Opinion ID: 778089
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Godinezes and Burgamy

Text: 88 Conceding that the scope of the easement was subject to conflicting descriptions, the District Court nevertheless ruled in its August 2001 Opinion that the intent of the conveying parties regarding Parcels 2A (owned by the Godinezes) and 1 (owned by Burgamy) was to establish a berm line easement. In so ruling, the court reviewed, inter alia, a number of deeds establishing the chain of title to those properties. While many of these deeds referenced, directly or indirectly, a 50' easement, the District Court concluded that each of these references was intended to refer to the easement established by Judge Young in the 1975 Harthman decision. Accordingly, the court attributed all references to the 50' easement to simple error, and held that the easements across each of these parcels also ran only to the vegetation berm line. 89 The District Court's analysis, however, is incomplete in that it failed to address the effect of the Protective Covenants as to each of the remaining parcels. 10 As an initial matter, the Protective Covenants, by their own terms, make clear that they apply to the parcels belonging to the Godinezes (Parcel 2A) and Burgamy (Parcel 1). See Recitals, Protective Covenants (stating that the rights, conditions, covenants, reservations and restrictions of the Protective Covenants apply to, inter alia, Parcels 1 and 2A). Furthermore, those Covenants clearly and unequivocally establish a 50' easement across each of the parcels affected: 90 [t]he term Common Areas shall mean those portions of Peter Bay which, whether owned in fee simple by the Association or subject to easements or rights of way for the benefit of the Association and/or the Owners, are used and reserved for the common benefit of all the Owners. As of the date of this Declaration, the Common Areas include... (ii) the 50 foot beach easement as shown on [the 1988 map]. 91 Definition of Common Areas, Protective Covenants. The question arises, therefore, whether these Protective Covenants evidenced an intent by the Partnership to establish a greater easement than that established by the Harthman decision. 92 In making its August 2001 ruling that the parcels were subject to a berm line easement, the District Court — reviewing materials other than the Protective Covenants — noted that it considered it extremely unlikely that the grantors would expand the easement for the collective benefit of Peter Farm owners without either doing so expressly in the deed or mentioning such intent to other owners. Peter Bay Owners Assoc., 163 F.Supp.2d at 549 (D.V.I. 22, 2001). In so stating, the District Court expressed disbelief as to why parties would burden their properties with greater restrictions prior to transfer. 93 The very purpose of the Protective Covenants, however, addresses the District Court's skepticism. The covenants exist to expand and define greater restrictions than what is otherwise permitted by law for the collective benefit of Peter Bay owners. The recitals of the Protective Covenants provide: 94 WHEREAS, St. John Land Investment Partnership has established a general plan for the improvement and development of the subdivision known as Peter Bay and now desires to establish a uniform standard of rights, conditions, covenants, reservations and restrictions for all the parcels located in said subdivision which shall run with the land.... Each and every one of these rights, conditions, covenants, reservations and restrictions are for the benefit of each Buyer and Owner of each Lot in Peter Bay ... and shall insure to and pass with each and every Lot of such subdivision, and shall bind the respective heirs, assigns and successors in interest of the present owner thereof.... All deeds to parcels within Peter Bay shall incorporate this Declaration by reference thereto and by citation of the recording thereof in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of St. Thomas and St. John. 95 Recitals, Protective Covenants (emphasis added). As is the case with many developers seeking to establish communal residences, it is evident that the Partnership desired to burden its property with restrictions greater than that which was imposed by law. Accordingly, the Partnership expressed the very intention that the District Court found lacking — the intent to further restrict and bind the parcels of land for the common benefit of Peter Bay owners. 96 Nor is there any evidence suggesting that the imposition of the 50' easement in the Protective Covenants resulted from an erroneous interpretation of the 1975 Harthman decision. Indeed, the Protective Covenants make no mention of the 1975 opinion, and there is no mention of a berm line easement throughout any of its terms. 97 Moreover, it is undisputed that the parcels belonging to the Godinezes (Parcel 2A) and Burgamy (Parcel 1) are subject to the Protective Covenants. For instance, the deeds reflecting chain of title to the Godinezes parcel (Parcel 2A) reference the Protective Covenants. The Warranty Deed made between the Partnership and Danzler Lumber Co., dated December 14 1988, subjects Parcel 2A to the following restrictions: 98 TOGETHER WITH a perpetual easement of access for ingress and egress over road R.O.W. Parcels B and D, and the other easements, rights and privileges contained in the Declaration of Protective Covenants for Peter Bay, St. John, Virgin Islands ... recorded November 4, 1988 in Book 33-C, Page 108, in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds for St. Thomas and St. John, Virgin Islands. 11 99 On May 13, 1993, Danzler Lumber Co. conveyed Parcel 2A to its president, Antonio Godinez, and his wife, Bonnie Godinez. While that later deed does not expressly refer to the Protective Covenants, it does incorporate the 1988 deed between Danzler Lumber and the Partnership, which — as discussed — does reference the Protective Covenants. 100 With regard to Burgamy's parcel (Parcel 1), although the chain of title is incomplete in this record, Burgamy cannot — and does not-dispute the fact that his parcel is subject to the Protective Covenants. As noted, Parcel 1 is expressly covered by the terms of the Protective Covenants, and while the deed conveying Burgamy's property is not before us, it is evident that such a deed would reference the Protective Covenants. See Recitals, Protective Covenants (All deeds to parcels within Peter Bay shall incorporate [the Protective Covenants] by reference thereto and by citation of the recording thereof in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of St. Thomas and St John.). Indeed, Burgamy presents no evidence suggesting otherwise. 12 101 In light of the reasons provided, we will reverse the District Court's August 2001 ruling that the parcels owned by the Godinezes (Parcel 2A) and Burgamy (Parcel 1) are subject to a berm line easement and rule instead that the Protective Covenants impose a 50' easement across those properties.