Court Opinion

ID: 9386245
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-04-11 19:03:13.787569+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:18:04.785636
License: Public Domain

NOTICE: NOT FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATION.
  UNDER ARIZONA RULE OF THE SUPREME COURT 111(c), THIS DECISION IS NOT PRECEDENTIAL
                  AND MAY BE CITED ONLY AS AUTHORIZED BY RULE.

                                     IN THE
              ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS
                                 DIVISION ONE

      MICHAEL P. FIFLIS, et al., Plaintiffs/Appellees/Cross-Appellants,

                                         v.

  TOWN OF CAVE CREEK, et al., Defendants/Appellants/Cross-Appellees.

                              No. 1 CA-CV 22-0067
                                FILED 4-11-2023

           Appeal from the Superior Court in Maricopa County
                          No. CV2019-052824
           The Honorable Sally Schneider Duncan, Judge, Retired

               AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART

                                     COUNSEL

Sims Mackin, LTD., Phoenix
By Kristin M. Mackin
Co-Counsel for Defendants/Appellants/Cross-Appellees Town of Cave Creek &
Richard and Sheryl Sheiner

Jardine, Baker, Hickman & Houston, P.L.L.C., Phoenix
By Bradley R. Jardine
Co-Counsel for Defendants/Appellants/Cross-Appellees Canyon Ridge Estates
Homeowners Association

Michael P. Fiflis, Scottsdale
Plaintiff/Appellee/Cross-Appellant
                    FIFLIS, et al. v. CAVE CREEK, et al.
                           Decision of the Court

                       MEMORANDUM DECISION

Presiding Judge Samuel A. Thumma delivered the decision of the Court, in
which Judge Randall M. Howe and Judge Anni Hill Foster joined.

T H U M M A, Judge:

¶1             Defendants the Town of Cave Creek, Richard and Sheryl
Sheiner and Canyon Ridge Estates Homeowners Association (HOA) appeal
from the grant of partial summary judgment for plaintiffs Michael Fiflis and
Alisa McMahon (collectively Fiflis) on the scope of easements. Fiflis cross-
appeals from the grant of summary judgment rejecting trespass, taking and
injunctive relief claims.

¶2             The dispositive issue is whether easements that run near
Fiflis’ property and throughout Canyon Ridge Estates (CRE) can be used
for bicycling, along with walking and riding horses. Fiflis has not shown
that the grant of the public access easements excluded bicycling or that an
amendment to the Declaration of Covenants Conditions & Restrictions
(CC&R’s) clarifying that use was improper. As a result, although affirming
summary judgment rejecting Fiflis’ claims, the grant of summary judgment
limiting the public access easements to walking and riding horses is
vacated. This matter is remanded with instructions to enter judgment
consistent with this decision.

                 FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶3             CRE is a subdivision with about 100 residential lots. In the
mid-1990s, the developer and owner developed the 243-acre property as a
Planned Unit Development (PUD). As part of that process, they submitted
a preliminary PUD plan for consideration by the Town. At that time, the
property included existing trails that were part of a larger trail network on
land owned by others. The Town approved the preliminary PUD plan
subject to stipulations, including that the “final plan shall clearly delineate
all approved trails on the site. The trails shall be located within 15 foot wide
public access easements.” At that time, the trails were used for bicycling,
walking and riding horses. The Town also required that all CC&R’s “shall
contain the requirement that the CC&R’s shall be consistent with the
approved stipulations.”

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                           Decision of the Court

¶4            In February 1998, the Town Council approved the developer’s
final submission, including the Final Plat. The Final Plat declared that the
developer and owner “hereby dedicate for use as such to the public, the
streets and easements (drainage, water, sewer, equestrian, and emergency
access) as shown platted hereon.” The Final Plat specified many types of
easements, including for trails and public access, roadways and highways,
water and related facilities, utilities, construction and maintenance as well
as drainage. The trail and public access easements are relevant here.

