Opinion ID: 1905655
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether the court erred in granting the Trust and State's motion for summary judgment because material facts are in dispute.

Text: [¶ 37] The Owners argue that the court erred in granting the Trust's summary judgment motion because the competing statements of material fact demonstrate the existence of a genuine issue of material fact and because an evidentiary hearing was required to determine whether the Trust should have been equitably estopped from pursuing its action. [¶ 38] As to their equitable estoppel argument, the Owners contend that the court's grant of a summary judgment improperly prevented them from establishing the key facts at trial to equitably estop the Trust from pursuing its action. However, the doctrine of equitable estoppel only applies when an individual makes misrepresentations, including misleading statements, conduct, or silence, that induce detrimental reliance. Town of Freeport v. Ring, 1999 ME 48, ¶ 14, 727 A.2d 901, 906 (quotation marks omitted). In this case, the Owners' additional material facts assert that the Trust's attorney told them more than a year after they purchased the Freeman Farm that he thought their proposed activities on the Protected Parcel would not violate the Conservation Easement and that the Owners relied on his statements in developing their 2007 financial plan. [6] Assuming for purposes of this discussion that this is true, the Owners have not shown any detrimental reliance given that they purchased the Freeman Farm long before the alleged conversation with the Trust's attorney; they purchased the land fully aware of the Conservation Easement; and they admit that, but for a few activities associated with charitable events held on the front fifteen-acre parcel, they have not gone forward with any of their proposed activities on the Protected Parcel. [¶ 39] Because there are no genuine disputes of material fact, the court did not err in granting a summary judgment in favor of the Trust and the State.