Opinion ID: 886328
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: ¶ 2 The Galassis are descendants of Carlo and Winifred Galassi, who, along with Ron Thornberry, in 1964 purchased a 40-acre parcel of real property in north Lincoln County near Fortine. Thomas Galassi acquired an interest in the property from his father, Carlo, and subsequently moved his family there in 1995. The 40-acre parcel was never developed prior to Thomas' occupation. The Galassis' property is completely surrounded by the Whispering Pines Subdivision (Subdivision) which was developed in the early 1970's. ¶ 3 The Subdivision consists of approximately 127 five-acre parcels and includes numerous roads throughout providing access to the individual lots. Whitetail Meadow Road, the road at issue in this case, traverses the Galassi property from north to south and provides the only year round access to several lots within the Subdivision as well as United States National Forest land. ¶ 4 In 1996, the Lincoln County Commissioners notified the Galassis that Whitetail Meadow Road was a county road known as RP 81. On January 28, 1999, the Galassis petitioned Lincoln County to abandon Whitetail Meadow Road as a county road. When the County refused to abandon the road, the Galassis initiated this quiet title action, including a claim for injunctive relief seeking to bar public access to that part of the road that crosses their property. ¶ 5 On September 25, 2001, the Nineteenth Judicial District Court, Lincoln County, denied the claim for injunctive relief and on July 25, 2002, the District Court held a non-jury trial to determine whether Whitetail Meadow Road was private property or a county road. On July 29, 2002, the District Court issued it Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Judgment determining that Whitetail Meadow Road was a public county road. ¶ 6 The District Court relied on extensive evidence in reaching its conclusion that Whitetail Meadow Road and RP 81 were one and the same; namely, the petition and associated documents filed with the Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder in 1914 and 1915; the testimony of numerous persons familiar with the history of the area and road in question; and the fact that the road, as a whole, comported with the legal description as described in RP 81.