¶5             The record shows that, when the Final Plat was approved, the
existing trails on the land were being used by bicycles, pedestrians and
equestrians. The Final Plat included descriptions and maps for public
access and equestrian trail easements, marked on the Legend as “15’
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL & PUBLIC ACCESS ESMT,” with notes on the maps
stating “15’ EQUESTRIAN TRAIL AND PUBLIC ACCESS EASEMENT”
and, in other places, “NOTE: DIMENSIONS ARE TO CENTERLINE OF
TRAIL EASEMENT.” The page of the Final Plat containing Lot 36 (which
Fiflis owns) and 37 (which currently is burdened by the easements Fiflis
challenges) shows the easements on those lots beginning at a cul-de-sac. As
on the other pages, the Legend states “15’ EQUESTRIAN TRAIL & PUBLIC
ACCESS ESMT,” with one reference on the map stating “NOTE:
DIMENSIONS ARE TO CENTERLINE OF TRAIL EASEMENT.” Nowhere
do the references on the Final Plat map addressing Lots 36 and 37 reference
“equestrian trail” alone.

¶6            The Narrative Report submitted with the Final Plat described
the easements in various places. The first reference, in addressing lot owner
responsibilities, noted that “the equestrian/pedestrian trail . . . is located
within a 15 foot public easement that crosses specific lots.” The
corresponding map did not differentiate permissible uses in the 15 foot
public easement grant throughout the development. Elsewhere, the
Narrative Report referenced the “multi-use trail within a 15 foot easement,”
referencing an “equestrian/pedestrian circulation.” The Narrative Report
also referenced placement of “all equestrian/pedestrian trail easements.”
As approved by the Town Council, a stipulation included that the PUD
final plan “shall clearly delineate all approved trails on the site. The trails
shall be located within 15 foot wide public access easements.” These
documents make clear that the dedication was for a broad 15 foot public
access easement.

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¶7           CC&R’s were finalized in September 1998 and recorded in
October 1998 and reference the recorded Plat. Article 5 (“EASEMENTS”)
addressed various easements on the property. Deferring to the easement
designations in the Final Plat, Section 5.13 of the CC&Rs stated:

              Certain parts of Lots are designated on the Plat
              as a fifteen foot (15’) equestrian trail and public
              access easement or a fifteen foot (15’) equestrian
              trail. Easements are hereby created in favor of
              the public over, upon and across all such
              easement areas for the riding and walking of
              horses and for pedestrian access and hiking.

This language (referencing “equestrian trail” alone) differed from the
recorded page of the Final Plat showing Fiflis’ property and easement,
which does not refer to the easement as “equestrian trail” alone. The
CC&R’s required that any new easements be approved by the Architectural
Committee. The CC&Rs also allowed for amendment “at any time with
written approval or the affirmative vote, or any combination thereof, of
Owners of not less than seventy-five percent (75%) of the Lots.” The CC&Rs
provide that, “[i]n the absence of any adjudication to the contrary . . . , the
[HOA’s] construction or interpretation of the provisions hereof shall be
final, conclusive and binding as to all persons and property benefited or
bound by this Declaration.”

¶8             As noted above, bicycles were using the trails in CRE before
the Final Plat was approved in February 1998. And Fiflis admits that, since
at least 2010, bicycle races have run through the CRE trails. In 2011, Fiflis
purchased Lot 36, which was (and remains) undeveloped. The Sheiners
own Lot 37, which borders Lot 36.1 Fiflis then complained to the Town that
the trail easement on Lot 36 did not align with what was shown on the Final
Plat. Although the Town agreed, after years of intermittent efforts, Fiflis
and the Town were unable to resolve the issue.

¶9           In 2016, the Town, the HOA and the Sheiners agreed to a
public access trail easement encumbering the Sheiners’ property (Lot 37)
and allowing non-motorized uses (the Sheiner Agreement). After approval
of the Sheiner Agreement, a new trail was completed on Lot 37, the

1 Stating the Sheiners’ transferred Lot 37 in 2022, Fiflis moved to substitute
or add the transferees as parties. There is, however, no indication that
motion was served on the transferees it seeks to join as parties. The motion
is therefore denied.

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                    FIFLIS, et al. v. CAVE CREEK, et al.
                           Decision of the Court

easement on Fiflis’ property (Lot 36) was abandoned and Fiflis’ property
was revegetated to make the former trail inaccessible. As a result, the public
access trail easement now is on Lot 37, along the border with Lot 36; none
of it is on Fiflis’ property. In 2018, more than 75 percent of the lot owners
approved an amendment to Section 5.13 of the CC&Rs. That amendment,
which was recorded after being approved, clarifies that permissible uses on
the trails for the public easements in the Plat include “the riding and
walking of horses, pedestrian access, hiking, and non-motorized vehicle
access, (including, but not limited to, bicycle access).”

