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Property Law Keyed to Cribbet
Willard v. First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pacifica
ProfessorTodd Berman
CaseCast™ – "What you need to know"
Facts
McGuigan owned two lots abutting one another known as lots 19 and 20, which were situated across the street from the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pacifica (Defendant). McGuigan allowed the church to use lot 20 for parking during church services; lot 19 had a building on it. McGuigan sold lot 19 to Peterson, who used the building thereon for an office. Peterson wished to resell the lot so he listed lot 19 with a realtor, Willard (Plaintiff). Plaintiff wished to purchase lot 19 and lot 20, so he and Peterson signed a deposit receipt for both lots. Peterson approached McGuigan about purchasing lot 20, so that he could sell it to Plaintiff. McGuigan was willing to sell the lot so long as the church could continue to use the lot for parking. The church’s attorney wrote a restriction clause into the deed from McGuigan to Peterson, which stated that the conveyance was subject to an easement for parking to benefit the church and that the easement was to run with the land so long as the church property continued to be used as a church. Peterson received and recorded the deed to lot 20. At the sale of the lot from Peterson to Willard, Peterson’s deed to Plaintiff did not mention any easement, however, he told the Plaintiff that the church would want to continue parking on lot 20, Peterson did not tell Plaintiff of the easement clause in the deed he received from McGuigan. When Plaintiff became aware of the easement clause, he commenced this suit to quiet title to lot 20. At a bench trial, McGuigan testified that she would not have sold the property unless she had assurances that the church could continue to use the lot for parking. The trial court found that McGuigan and Peterson intended to convey an easement to the church, but that the clause they used in the deed was ineffective because of the common law rule that one cannot “reserve” an interest in property to a stranger in title. The Defendant appealed.
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