DISCLAIMER:

These summaries of case decisions are intended for informational purposes only. They are not intended to be interpretations of the law, nor do they encompass the subtleties of each case. Therefore, reference to the original text is indispensable.



Monday, June 11, 2012

John Richardson v. Board of Appeals of Chilmark



Facts: This is an appeal from the Land Court’s order of summary judgment dismissing the Plaintiff’s appeal from the issuance of a building permit.  In September of 1999 the Plaintiff’s neighbor obtained a building permit for the construction of a large single-family dwelling on his property. In January of 2005, the plaintiff began this action in Land Court to enjoin the neighbor from constructing the dwelling. The plaintiff alleged a zoning by-law violation related to his permit. The zoning board denied the Plaintiff’s multiple enforcement requests and a Land Court judge affirmed the board’s denials.

Issue: Did the Land Court judge err in affirming the zoning board’s denial of the Plaintiff’s multiple enforcement requests? No, the Plaintiff had constructive notice of the issuance of the permit and failed to a file a timely appeal within the thirty-day period allotted for such an appeal and the Plaintiff’s failure to raise the violation warrants the application of laches.

Reasoning: The court reasoned that the Plaintiff knew that the neighbor wanted to begin construction immediately, which was sufficient to place the Plaintiff on duty of inquiry into the building permit issuance. The failure of the Plaintiff to appeal within the allotted thirty-days warrants dismissal. Furthermore, the court reasoned as an independent ground for their decision the doctrine of Laches bars the Plaintiff’s complaint. The Plaintiff failed to raise the issue for a significant amount of time and such a delay was unjust, unreasonable, and prejudicial.

Judgment: Affirmed. (KL)