¶10           In February 2019, Fiflis filed this action. As to the HOA, Fiflis
sought a declaration that the 2018 CC&R amendment was void, any trail
use was limited to walking and riding horses and an injunction against any
further amendments to allow any other uses. As to the Sheiners and the
Town, Fiflis sought a declaration that the Sheiner Agreement was void and
that, by allowing bicycles to use the public easements, the Town was
trespassing. Fiflis also sought an injunction against continuing harassment,
and claimed an unconstitutional taking.

¶11            Fiflis moved for partial summary judgment on the 2018
CC&R amendment and permitted trail uses. Fiflis argued bicycles exceeded
the permitted uses and, citing Dreamland Villa Cmty. Club, Inc. v. Raimey, 224
Ariz. 42 (App. 2010), that the CC&R amendment “add[ed] new and
different burdens” by “greatly expand[ing] the permitted uses of the
owners’ property by the public.” The Town moved for summary judgment
on the trespass and taking claims. At oral argument, the superior court
stated that the Final Plat and the CC&R’s had to be interpreted together
and, in its view, “what the CC&R’s did was narrow the scope . . . of what
[the] easement [could] be used for.” The court then entered summary
judgment for Fiflis and did not address the Town’s motion on the issues of
trespass and taking. Fiflis then moved for partial summary judgment on the
validity of the Sheiner Agreement, trespass and unconstitutional taking.
After oral argument, the court found the Sheiner Agreement violated the
CC&R’s and the easement grant, rejecting Fiflis’ other claims.

¶12           After entry of final judgment, Ariz. R. Civ. P. (Rule) 54(c)
(2023), defendants timely filed a notice of appeal and Fiflis filed a notice of
       2

cross-appeal. This court has appellate jurisdiction under Article 6, Section

2Absent material revisions after the relevant dates, statutes and rules cited
refer to the current version unless otherwise indicated.

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                    FIFLIS, et al. v. CAVE CREEK, et al.
                           Decision of the Court

9, of the Arizona Constitution and Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.)
sections 12-120.21(A)(1) and -2101(A)(1).

                               DISCUSSION

¶13            Defendants argue the superior court erred by (1) concluding
bicycles were not a permitted use in the public access easements granted in
the Final Plat; (2) invalidating the 2018 CC&R amendment; (3) invalidating
the Sheiner Agreement and (4) failing to reject all of Fiflis’ claims against
the Town. Defendants also argue that Fiflis did not timely file his cross-
appeal. Fiflis argues the superior court erred in rejecting the trespass and
taking claims and not granting his request for injunctive relief. The court
addresses these arguments in turn.

¶14           This court reviews de novo a grant of summary judgment,
“viewing the evidence and reasonable inferences in the light most favorable
to the party opposing the motion,” Andrews v. Blake, 205 Ariz. 236, 240 ¶ 12
(2003), to determine “whether any genuine issues of material fact exist,”
Brookover v. Roberts Enters., Inc., 215 Ariz. 52, 55 ¶ 8 (App. 2007). When
uncontroverted, “facts alleged by affidavits attached to a motion for
summary judgment may be considered true.” Portonova v. Wilkinson, 128
Ariz. 501, 503 (1981).

I.     The Easements Were Not Limited to Pedestrians and Riding
       Horses.

¶15           “An easement is a right which one person has to use the land
of another for a specific purpose.” Etz v. Mamerow, 72 Ariz. 228, 231 (1951).
As with other servitudes, easements “should be interpreted to give effect to
the intention of the parties ascertained from the language used in the
instrument, or the circumstances surrounding creation of the servitude, and
to carry out the purpose for which it was created.” Powell v. Washburn, 211
Ariz. 553, 557 ¶ 13 (2006) (citation omitted). “Principles of contract
interpretation apply to easements.” IB Prop. Holdings, LLC v. Rancho Del Mar
Apartments Ltd. P’ship, 228 Ariz. 61, 66 ¶ 16 (App. 2011).

¶16          As noted above, the page of the Final Plat containing Fiflis’ lot
addressing the easement contains a Legend stating “15’ EQUESTRIAN
TRAIL & PUBLIC ACCESS ESMT,” with one reference on the map stating
“NOTE: DIMENSIONS ARE TO CENTERLINE OF TRAIL EASEMENT.”
Neither party disputes that the easement on Lot 36 allows for both
equestrian and pedestrian use. The plain language of the Final Plat grants
a broad public access trail easement. Moreover, to the extent there is
ambiguity in the Final Plat, the “circumstances surrounding [the] creation

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                    FIFLIS, et al. v. CAVE CREEK, et al.
                           Decision of the Court

of the servitude,” Powell, 211 Ariz. at 557 ¶ 13, show that, as accepted, the
Final Plat included public access easements reflecting then-current uses.
Defendants presented evidence that, historically, those uses included
bicycles along with pedestrian and equestrian uses. Fiflis did not dispute
that evidence. On this record, the public access easements granted in the
Final Plat as accepted by the Town in 1998 included bicycle use.

