<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle20
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style>
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">The downhill property has the duty to support the uphill property. The land in its natural state does this naturally. What happens when the downhill owner cuts into the natural slope to increase his usable
(level) land? He then has to provide artificially whatever support the natural slope provided. That means building and maintaining a retaining wall.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">This becomes complicated if the uphill property is improved. Did the improvements cause the land to subside? Would the land have subsided regardless of the improvements? The downhill owner is not required
to support the additional weight of the uphill owner’s improvements. Who has to prove what?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">All of this has been worked out by the courts and is well summarized in
<i>Evarone v. Lease Crutcher Lewis</i>, 167 Wn. App. 1009 (unpub. 2012): <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">“The right to lateral support of real property is “well established” in Washington. Klebs v. Yim, 54 Wn.App. 41, 44, 772 P.2d 523 (1989). In Klebs, we reasoned that when the plaintiff's land is burdened by
heavy structures such as buildings, the plaintiff must show not only that the defendant's acts caused the plaintiff's land to fall in laterally, but also that the land would have fallen in without the weight of the structures or other improvements:“An adjoining
[land] owner who causes his neighbor's property to slide and slip because of loss of lateral support is liable in damages resulting therefrom under the constitution and law of the state regardless of negligence. However, the sliding and slipping of the soil
must occur because of its own weight and not because of the superimposed weight of the buildings or improvements placed thereon.”Klebs, 54 Wn.App. at 44 (alteration in original) (quoting Simons v. Tri–State Constr. Co., 33 Wn.App. 315, 319, 655 P.2d 703 (1982).
The plaintiff has the burden of establishing that the land would have subsided even without improvements. Klebs, 54 Wn.App. at 47. At common law, the right of the owner to damages for loss of lateral support in the absence of negligence extended only to the
land in its natural state. However, under the constitution, the owner is entitled to damages not only to the land in its natural state but also to the buildings and improvements on the property once it is demonstrated that additional lateral thrust from the
weight of the improvements has not precipitated or caused the damages.Simons, 33 Wn.App. at 319–20 (emphasis added). Fill is “an artificial structure or condition” to which the right of lateral support does not extend. Bay v. Hein, 9 Wn.App. 774, 776–77, 515
P.2d 536 (1973).”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">See also </span><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#212121">17 Wash. Prac., Real Estate § 10.4 (2d ed.).</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Rod Harmon</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">RODNEY T. HARMON</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> Attorney at Law</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> P.O. Box 1066</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> Bothell, WA 98041</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> Tel: (425) 402-7800</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> Fax: (425) 458-9096</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> <a href="http://www.rodharmon.com/"><span style="color:#0563C1">www.rodharmon.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> <a href="mailto:rodharmon@msn.com"><span style="color:#0563C1">rodharmon@msn.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Jon Fritzler<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, October 28, 2024 2:52 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [WSBARP] Responsibility for maintaining retaining wall on property line<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Fellow listservees,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Wood retaining wall that is on the property line between two residential properties is beginning to fail and lean toward the downhill property. Is it the sole responsibility of the
owner of the uphill property to pay to have the wall repaired or replaced or do the owners share responsibility as they would with a fence? Does it matter if the owner of the downhill property was the owner of said property when the wall was installed while
the owner of the uphill property purchased the property after the wall was installed by the previous owner?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="Signature">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Jon M. Fritzler<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Attorney at Law</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">11015 NE Fourth Plain Blvd., Suite D</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Vancouver, WA 98662<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Tel. 360.818.4431</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Eml
<a href="mailto:fritzlerlaw@outlook.com" target="_blank">fritzlerlaw@outlook.com</a></span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>