Opinion ID: 888046
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Respondents' Interference with Ditch Rights Counterclaim

Text: ¶ 45 Respondents claim the District Court erred in dismissing their counterclaims against Byrums for interference with their ditch rights. Respondents point to § 70-17-112(1), MCA, which states that [a] person with a canal or ditch easement has a secondary easement to enter, inspect, repair, and maintain a canal or ditch. Additionally, § 70-17-112(2), MCA, states that [n]o person may encroach upon or otherwise impair any easement for a canal or ditch used for irrigation or any other lawful . . . purpose. Respondents argue that they have not been able to check or maintain the Ditch without interference from Byrums. This interference, as Respondents allege, came in two forms. ¶ 46 First, Respondents allege physical interference, namely that Byrums had continually confronted Respondents while they attempted to maintain the Ditch, blocked Respondents from accessing the headgate, and verbally harassed Respondents. The District Court found that the Byrums had not denied Respondents access to the headgate and had not prevented water from being conveyed down the Ditch. Testimony from trial indicates that the Byrums did occasionally block Respondents from using the headgates on the Ditch, but that the Byrums eventually allowed access. Evidence in the record supports the District Court's finding that Byrums did not physically deny Respondents' access to the headgate. The court's finding is supported by substantial evidence and is not clearly erroneous in this regard. ¶ 47 Second, Respondents allege the filing of the underlying lawsuit to this appeal interfered with Respondents' legal right to the use of the Ditch, and has prevented their maintaining the headgate. Respondents cite to Kephart v. Portmann, 259 Mont. 232, 855 P.2d 120 (1993), in support of their argument. Kephart involved a situation similar to the dispute here. The defendants there possessed an easement across plaintiffs' property for the use of a ditch. The easement allowed defendants to clean and maintain the ditch. Plaintiffs sought to enjoin defendants from maintaining and improving the ditch. Kephart, 259 Mont. at 234-35, 855 P.2d at 121-22. The plaintiffs in Kephart had acknowledged the existence of the defendants' right to use the ditch based on a prior agreement between the parties and based on defendants' prior use of the ditch. Kephart, 259 Mont. at 236, 855 P.2d at 123. We affirmed the district court's determination that the defendants rightfully possessed a ditch easement over the plaintiffs' property, Kephart, 259 Mont. at 236, 855 P.2d at 122, and moreover, that plaintiffs had a secondary easement to reasonably enter, inspect, repair, and maintain the ditch. Kephart, 259 Mont. at 238, 855 P.2d at 124. Because plaintiffs had previously acknowledged defendants' ditch rights but had, nonetheless, forced defendants into court to defend those rights, we held that the filing of the lawsuit alone constituted an impairment of defendants' easement rights under § 70-17-112, MCA. Kephart, 259 Mont. at 239, 855 P.2d at 124. ¶ 48 Although evidence in the record here supports the District Court's finding that Byrums did not physically interfere with Respondents' rights to the Ditch, we agree with Respondents that the District Court failed to apply the rule in Kephart  i.e. that the filing of this lawsuit alone could constitute an impairment of Respondents' easement rights under § 70-17-112, MCA. In their original complaint, Byrums alleged that Respondents trespassed onto their property. This claim was made notwithstanding the terms of the Settlement Agreement in which Byrums agreed they would not interfere with the Respondents' reasonable use of their water rights, ditch rights, and secondary easement rights. ¶ 49 Respondents assert that Byrums' lawsuit and their allegation of trespass interfered with their water rights, ditch rights, and secondary easement rights. The record reflects that Byrums dismissed their trespass claim shortly before trial. Nonetheless, Respondents contend that in pursuing their claim up to the point of trial, Byrums interfered with their ditch and easement rights under § 70-17-112, MCA. We agree. As noted above, the statute provides, in pertinent part: (1) A person with a canal or ditch easement has a secondary easement to enter, inspect, repair, and maintain a canal or ditch. (2) No person may encroach upon or otherwise impair any easement for a canal or ditch used for irrigation or any other lawful domestic or commercial purpose, including carrying return water. Section 70-17-112(1)-(2), MCA. ¶ 50 As did the plaintiffs in Kephart, Byrums expressly acknowledged Respondents' water rights, ditch rights, and secondary easement rights in the Settlement Agreement. Yet, Byrums filed suit against Respondents alleging trespass based on Respondents' accessing the Ditch for maintenance purposes. As we held in Kephart, the filing of the trespass claim impaired and interfered with Respondents' rights under § 70-17-112, MCA. Respondents were forced into court to defend their clearly established rights under the Settlement Agreement. Thus, we hold that the District Court erred in dismissing Respondents' interference claim under § 70-17-112, MCA, and we remand for further proceedings to determine Respondents' damages, if any.