¶17            Reflecting this pre-existing bicycle use, nowhere in the Final
Plat, the Narrative Report or the Town Council stipulations or minutes is
there any suggestion that the use of bicycles was precluded. Although Fiflis
presented evidence from a former Town Mayor that “the Town Council’s
intent” was otherwise, no such limitation was stated in the documents and
one person cannot testify about the intention of the council as a whole. See
Long v. City of Glendale, 208 Ariz. 319, 331 ¶ 42 (App. 2004) (disregarding a
single city councilman’s testimony about the council’s intention for the use
of property). Moreover, because the Final Plat and related documents did
not preclude the use of bicycles, a former Town official’s undisclosed intent
relayed more than two decades later is not relevant. Cf. Hill-Shafer P’ship v.
Chilson Fam. Tr., 165 Ariz. 469, 474 (1990) (“What is operative is the objective
manifestations of assent by the parties.”); Hartford v. Indus. Comm’n. of Ariz.,
178 Ariz. 106, 112 (1994) (“Mutual assent is based on objective evidence, not
on the hidden intent of the parties.”).

¶18          Given this pre-existing public use of bicycles on the trails
when the Final Plat was approved, the public access easements were not
limited to pedestrians and riding horses. Thus, Fiflis has not shown that
bicycles using the public access easements exceeded the grant or any
impermissible interference with his use of Lot 36.3

II.    The 2018 CC&R Amendment Properly Clarified Uses Allowed on
       the Public Access Easements in the Final Plat.

¶19            Fiflis argues that the 2018 amendment to the CC&Rs was
invalid because the CC&Rs as they existed before that amendment limited
the scope of the public access easements in the Final Plat. Not so. The
express public access easement in the Final Plat defined the scope of the
trail easements in a grant that was accepted by the Town for the benefit of
the public. See Scalia v. Green, 229 Ariz. 100, 102 ¶ 7 (App. 2011) (“An express

3 At oral argument and in the answering brief, Fiflis has raised various
hypotheticals of motorized uses of the public access easements. Because
those issues are not part of this case, this court need not (and expressly does
not) address them.

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                    FIFLIS, et al. v. CAVE CREEK, et al.
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grant of an easement defines the grantee’s rights.”). By contrast, “CC & Rs
constitute a contract between the subdivision’s property owners as a whole
and individual lot owners.” Ahwatukee Custom Ests. Mgmt. Ass’n, Inc. v.
Turner, 196 Ariz. 631, 634 ¶ 5 (App. 2000). Fiflis has not shown how the later
enacted CC&R’s, to the extent they sought to limit use granted in the Final
Plat, would be binding on the public or could limit the public easements.
To the contrary, “a dedication, once perfected, is irrevocable,” City of
Chandler v. Ariz. Dep’t of Transp., 224 Ariz. 400, 403 ¶ 9 (App. 2010), and a
grant of a public access easement reflected in the Final Plat could not be
restricted in later-enacted CC&R’s.

¶20           The factual predicate for Fiflis’ argument -- that the original
CC&Rs limited the Final Plat -- is wrong. The CC&Rs contain no language
limiting the uses to only walking and horse riding. Additionally, the
CC&Rs make plain that absent any judicial determination otherwise, the
HOA’s “construction or interpretation of the provisions hereof shall be . . .
conclusive and binding as to all persons and property benefited or bound
by this Declaration.” In amending the CC&R’s, the HOA clarified that the
scope of the public access easements included bicycles. Fiflis has not shown
how that clarification, which was properly adopted by more than 75 percent
of the owners, was invalid.

¶21            The superior court found that the 2018 CC&R amendment
clarifying the scope of the easements impermissibly imposed an “additional
burden” by “expand[ing] the scope of the CC&Rs,” contrary to Dreamland,
224 Ariz. at 42. As discussed above, the 2018 CC&R amendment clarified
the scope of the public access easements; it did not expand their scope or
the scope of the CC&Rs as they existed before that amendment. Nor does
Dreamland invalidate the 2018 CC&R amendment.

