Opinion ID: 2369380
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Prima Facie Case for Adverse Possession

Text: [¶ 9] The district court ruled that Mr. Clark had established a prima facie case of adverse possession and shifted the burden to the Helms to explain the possession. On appeal, the Helms make a cursory attempt to show the district court incorrectly determined that Mr. Clark had established a prima facie case for adverse possession. They assert the district court failed to give proper weight to the facts that they paid taxes on the disputed property and Mr. Clark and his predecessors had executed title instruments affecting their deeded property but had not executed any such instruments affecting the disputed area. In certain cases, each of these factors may be important in determining whether possession is adverse. See, e.g., Braunstein v. Robinson Family Limited Partnership, LLP, 2010 WY 26, ¶ 18, 226 P.3d 826, 833-34 (Wyo.2010). However, as the district court recognized, the fact that Mr. Clark had not paid taxes on the property is typical when a case involves use to a fence line. See, e.g., Cook, ¶ 22, 193 P.3d at 712; Doenz v. Garber, 665 P.2d 932, 937 (Wyo.1983). The claimant's failure to execute title instruments affecting the disputed property also is not unusual in fence line adverse possession cases. Id. Although these facts weigh against a finding of adverse possession, they are not necessarily determinative. Id. [¶ 10] The district court considered all of the evidence and found Mr. Clark had established a prima facie case of adverse possession because the disputed area had been enclosed by a fence with Mr. Clark's property for a very long time, Mr. Clark had used the disputed property for grazing livestock during that time, and the Helms were aware of the discrepancy between the fence and the true boundary. The district court's decision is consistent with prior cases where we have stated that enclosing land in a fence may be sufficient to raise the flag of an adverse claim, and [t]he pasturing of animals within a substantial enclosure is sufficient to establish the elements of adverse possession. Hillard v. Marshall, 888 P.2d 1255, 1259 (Wyo.1995). [¶ 11] In many respects, this case is similar to Cook, ¶ 18, 193 P.3d at 711, where we held that the district court properly ruled the claimant had established a prima facie case of adverse possession to the fence line by showing exclusive possession of the property for the statutory period. There, we noted the facts that the record title owner paid taxes and included the disputed property in mineral leases did not undermine the district court's finding that the claimant had met his burden of proving adverse possession. Id., ¶ 22, 193 P.3d at 712. The district court's findings of similar facts in this case were sufficient to support the conclusion that Mr. Clark had established a prima facie case for adverse possession. Those findings are supported by the record and are not clearly erroneous.