Court Opinion

ID: 9536765
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 07:06:49.915158+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:55:14.069907
License: Public Domain

MeALLISTER, J.,
concurring.
I concur in the result reached by the majority, but I cannot join in the conclusion, which is unnecessary to the decision, that the evidence indicates permissive use. The only direct evidence on that question is the testimony of Judge King, which is quoted in the majority opinion. I think it is clear that Judge King never thought he was using the road by permission. He asked Mr. Houghton about the road not before he used it, but before spending any money on its improvement. “Before putting any money in repairing it, I wanted to find out for sure.” The total import of his testimony is that he asked Mr. Houghton for information, not for permission. He understood from his talk with Mr. Houghton that the road was a public one, and there is no evidence that he or anyone else ever sought permission from plaintiff or his predecessor to use the portion of the road crossing plaintiff’s land which is, after all, the only portion of the road involved in this case.