Question of Fact Re: Implied Easement for Pipeline to Pond

The Third Department determined there was a question of fact whether an implied easement existed for a pipeline linking defendant’s property with a pond.  The court agreed with Supreme Court that an express easement had been extinguished when the relevant parcels were owned by the same party and was not subsequently recreated de novo.  The court explained the criteria for an implied easement:

“[A]n easement by implication requires ‘(1) unity and subsequent separation of title, (2) the claimed easement must have, prior to separation, been so long continued and obvious or manifest as to show that it was meant to be permanent, and (3) the use must be necessary for the beneficial enjoyment of the land'” … .  Stated another way, “[a]n implied easement will arise ‘upon severance of ownership when, during the unity of title, an apparently permanent and obvious servitude was imposed on one part of an estate in favor of another part, which servitude at the time of severance is in use and is reasonably necessary for the fair enjoyment of the other part of the estate'” … . Here, there is no genuine dispute that there was unity in ownership and a subsequent separation of title of the subject parcels.  Similarly, defendants made a prima facie showing that the use of the pipeline across plaintiff’s property was continued and obvious for decades.  Freeman v Walther, 516293, 3rd Dept 10-24-13