Court Opinion

ID: 9687782
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 16:48:31.287209+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:31.812600
License: Public Domain

ON PETITION FOR REHEARING.
Rehearing denied May 10, 1973. All the Justices concurring except Coleman, J., dissenting.
COLEMAN, Justice
(dissenting):
On further consideration, I am of opinion that the rehearing should be granted and the cause remanded for further proceedings.
I do not agree that the license to use the lake granted to Milam is irrevocable for the life of Milam or for any other period of time. Rhodes v. Otis, 33 Ala. 578, does not hold that a license granted for a consideration paid by the licensee to licensor must be specifically performed, but Rhodes does hold that if a licensor has granted a license for a consideration paid to licensor by licensee by agreement, then the licensee may recover from the licensor, as allowed by law, for damages sustained by licensee as the result of licensor’s breach of his agreement.
I have- found no case which has the effect of compelling specific performance of an agreement to grant a license. The holding of the majority has the same effect as compelling specific performance. In Hicks Bros. v. Swift Creek Mill Co., 133 Ala. 411, 31 So. 947, this court said:
“The right of a licensor to revoke a license given by him is fully recognized by our court, as will appear from a mere cursory examination of the cases cited above. And, indeed, is fully recognized in the case of Rhodes v. Otis, 33 Ala. 578, upon which the defendant relies to support its contention of estoppel. Suffice it to say, that in that case a consideration was paid for the easement or license and the licensee or transferee put into possession of the land and water way over which the rights to him were agreed to be granted. There was, therefore, no question of the operation of the statute of frauds, and, indeed, could not be. This being true, upon the plainest principles of equity, the licensor or seller should not have been permitted to retain the purchase money paid to him and to destroy the rights which he had sold to the other party. . . . ” (133 Ala. at 424, 31 So. at 951)
In Hicks this court cited with approval Thoemke v. Fiedler, 91 Wis. 386, 64 N.W. 1030. An excerpt from the opinion of the Wisconsin Court recites:
“ . . . An easement is a permanent interest in the lands of another, with a right to enjoy it fully and without obstruction. Such an interest cannot be created by parol. It can be created only by a deed in writing, or by prescription. But this agreement did have the effect of a parol license. A license creates no *20estate in lands. It is a bare authority to do a certain act or series of acts upon the lands of another. It is a personal right, and is not assignable. It is gone if the owner of the land who gives the license transfers his title to another, or if either party die. So long as a parol license remains executory it may be revoked at pleasure. So an executed parol license, under which some estate or interest in the land would pass, is revocable. Otherwise title would pass without a written conveyance, ‘in the teeth of the statute of frauds.’ Nor is such a license made irrevocable by the fact that a valuable consideration is paid for it, or because expenditures have been made on the faith of it. None of these propositions are doubtful, upon the authorities. Washb. Easem. (4th ed), 28, 431, par. 14; 6 Am. & Eng.Ency. of Law, 141, and cases cited in note 3; Hazelton v. Putnam, 3 Pin. 107; French v. Owen, 2 Wis. 250; Clute v. Carr, 20 Wis. 531; Lockhart v. Geir, 54 Wis. 133, 11 N.W. 245; Johnson v. Skillman, 29 Minn. 95, 12 N.W. 149; Olson v. St. P., M. & M. R. Co., 38 Minn. 479, 38 N.W. 490; Minneapolis Mill Co. v. M. & St. L. R. Co., 51 Minn. 304, 53 N.W. 639; Woodward v. Seely, 11 Ill. 157; Wiseman v. Lucksinger, 84 N.Y. 31; Cronkhite v. Cronkhite, 94 N.Y. 323; Eckerson v. Crippen, 110 N.Y. 585, 18 N.E. 443; White v. Manhattan R. Co., 139 N.Y. 19, 34 N.E. 887.” (91 Wis. at 389, 390, 64 N.W. at 1030.)
In the instant case the license was not granted by deed, prescription, or adverse possession. I have found no case in this state which holds that a license not created by deed, prescription, or adverse possession can ripen into an easement for years, or for life by specific performance or by virtue of the doctrine of estoppel or any other theory.
Being of opinion that the holding to the contrary is erroneous I respectfully dissent.