Opinion ID: 1944839
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Language in the Deeds

Text: In order to establish the intent of the grantors to reserve an easement for the benefit of the Lawrence land, defendant relies on the fact that his deed expressly permits the grantee to use Sunderland Drive and that such language was not included in the deed to lot No. 7, notwithstanding that both lots purportedly have direct access from Riverside Drive. The defendant argues that this disparity demonstrates the grantors' intent that access to the Lawrence land was to be accomplished from Sunderland Drive, while lot No. 7 was limited to Riverside Drive. We disagree. The defendant seeks a judicial declaration of an easement by implication based on the absence of language in a deed to an unrelated lot in the plan. The defendant suggests that the fact that the grantee of lot No. 7 was not deeded an express right to use Sunderland Drive gives rise to an ambiguity requiring this Court to construe the conveyance documents. This is an exercise in which we decline to engage. The law is well settled that when a property owner subdivides land and sells lots with reference to a plat, the purchasers of those lots are granted easements in the roadways shown on the subdivision plan, whether or not those roads subsequently are dedicated to the public. Newport Realty, Inc. v. Lynch, 878 A.2d 1021, 1032 (R.I.2005) (citing Kotuby, 721 A.2d at 884). The easement granted to the purchasers is appurtenant to the property; it passes with the conveyance to a subsequent grantee. Id. at 1033. The record discloses that the deeds to the lots in the subdivision were conveyed with reference to the Sunderland Plan. Thus, the purchasers of lot No. 6, the Lawrence land, as well as the purchasers of lot No. 7, the adjacent parcel, were granted easements in Sunderland Drive as a result of this incipient dedication of the roadways set forth in the plan. See Bitting v. Gray, 897 A.2d 25, 32 (R.I.2006) (holding that, generally, an easement over roads delineated in a subdivision plan passes with the conveyance of lots when the deeds make reference to the plan). Thus, the fact that the deed to lot No. 7 did not contain the express grant of an easement to use Sunderland Drive is of no moment to the issue before us. Because the deeds to both lots No. 6 and No. 7 referred to the plan, an easement in Sunderland Drive accompanied each conveyance. However, this right-of-way over Sunderland Drive does not give rise to an easement over the Hilley land to access the subject parcel from Sunderland Drive, and therefore the trial justice correctly found that defendant was not entitled to an easement by implication.