Let's say you and a neighbor are in dispute about whether you've got a valid easement to cross over his property. Suppose the disputed portion of land is a dirt path that you need to use in order to access the boat launch at the pond shared by all the homes in your...
Real Estate Law
Phillips & Angley Wins Appeal in Permanent Injunction Case
On October 8, 2014, the Massachusetts Appeals Court handed down its decision in Great Woods, Inc. v. Clemmey, Docket No. 13-P-1817, through a Memorandum and Order Pursuant to Rule 1:28. In that unpublished decision, the Appeals Court panel (Kantrowitz, Grainger &...
ANR PLAN ENDORSEMENT: WHEN A PLANNING BOARD (TRIES TO) APPEAL ITSELF
The recent Land Court case of Georgetown Planning Bd. v. Georgetown Planning Bd., 2014 WL 3555971, 13 MISC 480712 (KCL) (Mass. Land. Ct. 2014), is perhaps one of the more "creative" ways around trying to undo a constructive endorsement of an ANR (Approval Not...
SUBDIVISION CONTROL LAW – REMEDIES FOR INNOCENT PURCHASERS OF UNAPPROVED SUBDIVISION LOTS
In 1953, Massachusetts enacted what is commonly referred to as the "Subdivision Control Law", which is codified at G.L. c. 41, §§ 81K-81GG. The law was enacted for the purpose ofprotecting the safety, convenience and welfare of the inhabitants of the cities...
ANR Plans: Public Ways, Ways in Existence & Adequate Access
As most Massachusetts residents and land use attorneys know, new residential construction is often met with a host of challenges and opposition. This is certainly the situation in many of the more desirable locations where developable land is seemingly at a premium,...
Exceptions and Reservations in Deeds
In my last post on the Derelict Fee Statute (Mass. Gen. Laws. Chapter 183, Section 58), I discussed exceptions and reservations under Subsection (b) of that statute, which exempt conveyances from the law's operation. But, what are exceptions and what are reservations...
Derelict Fee Statute – Exceptions and Reservations
In my previous post on the Derelict Fee Statute (Mass. Gen. Laws. Chapter 183, Section 58), I addressed the basics of its application and noted that most of the case law interpreting the statute concerns what it means to be "real estate abutting a way". A small...
DERELICT FEE STATUTE – BASICS
The so-called Derelict Fee Statute, General Laws Chapter 183, Section 58, comes up with great frequency in our practice, because people often get into disputes over the ownership and, thus, control of private ways. The statute governs the interpretation of deeds when...
WHEN A TREE STRADDLES THE BOUNDARY LINE
A recent Land Court case, Bassin v. Fairley, 11 MISC 451773 (AHS) (Mass. Land Ct. June 17, 2014), provides a good reminder of the kind of inquiry a court will make when deciding whether a landowner can remove a tree that straddles a common boundary line. In Bassin,...
BOUNDARY LINE DISPUTES: A RECENT CASE
To the unwary, it might be surprising that property dating back to the 1870s could, almost 150 years later, fall prey to a boundary line dispute. But it does happen, as the recent case, Bernier v. Fredette, 85 Mass. App. Ct. 265 (2014), reminds us.This case went to...