Mason v. Foster
Appellants (Mason) and Kenneth Burton, husband and wife, own real property abutting Sanford Ranch Road, near Ukiah in Mendocino County. Directly behind and uphill from appellants' property are two lots owned by respondents that are accessed only via an easement across appellants' property. Appellants commenced a declaratory relief and quiet title action in the superior court raising several issues regarding the scope and nature of the easement across their land. The court sustained respondents' demurrer to appellants' complaint without leave to amend on the basis that the issues raised by appellants' action had either been effectively decided, or could have been decided, in previous litigation and, hence, their complaint was barred by collateral estoppel. Court affirm on this and one other ground presented by the record.
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