Opinion ID: 1816624
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: ownership of the roadway

Text: Although Mr. McGriff at one time made a written statement asserting that neither he nor his father had ever claimed the property south of the north fence line or the road in dispute and considered the fence as a boundary fence, he also stated that he and his father had always used the roadway as a method of ingress and egress to their property lying east and north of defendants' property and that he thought defendants had an easement over the land. The most definitive statement by Mr. McGriff concerning the genesis of the use of this road is as follows: Back when I was ten or twelve years old they had quite a controversy concerning this road. I remember my father talking about a small sum of money. DeNeuso owned the Meeks' property at that time and this was between DeNeuso and my father. After that time this fence on the north of the road was put up and following that time Mr. DeNeuso and then Mr. Meeks have used that road.   . At the time I sold this property, I figured Meeks had an easement or right-of-way for the entire length of that road, but I just didn't know whether he owned title to it; but after I had it surveyed to give Milo a legal description of his land, it showed that it wasn't taken off. We find no substantial evidence that defendants' use of the disputed roadway was permissive only. There is substantial evidence that such use was without permission of or consultation with plaintiffs or their predecessors in title. There was no permission to be revoked. Plaintiffs did not show any acts of trespass and are therefore not entitled to an injunction. In Schmitt v. Kirkpatrick, (1954) 245 Iowa 971, 977, 63 N.W.2d 228, 231, we said: It is elementary that a court of equity will not resort to the granting of injunctive relief unless it appears there is an invasion or threatened invasion of a right, and that substantial injury will result to the party whose rights are so invaded, or such injury is reasonably to be apprehended. It is equally well settled that the burden is upon him who asks this relief to prove these elements of his case. We have announced and followed these rules in many drainage cases. III. Defendants were entitled to negate plaintiffs' allegations of permissive use. In doing so we find they proved the creation of a roadway easement by prescription. We recognize such a result is not within the specific requests of the prayer of either the petition or the counterclaim. Both pleadings contained a prayer for general equitable relief. In Henry Walker Park Assn. v. Mathews, (1958) 249 Iowa 1246, 1257-1258, 91 N.W.2d 703, 711, we said: A prayer for general equitable relief is to be construed liberally. It will often justify the court in granting relief other than that contained in the specific prayer. Skemp v. Olansky, [249] Iowa [1, 5, 6], 85 N.W.2d 580, 583. It is said: `Under the general prayer, the court may grant any relief fairly conformable with the case made in the bill. Special prayers may be disregarded where the general prayer is sufficient for relief upon the equity shown by the bill.' (Authorities cited). (`Under a prayer for general relief the court may grant any relief consistent with the pleadings and evidence'); Cost v. MacGregor, 124 W.Va. 204, 19 S.E.2d 599, 140 A.L.R. 882. It is true that the relief granted under a prayer for general equity must be consistent with the pleadings and the evidence and such as will not surprise the defendant. (Authorities cited). Here the possibility of a finding of an easement comes as no surprise to plaintiffs as they argue against such finding in their brief. Their affirmative allegations, if proved, would have negated such a finding. They were not denied an opportunity to prove such negation. IV. In concluding defendants established existence of an easement by prescription we do not overlook our statute, section 564.1, Code, 1966 or our prior cases, all of which hold an easement by prescription cannot be proved by showing use alone. In Phillips v. Griffin, (1959) 250 Iowa 1350, 1354-1355, 98 N.W.2d 822, 825, we said: Claimant must show more than use. To comply with 564.1, Code of 1958, I.C. A., there are two other requirements: 1. That he claim his easement as his right, and this must be established by evidence distinct from and independent of its use. 2. That the party against whom claim is made must have express notice before 10 year adverse possession; not alone of the use, but of the claim of right to use against objections and protest of owner. In addition to the showing an original controversy followed by use for over forty years and the installation of power and telephone lines without the servient owners' permission, there is the testimony of Mr. McGriff who, with his father, owned plaintiffs' property for over 50 years. He testified he understood defendant had an easement or right of way for the entire length of the roadway. McGriff, as plaintiffs' predecessor in title had notice not alone of the use but of the claim of right to use against objections and protests of the owner. V. Defendants' purchase of the property in 1942 is an additional factor to be considered. Loughman v. Couchman, (1951) 242 Iowa 885, 889, 47 N.W.2d 152, 154, states: If it were true that Loughman's use of the drain was merely permissive while Johnston owned the farm, such permissive use became adverse upon his transfer of the farm in 1926. 28 C.J.S., Easements, § 14d(2), page 656. See also 17 Am.Jur., Easements, section 67. There is no evidence that any owner of the farm informed Loughman he might continue to use the drain as a mere favor nor of any prohibition of its use before Couchman obstructed the drain in 1949. It is true this is a roadway easement and Loughman v. Couchman involved a drainage easement. Further, Simonsen v. Todd, (1967) 261 Iowa 485, 154 N.W.2d 730, weakens the quoted statement to some degree as it applies to roadway easements. However, the circumstance of sale is not eliminated as a factor to be considered and we consider it here. That defendants' predecessors in title claimed some interest in the roadway is evident from the land contract of sale which, filed August 30, 1945, contained the following statement: `and such interest as the parties of the first part have (but parties of the first part do not agree to warrant the title to said interest) to the right-of-way from the main road running east on the north side of the 30 acres lying north of the above described ground, according to the description in the deed in Book 505, Page 340 of the Polk County, Iowa records.   .' Thereafter defendants used the roadway as of right for over 20 years. We do not hold, as the Loughman case would seem to indicate, that this circumstance is alone determinative. But as indicated, we view it as an important circumstance to be considered. VI. On the other hand defendant counterclaimants' claim to absolute ownership of the road must fail for lack of proof. Mr. McGriff's testimony is not strong enough to establish either adverse possession under claim of right or acquiescence. Both sets of property owners used the road without permission of, or regard to, the other. The fence on the north side of the road was not maintained as a boundary line or partition fence which under our chapter 113, Code, 1966, is customarily maintained by the adjoining owners. In short defendants never asserted dominion over the disputed road except to use it as a roadway. Plaintiffs have record title ownership of the 35 foot roadway subject to an easement in defendant property owners for road and utility purposes.