Opinion ID: 886773
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Prescriptive Easement Claim

Text: ¶ 53 To establish an easement by prescription, a claimant must establish open, notorious, continuous, uninterrupted, exclusive and adverse use of an easement for five years before the commencement of the action. Albert, ¶ 20; Section 70-19-404, MCA. Montana has consistently followed the minority rule, which holds that open, notorious, continuous, uninterrupted and exclusive use raises a presumption that the use was also adverse. Albert, ¶ 20; Renner v. Nemitz, 2001 MT 202, ¶ 13, 306 Mont. 292, ¶ 13, 33 P.3d 255, ¶ 13; Wareing, 280 Mont. at 209, 930 P.2d at 45; Warnack v. Coneen Family Trust (1996), 278 Mont. 80, 83, 923 P.2d 1087, 1089; Lemont Land Corp. v. Rogers (1994), 269 Mont. 180, 185, 887 P.2d 724, 727-28; Mountain View Cemetery v. Granger (1978), 175 Mont. 351, 356, 574 P.2d 254, 257. However, mere occasional recreational use is insufficient to raise this presumption. Albert, ¶ 20. ¶ 54 Murray asserts Skogens failed to prove all elements of their prescriptive easement claim. Specifically, Murray claims the evidence did not show consecutive use for five years and did not show adverse use. Murray makes no specific allegations as to how Skogens failed to satisfy the prescriptive elements of continuous use, exclusive use and uninterrupted use. ¶ 55 Skogens, in turn, argue each element of their claim for a prescriptive easement was supported by substantial evidence. They point out Murray did not offer any contrary evidence upon which the Court could rely. ¶ 56 We do not find it necessary to recount here in detail the substantial evidence before the District Court which supported its finding that every element of Skogens' prescriptive easement claim was met. We conclude, based upon our review of the record, that the District Court did not err in finding a prescriptive easement in favor of Skogens across Murray's Lot 13, nor did it err in its description of the easement.