Court Opinion

ID: 9862164
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 01:02:49.264243+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:30:29.720243
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE HARTMAN, dissenting: I must respectfully dissent from the majority’s conclusion finding an absence of "conclusive” proof that impermissible harm would occur should vegetation within the easement be removed, thereby causing further erosion and damage to the easement. Dr. Charles Collinson, plaintiffs’ expert, who was in charge of monitoring the condition of the Lake Michigan shoreline for the State of Illinois, testified concerning the vulnerable condition of the bluff on the Stotler property, property on which the easement is situated. This bluff is a seriously over-steepened grassy slope highly vulnerable to failure. Grass has very low stability on a steep slope along the Lake Michigan shoreline and there have been many cases of failure of such slopes, according to Dr. Collinson. The upper part of the slope is essentially without soil; sand is found right up in the grass roots. Sand showed through the top of the Stotler bluff; as far west as the Stotler veranda it is essentially sand, which is weak. Five bore hole samples were taken on the Stotler property, as well as borings in Elder Lane Park. A report was prepared by Terra Testing, Inc., regarding the soil condition of the Stotler property, all admitted at trial. Dr. Collinson testified that there is a minimum of 5V2 feet of sand in the uppermost layer right at the surface, and up to seven and nine feet of sand moving east toward the Stotler bluff, an essentially sand-filled slope, causing extremely unstable conditions. The borings, the Terra Testing Report, and the varying slopes between Elder Lane Park and the Stotler property indicate that the south side of the Stotler property, the easement side, is the wet side, making it even more vulnerable and less stable because of the increased water flow. He found signs of movement along the slope, making it inherently unstable and susceptible to becoming mobilized. He saw signs of additional movement in the same bluff area as late as 10 days prior to his testimony. From the Terra report he noted upper edge slope failure, which could be a predictor of continuing slope failures. He also noted an increasing gap in the sod during his investigation the day prior to his testimony. Dr. Collinson noted from photographs in evidence erosion and sloughing of the bluff on the north side of Elder Lane Park where it abuts the Stotler property, prior to the improvement in Elder Lane Park in 1987, which soil conditions have existed from 1974 to the present on the Stotler property immediately north of Elder Lane Park, and as have existed in Elder Lane Park. He noted the erosion on the properties north of the Stotler property depicted on one of the exhibits in evidence and explained that there had been a cave-in on the property immediately north of the Stotler property. This cave-in occurred at the south end of the adjoining property where it abuts the Stotler property; even today it has stability problems. When Dr. Collinson examined the Stotler property the day prior to his testimony, the sod was slipping away again in the same area at least as far as the woody shrubs on the south side. In his opinion, the most vulnerable part of the slope on the Stotler property is the southern half of the lower slope, the area within the three-foot easement; this location is highly vulnerable to failure. He noted the gullying along the south fence line which had been progressing in the recent months prior to his testimony, and the area along the fence line being more steep, thereby contributing to this vulnerability. It was Dr. Collinson’s further opinion that the steepness of the slope along the south lot line of the Stotler property affects the stability of the bluff, stating: "If there’s gullying there and failure and over steepening, *** there would be an increase in gullying, greater susceptibility to damage from foot traffic, and we’ve seen that there has been a failure in that area in the lower slope in the past period. And the lower part of that area we can expect to be saturated before any other parts of the slope are saturated with water whenever we have rainy periods or wave oversplash. [Further,] *** this area of the slope is presently unstable [and is] *** highly vulnerable, and as I stated in private, I think that Mr. Stotler is living on the edge, [meaning] *** that he could experience major failures even today with his improvements at almost any time.” Dr. Collinson testified that the woody shrubs on the Stotler slope are beneficial to slope stabilization. In his opinion, "the grassy slope is highly vulnerable right now. It’s oversteepened. It’s badly supported. And if you remove the shrubs, then you would not only have an area that is as steep, but perhaps steeper, but it would be bare. No roots at all to retain it. It would be highly vulnerable to gullying, to foot traffic and failure. *** [I]t is highly inappropriate that there be any foot traffic there, [and would] be dangerous for the person walking down the slope [because] *** this is a very steep slope.” Dr. Collinson testified further that foot traffic also should be prohibited in Elder Lane Park, where the soil conditions are substantially similar to the Stotler property, and that the fence installed by the Winnetka Park District is the type installed to prohibit foot traffic. The action taken by the Park District underscores the validity of the Stotlers’ concern regarding their property. On cross-examination, Dr. Collinson testified that during saturated conditions a handful of people walking down the Stotler slope in the area of the