Opinion ID: 2554806
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: J-Lot Owners' Access to the Upland

Text: [¶ 73] The J-Lot owners contend that because the rocks placed at the end of the easement by the Town obstruct their access to the intertidal area of Secret Beach, they must cross over a portion of Holt's upland to access the beach. They argue on cross-appeal that stepping off of the easement onto Holt's upland to access the intertidal zone does not overburden the easement. Accordingly, they contend that Woods should not be permitted to erect a fence along the end of the easement that blocks their access to Holt's upland. [¶ 74] A court's overburdening analysis evaluate[s] whether it is reasonable to conclude that a particular use was within the contemplation of the parties to the conveyance and, in that context, whether the contested use made of the servient estate by the dominant estate exceeds the rights granted to the user. Poire v. Manchester, 506 A.2d 1160, 1163 (Me.1986). A dominant estate owner may not use an easement to access property that the parties to the conveyance did not originally contemplate would be served by the easement. See Lakeside, 2009 ME 64, ¶ 18, 974 A.2d at 898; Hermansen & Richards, Maine Roads and Easements § 3.5.2.13 at 26-28 (2d ed. 2003); Restatement (Third) of Prop.: Servitudes § 4.11 cmt. b, illus. 2 (2000). Whether an easement is overburdened is a question of fact. See Gutcheon v. Becton, 585 A.2d 818, 822 (Me.1991) (addressing overburdening of a prescriptive easement). [¶ 75] In this case, the court found that the 1970 plan depicted a twenty-foot-wide right-of-way that extended over Lot J-46 to the mean high water mark of Secret Beach and that Holt's lot was not included as part of the 1970 plan. The court could have reasonably inferred that Alan Balfour did not contemplate that the J-Lot owners would travel outside the twenty-foot-wide walkway to access the intertidal area of Secret Beach or use the easement to access Holt's upland. Furthermore, the 1970 plan provides no support for the notion that the easement was intended to deny Muther and Woods the right to erect a fence along their property line. Thus, the fence is not inconsistent with the J-Lot owners' deeded rights. See Drummond, 107 Me. at 407, 78 A. at 472-73. [¶ 76] The court did not clearly err in determining that the J-Lot owners' use of the easement to access Holt's upland directly overburdened the easement. [14]