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38 Colo. 171

Laesch v. Morton

Supreme Court of Colorado

Decided September 15, 1906

Supreme Court of Colorado · decided 1906-09-15

<p>1. Statute of Frauds — Easements—Oral Agreement — Sufficiency of Proof.</p> <p>An oral agreement for a perpetual right of way over the premises of another constitutes an easement or interest in land and is within the statute of frauds, and to take it out of the statute it must he supported by clear, definite and conclusive proof. — P. 173.</p> <p>2. Mines and Mining — Right of Way Through Tunnel — Oral Agreement — Statute of Frauds — Sufficiency of Proof.</p> <p>Plaintiff owned an undivided one-half interest in a mining claim on which was a tunnel. Defendant acquired the other half interest and continued the tunnel on through the claim into another claim owned hy him; and thereafter worked the latter mine and conveyed the output through the tunnel, hasing his right to such use on his undivided interest therein, hut later in his amended answer placing it upon an oral agreement with plaintiff. The proof of such agreement consisted of a conversation testified to hy the representative and agent of defendant, which was indefinite as to the terms of the agreement, and was positively denied hy plaintiff. Held, that such evidence is insufficient to establish the agreement hy clear, definite and conclusive proof, as required by the well settled rule in such cases. — P. 173.</p> <p>3. Mines and Mining — Tenancy in Common — Rights of Cotenants —Operation of Mine.</p> <p>An owner of an undivided interest in a mining claim has no right to use the tunnel on such claim to convey ore from an outside claim. — P. 174.</p> <p>4. Appellate Practice — Findings of the Trial Court — Conclusiveness.</p> <p>While the appellate court is precluded from disturbing the findings of the trial court unless clearly against the weight of the' testimony, still, when there is a sufficient lack of the character and degree of proof required, the judgment will be reversed. —P. 174.</p>

Cited by 3 later decisions — most recently February 1922

3 state decisions

Relies on Whitsett v. Kershow · Fetta v. Vandevier · Vandevier v. Fetta

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Reversed and remanded · Decided 1906-09-15

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Mr. Justice Goddard

¶1delivered the opinion of the court:

¶2The law applicable to this case is well settled, and the only question for our consideration is, whether the évidence of the defendant, when given its full weight and purport, is sufficient to sustain the judgment. The perpetual right of way, which the defendant claims he acquired from plaintiff, constitutes an easement or interest in land. The oral agreement upon which he relies is within the statute of frauds, and under the well settled rule, in order to take such agreement .out of the statute of frauds, it is incumbent upon him to support the same by clear, definite and conclusive proof. Fetta v. Vandevier, 3 Colo. App. 419, affirmed in: Vandevier v. Fetta, 20 Colo. 368; Whitsett v. Kershow, 4 Colo. 419.

¶3The evidence on the part of the defendant does not, in our opinion, meet the requirements of this rule. It consists of a conversation testified to by the representative and agent of defendant. This conversation is, in itself, general and indefinite as to the terms of the agreement, and is positively denied by *174the plaintiff. Nor does it satisfactorily appear that the defendant acted upon the alleged agreement in running the tunnel, but rather upon his supposed right to use it to transport the output from the Joe Reynolds mine by virtue of his undivided interest therein. He was so advised by counsel, and, in answer to plaintiff’s demand for compensation, defendant’s attorneys did not claim the right to the use of the tunnel by virtue of any agreement, but gave as the reason why she was not entitled to compensation for such use “that the parties were tenants in common in the tunnel.” That they were mistaken in assuming that defendant’s relationship to the property gave him the right to use the common tunnel to convey ore from an outside claim, is settled in People ex rel. v. District Court, 27 Colo. 465. Yet defendant twice asserted such right, and did not claim the right to use the tunnel by virtue of an agreement with plaintiff until it appeared in his amended answer.

¶4It must be assumed that the court below, by rendering judgment for defendant, found the issue as to the agreement in his favor, and while-, under the doctrine frequently announced in this court, we are precluded from disturbing such finding unless clearly against the weight of the testimony, we feel compelled to reverse the judgment, not alone because of the conflict in the testimony, but because of the lack of the character and degree of proof required in such cases.

¶5Judgment reversed, and cause remanded.

¶6Reversed.

¶7Chief Justice G-abbert and Mr. Justice. Bailey concur.

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