three-foot easement could result in serious consequences, particularly where the conditions are such that remedial action must be delayed, because further damage could ensue from the very remedial action itself. On re-cross-examination, Dr. Collin-son testified that it would not take much foot traffic to cause a cave-in. Another failure on the bluff in the area of the three-foot easement could very well affect a large area of the slope. In my opinion, Dr. Collinson’s uncontradicted testimony conclusively establishes that the Stotler property, and particularly the area within the three-foot easement, is highly vulnerable to failure. He testified that removal of the woody shrubs on the Stotler slope could cause severe damage to the Stotler property. Moreover, because many of these shrubs predate the Stotlers’ ownership of their property, their removal is not mandated. Seymour testified that these shrubs block his ability to get to Lake Michigan through the three-foot easement. In its memorandum opinion, the court stated as a conclusion of law, "Testimony at trial indicated that most erosion of the land is caused by delayed action from the lake, rather than by foot traffic.” There was no testimony at trial to this effect. Dr. Collinson’s testimony is that foot traffic causes a substantial hazard to the stability of the Stotler property as well as to persons traversing the property. His testimony, that wave action from the lake and other environmental factors cause slope instability, explains why foot traffic on the slope should not be allowed as adding to the instability of the slope and the hazards which exist for those who would use it. Stotler testified that the north side of his property had been gullying badly all the way to the top of the bluff, becoming worse each time it rained; subsequently the whole top of the bluff slipped down. As the Elder Lane Park property was eroding, his property began shifting as well. He had seen his bluff caved in and dropped down substantially. Stotler explained that although there had been some gradual shifting, the greatest amount of damage happened in one day without any warning. With regard to the remedial measures the Stotlers took to address the erosion problem, Stotler testified that they built a steel reinforced concrete wall by the stairs which was subsequently filled in with rock and dirt. The Stotlers had the bluff rebuilt and installed a curbed wall of concrete blocks which an engineer designed to help the water drain off the bluff and to help support the bluff. The cost to install the wall and certain related remedial work was approximately $17,000 which the Stotlers paid themselves without any contribution from the Seymours. Stotler had an engineering study done of his property and borings drilled. The stairs had been installed near the center of the lower bluff with concrete posts or pylons which help to keep the pressure of foot traffic off the surface of the bluff. Stotler explained that this was done to protect the bluff from further damage. The cost of installing the stairs was approximately $16,000. The cost to replace the stairs if there were another cave-in would be twice as much, over $30,000. The stairs he installed do not go straight vertically down the bluff but rather zigzag laterally across the bluff because the designing engineer advised that it would be too dangerous to install the steps straight down vertically and that the lateral design was required to distribute weight over a broader area. Stotler testified that he and his family do not walk down the bluff other than on the stairs to prevent destroying the bluff and because it would be dangerous to the person walking. Prior to installing the stairs, he often fell and slipped when he walked down the bluff. Over time, there was shifting and damage to the bluff from foot traffic. Notwithstanding the remedial action the Stotlers have taken, there has been continuing erosion, including areas which have shifted and where the underlying clay or sand can be seen. Approximately six months after he installed the concrete wall, the bluff began to shift and was even worse as of the time of his testimony. An easement granted for a particular purpose terminates when such purpose ceases to exist, is abandoned, or is rendered impossible of accomplishment. (URS Corp. v. Ash (1981), 101 Ill. App. 3d 229, 236, 427 N.E.2d 1295, 1300.) The circuit court’s conclusion that harm must be demonstrated "conclusively” after removal from the easement of the plants and shrubbery within the easement flies in the face of common sense and the law. As Dr. Collinson testified, it is wrong to assume that adverse impact, no matter what it is, can be ameliorated through maintenance without potentially causing additional damage. As the court in Flower v. Valentine has noted, "[i]t is evident that the plaintiff was not obligated under the law to wait until the easement area or property off of the easement was damaged or destroyed before she brought an action to enjoin the actions of defendants.” (Flower, 135 Ill. App. 3d at 1044, 482 N.E.2d at 690.) The clear, convincing and unrebutted evidence at trial established that foot traffic in the area of the easements poses very real and serious threats to the already vulnerable condition of the Stotler property, both within the area of the easements and beyond, as well as to persons traversing the Stotler bluff. Accordingly, under the doctrine of failure of purpose, the easements should be extinguished since the purpose for which they were created, safe access by the Seymours to the waters of Lake Michigan without harm to the easement property, has failed. The circuit court’s conclusion to the contrary is against the manifest weight of the evidence and should be reversed.