¶22            Dreamland involved a community with 18 sections, each
containing several residential lots. Id. at 43 ¶ 2. Seventeen of those 18
sections had no annual assessments and no common areas, with owners
having the option of being members in a voluntary club. Id. at 43 ¶ 4. More
than 40 years after the first section was built, the community proposed an
amendment to the CC&Rs requiring each section to pay an annual
assessment for club maintenance. Id. at 44 ¶ 6. On appeal, the court
concluded “[i]t is not reasonable to use the amendment provision to direct
that one group of lot owners may, in effect, take the property of another
group in order to fund activities that do not universally benefit each
homeowner’s property or areas owned in common by all.” Id. at 51 ¶ 36.
No such issue is presented here, where the 2018 CC&R amendment sought
to clarify the scope of the public access easements in the Final Plat. See also

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                     FIFLIS, et al. v. CAVE CREEK, et al.
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Kalway v. Calabria Ranch HOA, LLC, 252 Ariz. 532, 537 ¶ 10, 539-42 ¶¶ 17,
22-41 (2022) (applying Dreamland in invalidating CC&R amendments
imposing use and improvement restrictions but affirming CC&R
amendments clarifying definition of “garage;” noting CC&R amendments
“must give sufficient notice of the possibility of a future amendment; that
is, amendments must be reasonable and foreseeable”).

¶23            Unlike Dreamland or Kalway, here, the public access easements
were established in 1998 when the Final Plat was approved, before the
version of the CC&Rs Fiflis argues cannot be changed had been finalized.
Fiflis does not contest that he had knowledge of the public access easements
in the recorded Final Plat when he purchased Lot 36 in 2011. Moreover,
unlike Dreamland and Kalway, the 2018 CC&R amendment did not add an
additional restriction on Fiflis’ use of Lot 36. Instead, like the amendment
allowed in Kalway clarifying the definition of “garage,” the 2018 CC&R
amendment clarified uses allowed under the existing public access
easements.

¶24            Fiflis also argues that the 2018 CC&R amendment was invalid
because it did not comply with A.R.S. § 33-1817(A)(2), which requires
consent of all affected homeowners if an amendment applies to less than all
the homeowners. However, the amendment here applied to all
homeowners. The amendment provided notice to all homeowners of the
uses allowed on the easements throughout the community. For all of these
reasons, Fiflis has not shown the amendment clarifying the easement use
was invalid.

III.   Fiflis Has Not Shown the Sheiner Agreement Was Invalid.

¶25           Fiflis argues the HOA could not approve the Sheiner
Agreement, claiming it contravenes the description of the public access
easements in the CC&Rs. As a result of the Sheiner Agreement, however,
Fiflis’ property is no longer encumbered by the easement. Fiflis has not
shown how the Sheiner Agreement harmed Lot 36 or otherwise is
prohibited by the CC&Rs. The Sheiner Agreement also was approved by
the Architectural Committee as required by the CC&Rs. Accordingly, the
cases Fiflis cites for the proposition that an HOA “cannot act in
contravention of the CC&Rs” have no application here. See Nickerson v.
Green Valley Recreation, Inc., 228 Ariz. 309, 320–21 ¶¶ 27–28 (App. 2011);
Wilson v. Playa de Serrano, 211 Ariz. 511, 513–14 ¶¶ 8–9 (App. 2005). Nor has
Fiflis shown the Sheiner Agreement would run counter of the requirement
of an “orderly plan of the subdivision,” citing Vill. of Riverside v. Maclean, 71
N.E. 408, 415 (Ill. 1904), even if that case applied here.

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                     FIFLIS, et al. v. CAVE CREEK, et al.
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IV.    Fiflis Timely Filed His Notice of Cross Appeal.

¶26             Defendants argue that Fiflis did not timely appeal. Generally,
“a party must file a notice of cross-appeal under [ARCAP] 8 no later than
20 days after appellant’s filing of a notice of appeal, or 30 days after entry
of the judgment from which the appeal is taken, whichever is later.”
ARCAP 9(b). Still, the time to file does not begin until a signed written order
disposing of, among other things, a motion “to alter or amend the judgment
under Rule 59(d).” ARCAP 9(e)(1)(C). Defendants argue that Fiflis’ Rule
59(d) motion was really a motion under Rule 54(f)(2)(A) and therefore did
not toll the time to file his notice of cross-appeal. However, Rule 54(f)(2)(A)
provides the procedure for seeking costs when the judgment “is to be
entered under Rule 54(c)” and not after it has been entered. Rule 54(f)(2)(A).
The superior court properly considered Fiflis’ motion to add costs as a Rule
59(d) motion to amend final judgment and Fiflis filed his notice of appeal
27 days after the superior court entered its amended final judgment. Thus,
Fiflis’ notice of cross-appeal is timely.

