Hanson Industries, Inc. v. Spokane County

How courts have described this case

Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.

• holding that right-of-way deed conveying strip of land over and across grantor’s lands conveyed easement
• holding that contract ambiguity should be construed against the successor- in-interest to the drafter
• holding that deeds that “convey strips of land for the purpose of a railroad ‘over and across’ the grantors’ lands” conveyed an easement that terminated when Burlington Northern abandoned its line
• recognizing that ambiguities must be construed against railroad because it drafted deed
• “Washington decisions have consistently interpreted deeds granting a strip of land for a railroad right-of-way as conveying an easement, even in the face of traditional factors signifying a fee.”
• “A railroad right-of-way is a very substantial thing. More than a mere right of passage and more than an ordinary easement”

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).