Opinion ID: 2486816
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Estate's exclusion of Raymond Smith from the 493.7-acre property

Text: ¶ 7. At the February 6, 2009, hearing, Raymond testified that, from October 30, 2001, until May 22, 2006, he was excluded from a hangar and an equipment shed located on the 493.7-acre property in which he held a life-estate interest. The buildings were padlocked, and Davis was the only person with keys to the locked buildings. Raymond did not gain access to the hangar and the equipment shed until he hired a locksmith to open the locks on May 22, 2006. Davis also testified that Raymond had no access to the buildings. ¶ 8. Roger Brown, a licensed appraiser and real estate broker, estimated that the two buildings would rent for fifty cents per square foot. That appraisal is undisputed by the Estate. The chancellor held that, before the order for reformation of the deed on September 15, 2003, the administrator had the right to exclude anyone, including Raymond, from the entire estate. ¶ 9. After September 15, 2003, Raymond was within his legal rights to occupy the buildings, but Davis continued to keep the buildings locked, forcing Raymond ultimately to employ a locksmith to gain access. Because he was excluded from the buildings after reformation of the deed, the chancellor held Raymond was entitled to twenty-four months of rent, which would be applied as a credit against any tax liability owed to the estate.