Chevy Chase Land Company v. United States
Maryland Court of Appeals
733 A.2d 1055 (Md. 1999)
Relevant factsFree
Chevy Chase Land Company (plaintiff) conveyed a right-of-way to a railroad in 1911 for a one-mile stretch of land; in 1988, the railroad conveyed that right-of-way to a county to build a hiker/biker trail under the federal Rails-to-Trails Act. Chevy Chase sued, arguing the original conveyance was limited to an easement for railroad uses only, and the Federal Circuit certified the underlying property-law question to the Maryland Court of Appeals.
IssueFree
Whether a conveyance of a railroad right-of-way is presumed to create an easement rather than a fee-simple interest, and whether converting that easement to a hiker/biker trail exceeds the scope of the original grant.