Opinion ID: 1423514
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: License for Underground Facilities

Text: In 1967, the Norfolk and Western Railway Company granted a license to the St. Louis County Water Company to lay underground facilities in railway land. The agreement provides that it shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors and assigns of the parties hereto, respectively. It contains no termination provision. As the present owner of this land, Bridgeton is the successor to the railway. Missouri-American is the successor to the St. Louis County Water Company. The agreement controls Missouri-American's rights with respect to this property. Paragraph four of the agreement provides: It is understood and agreed by and between the parties hereto that if at any time or times hereafter the Railway shall desire to construct railroad tracks of any use or nature including spur tracks over said pipe line or make any changes whatever in, to, upon, over or under the premises owned, controlled or leased by the Railway, and crossed or in any way affected by said pipeline, then the Water Company shall, at its own cost and expense, upon thirty (30) days notice in writing to that effect from the Railway make such changes in the location or construction of said pipe line as in the judgment of the Chief Engineer of Railway may be necessary to accommodate any future construction, improvements or changes of the Railway. (emphasis added). Bridgeton has indicated its desire to make changes to the premises crossed by the pipe line. Upon proper notice, Missouri-American is obligated to relocate its pipe line in this property at its own cost and expense to accommodate the changes that paragraph four permits Bridgeton to make. Missouri-American is not entitled to judgment as a matter of law with respect to the facilities covered by the 1967 Norfolk and Western Railway Company agreement. 2. Parcels 21 and 22 In its motion for summary judgment, Missouri-American did not separately address Parcels 21 and 22. In its response to the motion for summary judgment, Bridgeton asserted that it owned Parcels 21 and 22, that they were not subject to any franchise agreement, easement, or license, and that Bridgeton, as the owner, could order Missouri-American to relocate its facilities in those parcels. In support of that claim, Bridgeton attached an affidavit of Terry Morris, owner of T.H. Morris Title Services, LLC, who researched the property rights in the parcels of land impacted by the Taussig Road project. Missouri-American failed to mention Parcels 21 and 22 in its reply in support of the motion for summary judgment. Missouri-American first argues that Bridgeton waived this argument by failing to raise it in the trial court. However, Bridgeton did raise this argument by asserting, in its response to the summary judgment motion, that it owned the parcels and that Missouri-American had no right of possession there. Missouri-American argues in the alternative that: (1) even if Bridgeton owns Parcels 21 and 22, Missouri-American has a prescriptive easement there, and (2) the pipe running through the parcels was installed in the right-of-way, and Bridgeton has not shown that the pipe is no longer in the right-of-way. In its reply, Missouri-American did not admit or deny Bridgeton's assertions with respect to Parcels 21 and 22. Missouri-American also failed to set forth any facts regarding a prescriptive easement there or the location of the facilities within the right-of-way. Because Terry Morris's affidavit was not contradicted, it is taken as true for the purposes of the summary judgment motion. ITT Commercial Fin. Corp. v. Mid-America Marine Supply Corp., 854 S.W.2d 371, 376 (Mo. banc 1993). The record is insufficient to establish that Missouri-American is entitled to judgment as a matter of law with respect to Parcels 21 and 22.