Court Opinion

ID: 9654438
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 18:20:37.36216+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:09.231605
License: Public Domain

Donald L. Corbin, Justice, dissenting. Appellant asks this court to reverse the chancellor’s ruling and strictly enforce the provisions of the protective covenant, without regard to the relative hardships to either party. The majority reverses the chancellor’s decision on the ground that the terms of the protective covenants are unambiguous and, thus, must be strictly enforced. While I do not take issue with the majority’s recitation of the general law on restrictive or protective covenants, I do not agree that every violation of a protective covenant mandates an injunction requiring removal of the offensive structure. Furthermore, I especially do not agree with the implication of this decision, that the chancellor, presiding over a court of equity, erred in balancing the equities and considering the relative hardships to the parties in this suit. Therefore, I respectfully dissent. Appellant brought this suit in chancery court seeking an injunction to have the Appellees’ deck removed because it is located within the fifty-feet setback, in violation of the protective covenants. Appellant asked only that the deck be removed, although approximately two feet of the house itself is located in the setback area. Appellant has been damaged in no way, shape, or form, nor does he even claim to be. I believe the chancellor did all that he could to appropriately remedy this situation, conducting two hearings on the matter, reviewing the documents in question, and visiting the property. The chancellor ruled that from his inspection of the property, he was unable to discern any interference with Appellant’s enjoyment of his property caused by Appellees’ deck. The chancellor ruled further that Appellant did not plead or prove any damages. The chancellor thus denied the requested injunction based on the fact that Appellant had not suffered any damage as a result of the location of the deck, reasoning: As we know, in this case, [Appellees’] structure does not encroach upon [Appellant’s] land. A grant of mandatory injunction would have to be based solely on the fact that the covenants were breached. I am of the opinion that removal of the deck would be a harsh, drastic and totally inequitable remedy. The chancellor did, however, award Appellant $2,500 in attorney’s fees and costs. The chancellor relied on the holdings in Stuttgart Elec. Co., Inc. v. Riceland Seed Co., 33 Ark. App. 108, 802 S.W.2d 484 (1991), and Turpin v. Watts, 607 S.W.2d 895 (Mo. App. 1980), in support of his conclusion. I believe those holdings are sound. In Stuttgart, 33 Ark. App. 108, 802 S.W.2d 484, the plaintiff filed suit for injunction to require the defendant to remove a portion of its warehouse that encroached upon the plaintiff s property by 2.3 feet. The chancery court denied the requested relief, finding, among other things, that the encroachment by the warehouse was slight and was not done intentionally, and that removal of the building would be a harsh, drastic, and totally inequitable remedy. Relying on the Restatement (Second) of Torts, the court of appeals opted for a remedy that would balance all the equities and measure the “relative hardship” that would come to both parties: Elementary justice requires consideration of the hardship the defendant would be caused by an injunction as compared with the hardship the plaintiff would suffer if the injunction should be refused. Though the expression “balance of convenience” is sometimes used to designate the weighing process here involved, it does not state the proper test. ... It cannot be summed up in any phrase less elastic than “relative hardship.” In its broader aspects, the problem may be viewed as one of balancing all of the equities of the situation. This process first involves consideration of the relative hardships of the two parties; but it extends beyond hardships to other factors, such as the character of the conduct (including the respective motives) of the defendant and the plaintiff that produced the situation and created the attendant hardships. Id. at 114-15, 802 S.W.2d at 488 (quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts § 941 (1977)) (emphasis added). That decision is consistent with this court’s recognition of the chancellor’s duty to decide the credibility of the witnesses, weigh the evidence, and balance the equities. See Blevins v. Wagnon, 281 Ark. 272, 664 S.W.2d 198 (1984). In Turpin, 607 S.W.2d 895, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, addressed a factual situation more closely akin to the situation here. There, the plaintiff and the defendant were neighbors in a lakefront subdivision. The plaintiff filed suit for injunction against the defendant, contending that the defendant had violated the provision of the restrictive covenants prohibiting any building within the setback adjoining the lake. The plaintiff claimed that the defendant’s house was within the setback area and that it was obstructing the plaintiff’s view of the lake. The Missouri court held: More importantly, the relief sought is wholly disproportionate to the injury sustained. Whatever status one accords the testimony of defendant’s surveyor, it is clear that the obstruction of plaintiffs “view” is minimal. To compel the defendant to raze and reconstruct his residence at a cost of nearly $39,000 so plaintiff might enjoy an unobstructed view of the lake would be manifestly inequitable. Relief was rightfully refused upon this ground, if no other. Id. at 901-02 (citations omitted) (emphasis added). I concur with the reasoning employed by the Missouri Court of Appeals, which is applicable to the facts of this case. Here, Appellant and Appellees own neighboring lakefront property. Appellant filed this suit requesting injunction because Appellees violated the terms of the protective covenants pertaining to building in the setback area of the land. Unlike the present case, however, the plaintiff in Turpin at least claimed to be damaged by the location of the defendant’s house. Still, the court found that the grant of an injunction requiring the defendant to remove the house would be inequitable. In Hays v. Watson, 250 Ark. 589, 466 S.W.2d 272 (1971), relied upon heavily by Appellant, the defendant Hays maintained a trailer park on land adjoining Watson’s subdivision. Hays purchased lots 3 and 4 from Watson and, immediately thereafter, started construction of a sewage disposal system, which would service forty-five trailer spaces. Watson filed suit against Hays, alleging that Hays had violated the terms of the restrictive covenants for the subdivision. The chancellor ruled in favor of Watson and ordered that Hays restrict the use of his sewage disposal system to a single-dwelling unit, as set out in the covenants. The chancellor observed that, although proof of damages was not necessary to obtain an injunction, Watson was being damaged by the location of the sewage disposal system, as he had been unable to sell any additional lots since construction of the sewage system had begun. Here, unlike the plaintiff in Hays, Appellant has not been damaged. There was no testimony that the location of Appellees’ deck affected Appellant’s use and enjoyment of his property, or that it lowered the value of his property. Moreover, Appellees’ deck is not encroaching onto Appellant’s property; rather, the deck occupied approximately seventeen feet of land in the setback area. Appellant did not plead or allege that he had been damaged by Appellees’ construction of their deck. Given the lack of harm to Appellant, the holding in Hays is distinguishable. In conclusion, I believe that the chancellor fulfilled his duty by weighing the evidence, determining the credibility of the witnesses, and balancing the equities and relative hardships involved. While there is no question that the covenants were violated, I disagree that the only remedy available in such a situation is a mandatory injunction for removal of the structure. Accordingly, given the total absence of harm or injury to Appellant, I would affirm the chancellor’s conclusion that forcing Appellees to remove the deck would be unjust under the circumstances. Thornton, J., joins in this dissent.