Court Opinion

ID: 9514339
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 22:48:46.730538+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:06:16.214262
License: Public Domain

GILBERTSON, Justice,
dissenting.
[¶ 28] I respectfully dissent. The facts of this case are not in dispute. On August 2, 1957, Lot H-3 was conveyed by warranty deed from Harry, Clifford, Lloyd and Doris Gay and Patricia Frank (hereinafter “grantors”) to the State for “highway purposes.” Although a warranty deed is generally assumed to transfer fee title, in reality all that it states is that the grantor warrants the title whatever the nature of the estate he or she is transferring to the grantee. Cuka v. State, 80 S.D. 232, 122 N.W.2d 83 (S.D.1963). The plat attached to the deed clearly states the transfer is for a “right-of-way to be acquired for highway purposes.”
[¶ 29] Right-of-way for a controlled access facility may be acquired “in the same manner as such units are now ... authorized by law_” SDCL 31-8-7. That authority is granted by SDCL 31-19-1 which authorizes acquisition of right-of-way by gift, purchase or condemnation. When land is acquired for highway purposes, “an easement was all the state could acquire regardless of the form of the instrument of conveyance.” Cuka, 122 N.W.2d at 85. Thus at this point the State held an easement for highway purposes and the remainder interest remained in the grantors.
[¶ 30] In September of 1974, Pluimer purchased Lots 1 and 2 of Block 1 of Northgate Addition from a third party who had acquired them from the grantors. Lots 1 and 2 are adjacent to Lot H-3. No mention was made of Lot H-3 in this transfer to Pluimer. He later acquired Lots 3-6 from the grantors. There is nothing in the record to indicate the conveyance of Lots 1-6 to Pluimer contained any rights to the adjacent Lot H-3.
*209[¶ 31] As the State holds only an easement on Lot H-3, the question becomes who owns the reversionary interest. For Pluimer to be responsible for the sidewalk assessment, under SDCL 9-46-5, he must be the owner of the reversionary interest of Lot H-3 as his Lots 1-6 do not front or abut “upon the sidewalk.”
[¶ 32] The majority relies upon SDCL 43-16-3 which creates a presumption that the owner of land “bounded by a road” is presumed to own to the center of the highway, “but the contrary may be shown.” Likewise SDCL 43-25-29 provides “[a] transfer of land bounded by a highway passes the title of the person whose estate is transferred to the soil of the highway in front, to the center thereof, unless a different intent appears from the grant.” Here the presumptions of these statutes have been clearly overcome.
[¶ 33] The majority correctly notes that the west half of Lot H-3 consists of 68 feet of undeveloped right-of-way outside of the constructed highway of 32 feet for a total of 100 feet. Originally Lot H-3 consisted of 100 feet from its center line to its west boundary line. The subsequent plat of Northgate Addition could not alter the plat of Lot H-3 by overlapping unless Lot H-3 was partially vacated pursuant to SDCL 11-3-20. There is no record that such a partial vacation was ever done* so Lot H-3 and Northgate Addition abut each other rather than overlap.
[¶ 34] SDCL 43-16-3 speaks of land “bounded by a road or street” and SDCL 43-25-29 speaks of land “bounded by a highway.” Here the highway is not “bounded” by Lots 1 through 6, it is “bounded” by the 66 feet of Lot H-3 which is not used for the highway.
[¶ 35] There is no conveyance of the rever-sionary interest or underlying fee in Lot H-3 from Harry, Clifford, Lloyd and Doris Gay and Patricia Frank to anybody. Presumption statutes cannot be used to wrestle the underlying title to this lot away from them. Art. VI, Section 13 of our State Constitution will not allow an involuntary taking unless the taking is for a public use. Here there is no record of any attempt to acquire this underlying fee either by the State or more importantly, by Pluimer. All the evidence points to a contrary conclusion.
. [¶ 36] Thus there is no question of fact as to the ownership of the underlying fee of Lot H-3 based on the state of the record now before us. It still rests with the original grantors.
[¶37] I would reverse and remand with instructions to enter declaratory relief upon behalf of Pluimer.

 Partial vacation of the plat of Lot H-3 at the time of the filing of the plat of the Northgate Addition required as the exclusive procedure for such a partial vacation of a plat (SDCL 11-3-20), that a legal proceeding be instituted in circuit court (SDCL 11-3-21), that due and proper notice be served on all known interested parties (SDCL 11-3-23), and that if the circuit ordered a partial vacation (SDCL 11-3-24), such order had to be recorded with the register of deeds. The record is empty of any of these steps being taken. Only under such conditions could there be a replatting which could have brought Lots 1-6 of the Northgate Addition to be “bounded by the highway” (SDCL 11-3-26). SDCL 11-3-21 through 25 were repealed in 1988 and a new procedure for vacation of plats was instituted.