Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts, Inc., et al. v. Cedar Hill Retreat Center, Inc., et al. (Lawyers Weekly No. 09-046-17)
1 COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SUFFOLK, ss. SUPERIOR COURT SUCV2016-01432-BLS2 WILDLANDS TRUST OF SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS, INC. & JOHN AND CYNTHIA REED FOUNDATION, Plaintiffs vs. CEDAR HILL RETREAT CENTER, INC. & BALLOU CHANNING DISTRICT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION, INC., Defendants MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER ON DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS TO DISMISS PLAINTIFFS’ AMENDED COMPLAINT This is an action seeking to enforce a Conservation Restriction imposed on real property located in Duxbury, Massachusetts (the Property). Plaintiffs are the Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts, Inc. (Wildlands Trust) and the John and Cynthia Reed Foundation (the Foundation). Plaintiffs allege that the current owner of the Property, the defendant Cedar Hill Retreat Center, Inc. (Cedar Hill), is engaging in commercial activities in violation of the Conservation Restriction. Also named as a defendant is the Ballou Channing District Unitarian Universalist Association, Inc. (Ballou Channing), the original owner of the Property and the Grantor of the Conservation Restriction. Plaintiffs allege that the Ballou Channing induced the Foundation into making a $ 3 million gift in return for Ballou Channing’s promise to create the Conservation Restriction and to use the Foundation’s donation to preserve the Premises in conformity with that restriction (the “Gift Agreement”). 2 This lawsuit was instituted on May 4, 2016. In their original Complaint, plaintiffs asserted the following counts against both defendants: breach of the Gift Agreement (Count I); breach of the Conservation Restriction (Count II); promissory estoppel (Count III); unjust enrichment (Count IV); and violation of Chapter 93A (Count V). The defendants filed motions to dismiss. On December 30, 2016, this Court allowed those motions in part. See Memorandum of Decision and Order dated December 30, 2016 (the 2016 Decision). As to Ballou Channing, this Court dismissed Count II because it no longer owned the Property that was subject to the Conservation Restriction. As to Cedar Hill, this Court dismissed Counts I, III and IV – those counts based on the Gift Agreement –because Cedar Hill was not a party to the Gift Agreement. Count V alleging a violation of Chapter 93A was dismissed as to both defendants. Six months later, plaintiffs amended their complaint to assert new claims against both defendants and to add back some claims that this Court had previously dismissed. Specifically, the Amended Complaint contains a new claim against both defendants based on the same allegations that were the basis of Counts I, III and IV of the original Complaint, but with a wrinkle: this new claim asserts a breach of what is described as a “Letter Agreement” between the defendants Ballou Channing and Cedar Hill. Plaintiffs say that they only learned of this Letter Agreement as a result of discovery in the case but now claim they are third party beneficiaries entitled […]
Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts, Inc., et al. v. Cedar Hill Retreat Center, Inc., et al. (Lawyers Weekly No. 09-034-17)
1 COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SUFFOLK, ss. SUPERIOR COURT SUCV2016-01432-BLS2 WILDLANDS TRUST OF SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS, INC. & JOHN AND CYNTHIA REED FOUNDATION, Plaintiffs vs. CEDAR HILL RETREAT CENTER, INC. & BALLOU CHANNING DISTRICT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION, INC., Defendants MEMORANDUM OF DECISION ON PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION OR CLARIFICATION On July 13, 2017, the parties were before this Court on the Plaintiffs’ Motion to Compel Discovery and the Defendants’ Motion for a Protective Order. Defendants argued that the discovery sought was beyond the scope of what was at issue in this lawsuit and that the plaintiffs’ requests were unduly burdensome and amounted to harassment. This Court denied the motion from the bench, with only a brief explanation of its reasons by way of a margin note. Plaintiffs now move to reconsider and/or clarify this Court’s earlier ruling. Although initially skeptical of this request, this Court is now convinced that clarification is indeed required. Although plaintiffs are not entitled to the broad discovery they had originally sought (which was unnecessary and unduly burdensome), this Court was wrong to deny any discovery sought by their Motion to Compel. It is also apparent that the parties may have interpreted that earlier order almost as if it were