d o f ex tri n s i c

ev i d en ce. W

i t h o u t a s u ff i ci en t key i n t h e d

eed

, ext r in s i c evi d

en ce ca n n o t

b e a d ded t o co m

p l e t e t h e d

es cr i p t i on

. W het h er a d es cri p t i o n i n a d eed

i s s u ffi ci en t t o co nv ey

p ro p ert y i s a q u es t i o n o f l aw fo r t h e co urt

.

2(Ci t at i o n s an d p u n ct uat i o n o m i t t ed ; em p h as i s s u p p li ed .) Ho u s t o n v. Fl o r y , 3 2 9 Ga.

Ap p

. 8 8 2

, 8 8 7 (1 ) (7 6 6 SE2 d 2 2 7 ) (2 0 1 4). Th is ru l e ap p li es t o t h e d es cri p t i o n o f an

ex p res s eas em en t i n a deed

. Id .; Ch a mp i o n v. Nea s o n , 2 2 0 Ga. 1 5, 1 6 (1 3 6 SE2 d 7 1 8 )

(1 9 6 4).

Here, th e t ri al co urt erred wh en it u s ed ex t ri n s i c ev i d en ce t o i d en t i fy a l o cat i o n

an d wi d th fo r t h e eas em en t b ecau s e t h e g en eral an d u n s peci fi c l an gu ag e i n t h e d eed

p ro v id es n o k ey fro m wh i ch t he l o cat io n o f t h e eas em en t can be d et erm i n ed

. See

Pi r kl e v

. T u r n e r , 27 7 Ga. 3 0 8 (1 ) (5 8 8 SE2 d 7 3 3 ) (2 00 3 ); S mi t h v. To l a r , 2 8 1 Ga.

Ap p

. 4 0 6

, 4 0 8 (6 36 SE2 d 1 1 2 ) (2 0 0 6 ). W e m u s t th erefo re rev ers e t h e t ri al co urt ’ s

o rd er g ran t i n g an ex p res s eas em en t t o By rd

.

Ju d g men t r ever sed . Ba r n es , P. J., a n d

Ri ckma n , J., co n cu r

.

3