Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

65 Me. 124

Patrick Morgan v. Manis Boyes

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine

Decided June 6, 1876

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine · decided 1876-06-06

On report from the superior court. Trespass quare clausum fregit. ¡¡¡3P“A. At tbis point was a gate, which the defendant used to enter upon the way in dispute. The plaintiff built a fence just inside of it, so as to prevent the defendant from passing through. The defendant removed it, and this removal is the act complained of as a trespass. The plaintiff claims the right to the exclusive use of the way, denying the defendant’s right to enter upon it at all.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1876-06-06

How this case has been cited

Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently April 2013

5 state decisions

20187618801890190019101920193019401950196019701980199020002010decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Walton, J.

¶1This is an action of trespass quare clausum, fregit. The only question is whether the plaintiff’s possession, or right of possession, is such as will support the action. We think it is not. He has only a right of way over the locus in quo. Such a right does not carry with it a right to the exclusive possession of the land. The owner may still use it for any purpose which does not materially impair, nor unreasonably interfere with its use as a way. He may use it as a way himself, or permit others so to use it. The defendant had such permission so to use it. His entry was not therefore a trespass. Certainly it was not a breach of the plaintiff’s close. It in no way interfered with the plaintiff’s use of it as a way. Nor was the removal of the obstruction, placed there by the plaintiff for the express purpose of preventing the defendant’s use of the way, a trespass. The obstruction was a nuisance, and the defendant had a right to remove it.

¶2Judgment for defendant.

Appleton, C. J., Barrows, Daneorth, Virgin and Peters, JJ., concurred.
/65/me/124 · .json · Public domain