a dispositive motion and that the discovery ruling meant that certain parts of plaintiffs’ Complaint were not properly before this Court. This Court did not anticipate or intend that and now wishes to correct that misimpression. The 2 Motion to Reconsider is therefore ALLOWED, with the following offered by way of explanation. This is an action seeking to enforce a Conservation Restriction (CR) imposed on real property located in Duxbury, Massachusetts (the Premises). The parties to the CR are the plaintiffs Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts, Inc. (Wildlands Trust) and the defendant Cedar Hill Retreat Center Inc., (Cedar Hill). In its Amended Complaint, 1 Wildlands Trust alleges that Cedar Hill is engaging in “commercial revenue generating activities…as well as other activities that are violative of the Conservation Restriction.” ¶ 7 of Amended Complaint; see also ¶48-50. In its Motion for a Protective Order (and again in opposing the Motion to Reconsider), Cedar Hill took the position that Wildlands Trust’s ability to complain of Cedar Hill’s activities on the Premises is far narrower – that is, that it is limited to a single event in September 8, 2012 when there was a wedding reception on the Premises. This did not involve a complaint that the Premises were being used to generate revenue. In denying the plaintiffs’ Motion to Compel, this Court was of the view that a single violation was enough to entitle the plaintiffs to the equitable relief they sought, so that discovery that went beyond the September […]
Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts, Inc., et al. v. Cedar Hill Retreat Center, Inc., et al. (Lawyers Weekly No. 12-174-16)
-1- COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SUFFOLK, ss. SUPERIOR COURT SUCV2016-01432-BLS2 WILDLANDS TRUST OF SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS, INC. & JOHN AND CYNTHIA REED FOUNDATION, Plaintiffs vs. CEDAR HILL RETREAT CENTER, INC. & BALLOU CHANNING DISTRICT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION, INC., Defendants MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER ON DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS TO DISMISS This is an action seeking to enforce a Conservation Restriction imposed on real property located in Duxbury, Massachusetts (the Premises). Plaintiffs are the Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts, Inc. (Wildlands Trust) and the John and Cynthia Reed Foundation (the Foundation). Plaintiffs allege that the current owner of the land, defendant Cedar Hill Retreat Center, Inc. (Cedar Hill), is engaging in commercial activities in violation of the Conservation Restriction. Also named as a defendant is the Ballou Channing District Unitarian Universalist Association, Inc. (Ballou Channing), the original owner of the land and the Grantor of the Conservation Restriction. Plaintiffs allege that the Foundation made a $ 3 million gift to Ballou Channing in exchange for Ballou Channing’s agreement to create the Conservation Restriction and to use the Foundation’s donation to preserve the Premises in conformity with that restriction (the “Gift Agreement”). The case is now before this Court on the defendants’ motions to dismiss pursuant to Mass. R. Civ. P. 12(b) (1) and Mass. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). Ballou Channing moves to dismiss all -2- counts asserted against it; Cedar Hill moves to dismiss some but not all of the counts against it. The motions raise difficult questions, some of which would benefit from discovery and cannot be decided at this early stages in the case. Still, there are certain claims that are not supported by the facts alleged in the Complaint or the applicable law, and which must therefore be dismissed, for reasons set forth below. BACKGROUND The Complaint contains the following allegations which, for purposes of these motions, are assumed to be true. The Foundation is a private charitable foundation created by John and Cynthia Reed. The Reeds are abutters to the Premises, which consists of 12.23 acres of land. Ballou Channing is a nonprofit religious corporation organized pursuant to Chapter 180 of the General Laws. Ballou Channing acquired the Premises in 1980 through a Deed of Gift that imposed certain restrictions on its use. Located on the Premises are a building and improvements that have historically been known as the Cedar Hill Retreat Center. Ballou Channing would periodically permit the center to be used by its member congregations. In 2007, the Reeds learned that the restrictions imposed on the Premises through the Deed of Gift were to expire within the next couple of years. Thee Reeds wished to preserve the Premises in conformity with those original restrictions; negotiations with Ballou Channing […]