Opinion ID: 2623510
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Where the Parties Intended to Place the Eastern Boundary

Text: ¶ 48 Having found that the parties negotiated a conveyance along specific boundaries, the second question we must resolve is where the parties intended to place the eastern boundary of the conveyed property. As the trial court noted, the property description in the 1967 deed can be made to close by either (i) extending the northern boundary, which shifts the eastern boundary further east, or (ii) shortening the 927.7 foot call of the southern boundary, which leaves the eastern boundary in the position described by the deed. Undoubtedly, the parties intended the property description to close; however, the language of the deed provides little insight into which option the parties intended. ¶ 49 The trial court chose the first option, noting that it reflect[ed] the intent of the parties to transfer about seventy-five acres. The trial court never found, however, that the parties intended the eastern boundary to be located in the position described in the first option. In fact, the preponderance of the evidence indicates that the parties intended the second option. ¶ 50 The Partnership argues that the record boundary effectively renders the southeast corner of the Partnership's property inaccessible from its own property due to a large gully that cuts across that corner. Moving the eastern boundary further to the east would allow the Partnership to access the southeast corner over its own property. It is reasonable to assume that Durell Ericksen would have negotiated a boundary that allowed him to access all of his property over his own land. This is the sole fact presented at trial that clearly supports the conclusion that the parties intended the boundary to be further east than the record boundary. ¶ 51 In contrast, there is substantial evidence that the parties to the 1967 transaction intended a transfer of property along the record eastern boundary. Alton Veibell, the only remaining living party to the 1967 transaction, testified that he and Durell Ericksen negotiated and mutually agreed upon the placement of the eastern boundary as it is actually described in the 1967 deed. Veibell described in detail the facts surrounding their negotiations, and the Partnership presented no evidence to refute his testimony. Additionally, the location of the survey pin belonging to Edwin Moser, the surveyor hired to survey the property in 1967, indicates that Moser did not err in calculating the length of the northern boundary and thus that the eastern record boundary is consistent with the parties' intent. ¶ 52 The trial court mistakenly reformed the eastern boundary to lie closer to the existing [Willow Creek] fence line. Both Veibell and Paul Palmer testified that the southern portion of the fence was a fence of convenience that was intentionally not placed on the true boundary to allow the Ericksens' livestock to access Willow Creek. Thus, the testimony regarding the placement of the fence instead supports the conclusion that the parties intended to locate the eastern boundary over fifty feet west of the southern portion of the fence, in a position closer to that described by the 1967 deed. ¶ 53 After weighing the evidence presented at trial in light of our conclusion that the parties erroneously believed they were transferring seventy-five acres, we hold that the trial court's determination that the parties intended to transfer property along the reformed boundary is clearly erroneous. Rather, the evidence indicates that the parties intended to transfer property along the specific eastern boundary described in the 1967 deed.