Case Name: SHAW v. PROFFITT
Court: Oregon Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Oregon
Decision Date: 1910-06-14
Citations: 57 Or. 192
Docket Number: 
Parties: SHAW v. PROFFITT.
Judges: 
Reporter: Oregon Reports
Volume: 57
Pages: 192–221

Head Matter:
Argued May 4,
decided June 14,
rehearing denied October 4, 1910.
SHAW v. PROFFITT.
[109 Pac. 584; 110 Pac. 1092.]
Words and Phrases — "Right.”
1. The word “right” denotes, among other things, “property,” “interest.” “power,” “prerogative,” “immunity,” and “privilege” ; and in law is most frequently applied to property in its restricted sense. As an enforceable legal right it means, that which one has a legal right to do.
Waters and Water Courses — Water Rights — -Establishment—■ Pleading.
2. An allegation of a “right” to maintain a ditch admits of an easement as well as a bare parol license.
Easements — “Right of Wat.”
3. A “right of way” is an easement of perpetual use, a charge or burden upon the land of one for the benefit of another.
Waters and Water Courses — Right of Wat for Irrigation Ditch.
4. A letter acknowledging a request for a right of way for an irrigation ditch and stating “Go ahead. The more ditches you build, the better it will suit me” — granted a right of way, and not a mere revocable license.
Licenses — Consideration.
5. An easement or irrevocable license may be supported by a benefit accruing to the licensor as well as by payment to him.
Waters and Water Courses — Easement — Ditches — Consent of Owners.
6. Land owned by one’s wife and daughter became subject to his grant of a right of way for an irrigation ditch, though they did not assent thereto, where he controlled the land and afterwards acquired title thereto.
Waters and Water Courses — Contracts—Equitable -Rights.
7. The construction of an irrigation ditch for one-fourth of a mile under a parol contract is sufficient part performance to give the licensee an equitable Tight to complete and maintain the ditch according to the contract.
Waters and Water Courses — Irrigation Ditches — Rights op Landowners.
8. The owners of land through which an irrigation ditch was maintained could not take water therefrom nor interfere with the appropriator’s use of the water, even if the ditch was maintained under a revocable license.
Waters and Water Courses — Injunction—Interference with Irrigation Ditch.
9. Injunction lies to prevent unlawful interference with the water rights of the owner of an irrigation ditch by the owners of the land through which it extends.
Licenses — Revocation.
10. A license, implied from silence or acquisition with knowledge of the expenditures, is not made irrevocable by expenditures made in permanent improvements in reliance thereon; but an express license, under such circumstances, is irrevocable.
Easements — Manner op Creation.
11. While ordinarily an easement can be created only by writing under seal, it may be created by adverse user, by estoppel, or part performance of a parol agreement.
Licenses — Easements.
12. An express oral license, becoming irrevocable by execution, by expenditures in permanent improvements in reliance thereon, inuring to the benefit of the licensor, if relating to the use or occupation of real estate, becomes an easement.
Licenses — Revocation—Fraud—Estoppel.
13. The licensor’s attempted revocation of the express license, which has been executed by expenditures in permanent improvements by the licensee to the knowledge of the licensor, is a fraud, against which equity will relieve by estoppel.
Waters and Water Courses — License—Revocation.
14. The license: “I have just * '' found your letter * asking for
right, of way through my land in P. Would say go ahead. The more ditches you build, the better it will suit me” — is express authority to construct the ditch, contemplating a permanent right of way, so as to make it irrevocable after permanent improvements in reliance thereon.
Waters and Water Courses — Definiteness op License.
15. Though a license to construct a ditch on the licensor’s land is indefinite as to location and extent, it becomes definite in such respects when located and constructed.
Licenses — Revocation—Grantee op Licensor.
16. A- license, irrevocable as to the licensor, is binding on his grantee taking with notice.
Waters and Water Courses — Revocation op License — Grantee op Li-censor — Notice.
17. A grantee of land, knowing of a ditch through it and of another’s claim to an irrevocable license therefor, has notice of his rights.
Estoppel — Pleading by Plaintiff.
18. The answer, In an action to have interference with plaintiff’s license enjoined, having contained only admissions and denials, it was not necessary for plaintiff to plead estoppel; and, had the answer raised the question of the statute of frauds, or that the license was in parol, estoppel would not have to be pleaded by reply, but could be raised by demurrer, the complaint having set up the facts necessary to make the license irrevocable.
Waters and Water Courses — Revocation of License — Estoppel—Subsequent Acquired Title of Licensor.
19. Defendant, acting as owner of land, having granted plaintiff a license to construct a ditch through it, and having thereafter acquired the title, while recognizing the right of plaintiff, who, supposing the land belonged to defendant, had at great expense partly constructed the ditch, is estopped to revoke the license, the same as though he had been the owner when he granted it.
Mr. Justice King dissenting.
From Union: John W. Knowles, Judge.
This is a suit by John Shaw against T. N. Proffitt and Joe Carter enjoining defendants from in any manner interfering with a certain canal or ditch built by plaintiff across the lands of defendants, under an irrevocable license.
From a decree in favor of plaintiff, defendants have appealed.
Affirmed.
For appellants there was a brief over the names of Messrs. Butcher, Clifford & Cornell, with an oral argument by Mr. Morton D. Clifford.
For respondent there was a brief over the names of Messrs. Finn & Lomax, with an oral argument by Mr. Leroy Lomax.

Opinion:
Mr. Justice Slater
delivered the opinion of the court.