Opinion ID: 1925642
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Temporary Easement

Text: The manner in which the power of eminent domain was exercised in this case the condemnation of a so-called temporary easement over an entire structure and the displacement of its owner, also gives us pause. As a practical matter, the condemnation of a temporary easement is a frequent occurrence; however, it is typically employed as a public works device. In general, a temporary easement is utilized in connection with land taken in fee simple for a public project when an additional piece of contiguous land is needed for temporary access or storage. See Hickey v. Town of Burrillville, 713 A.2d 781 (R.I. 1998) (town condemned a temporary easement in land for storage purposes); Warwick Musical Theatre, Inc. v. State, 525 A.2d 905 (R.I.1987) (state condemned a temporary easement in land for access purposes). The utilization of a temporary easement for the purposes identified in this case does not satisfy this criteria and is a pretextual and inappropriate device. First, an easement is defined as: An interest in land owned by another person, consisting in the right to use or control the land, or an area above or below it, for a specific limited purpose (such as to cross it for access to a public road).    Unlike a lease or license, an easement may last forever, but it does not give the holder the right to possess, take from, improve, or sell the land.  Black's Law Dictionary 548 (8th ed.2004) (emphasis added). Contrary to this definition, this temporary easement vested EDC with exclusive possession of Garage B and required that TPC vacate the premises. In addition the temporary easement allowed EDC to obtain absolute control of a structure, as opposed to land, and to benefit from a profitable business at the expense of its rightful owner. In its filing in the Warwick land evidence records, EDC described its newly acquired property interest as an exclusive    right and easement to enter and use Parcel T1 [Garage B]. (Emphasis added.) The EDC's attempt to minimize the extent of its interest in the property, by arguing that it merely assumed control over the interior of Garage B, is disingenuous. Generally, an easement does not grant its holder the right to exclusive possession of the servient estate or the right to deprive the owner of his or her beneficial interest in the land that is the subject of the easement. The condemnation of a temporary easement in the context of TPC's loss of possession, control and the profits from Garage B was an inappropriate use of the state's eminent domain authority and not a public use. See Capital Properties, Inc., 749 A.2d at 1087 (condemnation that amounts to an arbitrary, capricious or bad-faith taking of private property will be declared void). Additionally, although the easement was characterized as temporary, this temporal characterization is cause for concern. The temporary easement period in EDC's petition was scheduled to run from the date of the condemnation order until November 29, 2007, at 12 noon. In reality, there was nothing temporary about the property rights obtained by EDC and RIAC. The easement enabled RIAC to gain ownership and control of Garage B a full three and a half years before TPC's rights under the CLA were to expire. By providing that RIAC's easement would expire just days before the basic term of the CLA was scheduled to end, RIAC and EDC successfully avoided the bumpy issue of unity of title and merger of the easement with the fee. It is well established that unified ownership of the easement and the servient estate results in a merger of the easement with the fee, thereby extinguishing the easement as a matter of law. See Newport Realty, Inc. v. Lynch, 878 A.2d 1021, 1035 (R.I.2005) (easements are extinguished by merger when there is unity of title with the servient estate). We are of the opinion that the taking in this case was not a proper exercise of the state's condemnation authority, but was designed to gain control of Garage B at a discounted price. Accordingly, we are satisfied that the taking was not for a public use in accordance with our Takings Clause jurisprudence and we declare it null and void.