BOBBY J. COLLINS v. LYNDA C. FUGATE (Tenn. Ct. App. July 31, 2009)
This appeal arises out of litigation in the trial court pertaining to a disputed interest in the use of a boat dock. Bobby J. Collins filed suit against Lynda C. Fugate seeking compensation for labor expended and materials used in the construction of a boat dock. He claimed that, some ten years before filing suit, he helped build the dock on lakeside property owned by Ms. Fugate. The plaintiff contended that, in exchange for building the dock, the defendant gave him a "lifetime dowry" to use her property and dock his houseboat. The defendant acknowledged an agreement between the parties, but contended that it ended by its own terms before she revoked her permission for the defendant's continued use of the property. Following a bench trial, the court found that the plaintiff had a revocable personal license to use the defendant's property that was terminated when and by virtue of the fact he had sold his boat. The complaint was dismissed. We affirm.
Opinion may be found at the TBA website:
http://www.tba2.org/tba_files/TCA/2009/collinsb_073109.pdf
