Stichting Mayflower Mountain Fonds v. United Park City Mines Co.

At dispute in this case was a mining road built on Flagstaff Mountain over a century ago. Stichting Mayflower Mountain Fonds and Stichting Mayflower Recreation Fonds (collectively, Mayflower) asserted a right to use the road as a public highway and under a common law prescriptive easement claim. Mayflower later moved to amend its complaint seeking to add an appurtenant easement claim. The district court granted summary judgment for Defendants, dismissed Mayflower’s public road and prescriptive easement claims, and denied Mayflower’s motion for leave to file a second amended complaint. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) Mayflower’s public roads claim failed because Mayflower did not establish a genuine issue of material fact on the public use necessary to show that the road had become a public road; (2) the common law prescriptive easement claim failed because the evidence and arguments presented by Mayflower on appeal were never presented to the district court in the proceedings below; and (3) the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Mayflower’s motion for leave to file a second amended complaint. View "Stichting Mayflower Mountain Fonds v. United Park City Mines Co." on Justia Law