V.     The Superior Court Did Not Err in Rejecting Fiflis’ Continuing
       Trespass Claim and the Request for Injunctive Relief.

¶27            “[T]o establish a claim of trespass against another, the
claimant must possess a legal interest in the land against which the trespass
is alleged.” Rogers v. Bd. of Regents of Univ. of Ariz., 233 Ariz. 262, 268–69 ¶ 22
(App. 2013). With easements, it is the owner of the servient estate that can
claim damages and injunctive relief for excessive use of an easement.
RESTATEMENT (THIRD) OF PROPERTY (SERVITUDES) § 8.3 cmt b. (2000). Fiflis
argues the Town and the Sheiners are committing a continuing trespass by
allowing bicycle riders to use the easements. Fiflis’ argument fails for two
reasons.

¶28           First, as noted above, bicycles are included in the scope of the
public access easements in the Final Plat. Thus, allowing that use is
consistent with the easements. Second, Fiflis has not shown a legal interest
in the land burdened by the easements. Citing the RESTATEMENT and cases
from other jurisdictions, Fiflis argues that all lot owners in a subdivision are
servient owners of the easements. See RESTATEMENT (THIRD) OF PROPERTY
(SERVITUDES) § 4.1; Tract Dev. Servs., Inc. v. Kepler, 199 Cal.App.3d 1374, 1384
(1988). The public access easements here, however, do not burden Fiflis’ Lot
36. For this same reason, Fiflis’ reliance on cases finding an owner can
enforce an easement within a subdivision do not apply. See Grossman v.
Hatley, 21 Ariz. App. 581, 584 (1974); Connolly v. Robertson, 567 S.E.2d 193,
196–97 (N.C. App. 2002). Fiflis also argues that he had a legal interest in the

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                    FIFLIS, et al. v. CAVE CREEK, et al.
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land because an easement used to be on his property. However, Fiflis
asserts a continuing trespass claim, and the easement was removed from
Lot 36 before this case was filed. Nor has Fiflis shown that Brenteson
Wholesale, Inc. v. Ariz. Pub. Serv. Co., which allowed an injunction against
use of a neighboring property, would apply. 166 Ariz. 519, 524 (App. 1990).
Brenteson affirmed an injunction that prevented the possibility of a trespass
on the plaintiff’s property, which is not what Fiflis asserts here. See id.

VI.    Fiflis Has Not Shown the Town Committed an Unconstitutional
       Taking of His Property.

¶29            “Arizona law has only recognized a ‘taking’ of property
where the government either assumes actual possession of the property or
places a legal restraint upon the property that substantially diminishes or
destroys the owner’s right to, and use and enjoyment of, the property.” State
v. Mabery Ranch, Co., L.L.C., 216 Ariz. 233, 242 ¶ 35 (App. 2007) (citation
omitted). As explained above, because bicycles are within the scope of the
easement grant, the Town has not illegally appropriated easement rights.
As also explained above, Fiflis has not shown that he has a legal interest in
property encumbered by an easement. Citing Nollan v. California Coastal
Comm’n, Fiflis argues that the court could declare an unconstitutional
taking under the “physical occupation” rule where the government
mandates an easement. 483 U.S. 825, 832 (1987). Here, however, the final
plat was accepted in 1998, long before Fiflis purchased Lot 36 in 2011. And
Fiflis has not shown that the Town mandated that Fiflis grant an easement
on Lot 36.

                               CONCLUSION

¶30            The judgment rejecting Fiflis’ claims is affirmed; the grant of
summary judgment limiting the public access easements to walking and
riding horses is vacated, and this matter is remanded with instructions to
enter judgment consistent with this decision. The HOA and Sheiners
request their fees under A.R.S. § 12-341.01. In its discretion, the court grants
the request and awards the HOA and the Sheiners their reasonable
attorneys’ fees and taxable costs contingent upon their compliance with
ARCAP 21.

                         AMY M. WOOD • Clerk of the Court
                         FILED: CC
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