SCOV Law

By:   Elizabeth Kruska   It’s been a quiet several weeks around these parts, SCOV-wise, and then they dropped three opinions on February 20. We here at Blog HQ were lulled into complacency and now all of a sudden have to spring back into action. Speaking of spring, I’m very done with this whole “winter” nonsense and am very much in need of some spring.    First up is  Echeverria and Pratt v. Town of Tunbridge ,  2026 VT 5 . In short, SCOV agrees with the trial court’s decision that since Town trails are public rights-of-way, the Town has authority to maintain them and ensure public access.   The plaintiffs own a hill farm that is partly in Strafford and partly in Tunbridge, and there are two public trails that cross the land in Tunbridge. The trails were established in 1987, although the Town historically didn’t maintain them. The plaintiffs bought the property… sometime between 1987 and “over a decade ago” but the opinion is not clear about this. The ...