Court Opinion

ID: 9792283
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:26:34.855116+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:41.637869
License: Public Domain

MACY, Justice,
dissenting, with whom CARDINE, Justice (Retired), joins.
I dissent. Although the majority concedes that the Agreement and Easement should be considered as a whole, it has failed to consider paragraph 1:
1. Grantors do hereby for themselves, their heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns grant, assign and set over to the Grantee[,] its successors and assigns an easement for a right of way for a road for the purpose of hauling material to Grantee’s plant in Albany County, Wyoming ....
As stated in paragraph 1, the purpose of the easement was to permit Mountain Cement to haul material to its plant. According to paragraph 2, the easement continued for as long as Mountain Cement required the easement to enable Mountain Cement to transport material to its plant. Paragraph 4 required Mountain Cement to record a release of the easement within thirty days after it failed to use the easement for twelve continuous months. Mountain Cement was also required to reclaim the easement area within a reasonable period of time. The express purpose of the damages provision of paragraph 4 was to compensate the Johnsons in the event that Mountain Cement faded to record the release of the easement and to reclaim the surface of the land. The terms of the damages provision did not permit Mountain Cement to revive the easement by paying the stipulated sum after the easement had been terminated.
Mountain Cement admitted that, for at least twelve continuous months, it had not used the easement to haul material to the plant. The easement automatically terminated after twelve continuous months of nonuse.
I would affirm the partial summary judgment in favor of the Johnsons.