Case Name: Malcolm Y. BRIAN et al., v. Robert E. BOWLUS et al.
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1980-12-15
Citations: 399 So. 2d 545
Docket Number: No. 67728
Parties: Malcolm Y. BRIAN et al., v. Robert E. BOWLUS et al.
Judges: DIXON, C. J., and CALOGERO, J., dissent.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 399
Pages: 545–551

Head Matter:
Malcolm Y. BRIAN et al., v. Robert E. BOWLUS et al.
No. 67728.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
Dec. 15, 1980.
On Rehearing May 29, 1981.
J. Glenn Dupree, Jeff Hughes, Adcock, Dupree & Shows, Baton Rouge, for defendants-applicants.
Robert L. Kleinpeter, Kleinpeter, Klein-peter & Kleinpeter, Baton Rouge, for plaintiffs-respondents.
Mack E. Barham, Barham & Churchill, New Orleans, for appellants.

Opinion:
MARCUS, Justice.
Malcolm Y. Brian and his wife, Helena S. Brian, together with their son, David Brian, instituted this action for a declaratory judgment against Robert E. Bowlus, Ann M. Bowlus Trust, and William M. Bowlus Trust seeking recognition of the relocation of a servitude in accordance with an Act of Revocation and Relocation of Servitude executed by the plaintiffs on May 30, 1978.
The trial judge rendered judgment in favor of plaintiffs and against defendants recognizing the revocation and relocation of the servitude. Defendants appealed. The court of appeal affirmed, finding as did the trial judge that the act of sale by which Malcolm and Helena Brian sold to Robert Bowlus a certain enclosed parcel of land with a "servitude of way and passage" across the Brian property to a public road established a legal servitude and that the relocation of the servitude was proper. On defendants' application, we granted certio-rari to review the correctness of that judgment.
At trial, the case was submitted by the parties on a stipulation of fact and evidence. By act of sale dated December 22, 1966, Malcolm Y. Brian and Helena S. Brian sold to Robert E. Bowlus a certain enclosed parcel of land with a "servitude of way and passage" across the Brian property to a public road. The parcel sold, as well as the servitude, was described with particularity in the act of sale. No specific consideration was mentioned for the servitude. By letter to Malcolm Brian dated the same day as the act of sale, Bowlus agreed that the servitude of passage would continue only until he was able to connect the property purchased to an access road through lands owned by a third party so that the Brian estate would be relieved of the servitude granted in the act of sale. However, he stated that he could not guarantee success in obtaining the "other contemplated access."
Subsequently, on May 2, 1973, Bowlus transferred both the parcel of land and the servitude to the Ann M. Bowlus Trust and the William M. Bowlus Trust. Early in 1978, Malcolm and Helena Brian attempted to negotiate a relocation of the servitude on their property with defendants but were without success. On May 30, 1978, Mr. and Mrs. Brian unilaterally executed an Act of Revocation and Relocation of Servitude and forwarded notice to defendants. A new right-of-way was constructed at plaintiffs' cost. On July 18, 1978, Mr. and Mrs. Brian sold their son David a certain parcel of land which included a portion of the original and relocated servitudes. David Brian subsequently built a personal residence over the original servitude. Plaintiffs filed this action on October 12, 1978.
The principal issue for our determination is whether the right of passage established in the act of sale was a legal or conventional servitude under the then-applicable articles of the civil code. This determination will govern the right of the owner of the servient estate to relocate the servitude.
La.Civ.Code art. 701 then provided:
It is not always the owner of the land which affords the shortest passage who is obliged to suffer the right of passage; for if the estate, for which the right of passage is claimed, has become inclosed by means of sale, exchange or partition, the vendor coparcener or other owner of the land reserved, and upon which the right of passage was before exercised, is bound to furnish the purchaser or owner of the land inclosed with a passage gratuitously, and even when it has not been sold or transferred with the rights of servitude.
