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<div>Hi Inge!</div>
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<div dir="ltr">The constitutional right to lateral support is a good starting point:</div>
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<span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';font-weight:normal;font-size:12.00px;font-kerning:none">Under our Constitution and our decisions every landowner in this state has a natural right to lateral support. We held in Farnandis v. Great Northern Ry. Co.,
supra, **15 where recovery was sought for damages to buildings which were caused to partially collapse by reason of removal of lateral support in excavating for a tunnel, that the liability did not depend upon the degree of care or skill used to prevent damage;
that the liability of the railroad company was the same whether the damage was caused with or without negligence.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';font-weight:normal;font-size:12.00px;text-decoration:underline;font-kerning:none">Knapp v. Siegley</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';font-weight:normal;font-size:12.00px;font-kerning:none">, 120 Wash.
478, 482, 208 P. 13, 14–15 (1922)</span></p>
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<div dir="ltr">Good luck,</div>
<div dir="ltr">Jim</div>
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<div dir="ltr">James D. Hicks</div>
<div dir="ltr">Partner</div>
<div dir="ltr">Sinars Slowikowski Tomaska LLC</div>
<div dir="ltr">(206) 593-1164</div>
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<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size:11pt" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com> on behalf of Inge Fordham <inge@fordhamlegal.com><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, January 26, 2023 5:50:47 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Real Property Listserv <wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [WSBARP] Action on One Property that Affects Another Property</font>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">Colleagues:</p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">Is there a doctrine in Washington State similar to the common enemy doctrine that governs whether a property owner may make changes to his or her property to the detriment of another? Similar question – is there a doctrine that says
a homeowner must maintain certain structures on his or her property to avoid destabilizing a neighboring parcel? I was recently asked to prepare two easements in two separate cases. In the first, the owner of a parcel adjacent to my client’s property constructed
a road that runs along the neighbor’s property adjacent to my client’s carport. Over time, use of the road has caused a retaining wall that also serves as the foundation to my client’s carport to crack. Repairs are needed. The neighbor is willing to grant
an easement. My client wants to know what obligation she has to continue repairing the wall to benefit her neighbor. Can she just take the wall down, even though it would cause the soils to collapse and damage the road? My sense is “no,” but I can’t find
the legal authority. In the other case, my client’s foundation is failing due to the failure of a nearby retaining wall located on a neighbor’s property (wall is failing, destabilizing soils that support the foundation). What obligation does the neighbor
have, if any, to maintain the wall to avoid damage to my client’s home?</p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">Can one of you real property gurus please point me in the right direction?
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">Thank you,</p>
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