Since art. 701 makes the vendor of an enclosed estate bound to furnish the purchaser with a right of passage across his land on which the right had been before exercised, we consider that the plaintiffs simply delineated and located the boundaries of the right of passage on their property by describing it in the act of sale. There is no indication that the servitude was bargained for or that any consideration was paid for it. The very language of art. 701 presupposes that the right of passage be delineated in the act of sale, as the last clause of the article provides that the vendor must furnish the purchaser of an enclosed estate with a passage gratuitously "and even when it has not been sold or transferred with the rights of servitude." (Emphasis added.) Moreover, it is reasonable to infer from Bowlus' letter dated the same day as the act of sale that the servitude was gratuitous in nature in that no part of the purchase price was contemplated to be returned to Bowlus when and if he could obtain another access to his property. The letter also reflected that Bowlus was not concerned with the particular location of the servitude as long as he had access to his property. Under these circumstances, we consider the parties intended to locate the servitude imposed by law by describing it in the act of sale. Hence, the servitude was legal and not conventional. Picard v. Shaubhut, 324 So.2d 517 (LaApp. 1st Cir. 1975), writ not considered, 326 So.2d 380 (La.1976); see Arcuri v. Cali, 244 So.2d 309 (La.App. 4th Cir. 1971).
Having determined that the right of passage established in the act of sale was a legal servitude, we must next consider whether plaintiffs' action in relocating the servitude was proper under La.Civ.Code art. 695 which provides:
The owner of the enclosed estate has no right to the relocation of this servitude after it is fixed. The owner of the ser-vient estate has the right to demand relocation of the servitude to a more convenient place at his own expense provided that it affords the same facility to the owner of the enclosed estate.
The above article permits the owner of the servient estate to relocate the servitude to a more convenient place at his own expense provided that it affords the same facility to the owner of the enclosed estate. It is clear here that the relocation of the servitude was to a more convenient place as it allowed Mr. and Mrs. Brian to best utilize and develop their property in furnishing a homesite for their son. Based upon our view of the evidence as to the location, configuration and elevation of the new right-of-way constructed at plaintiffs' expense, we conclude, as did the courts below, that the servitude affords the "same facility" to defendants as the original servitude.
DECREE
For the reasons assigned, the judgment of the court of appeal is affirmed.
DIXON, C. J., and CALOGERO, J., dissent.
BLANCHE, J., recused.
. 386 So.2d 662 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1980).
. 387 So.2d 597 (La. 1980).
. Title IV of Book II of the Louisiana Civil Code, Predial Servitudes, previously consisting of arts. 646 to 822, was amended and reenacted by Acts 1977, No. 514, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1978, to consist of arts. 646 to 774. Hence, the prior articles which were in effect at the time of the creation of the servitude herein are applicable in the determination of this issue.
. La.Civ.Code art. 694 replaced art. 701 but only reproduced the substance of the prior article and did not change the law. The wording of the new article is somewhat clearer on the point in question:
When in the case of partition, or a voluntary alienation of an estate or of a part thereof, property alienated or partitioned becomes enclosed, passage shall be furnished gratuitously by the owner of the land on which the passage was previously exercised, even if it is not the shortest route to the public road, and even if the act of alienation or partition does not mention a servitude of passage.
. Article 695 replaces former art. 703 which provided:
When the place for the passage is once fixed, he to whom this servitude has been granted can not change it, but he who owes this servitude may change it from one place to another, in order that it may be less inconvenient to him, provided that it afford the same facility to the owner of the servitude.
Plaintiffs' action in relocating the servitude occurred after the effective date of art. 695. The comment under art. 695 states that "[t]his provision reproduces the substance of Article 703.... It changes the law as it makes relocation of the passage more burdensome for the owner of the servient estate." Since we hereinafter conclude that plaintiffs met the more burdensome standard provided for in art. 695, we need not concern ourselves with the possible retroactive effect of the article.