Ruvalcaba v. Kwang Ho Baek

¶1 Rogelio and Elaine Ruvalcaba, husband and wife, brought a lawsuit under RCW 8.24.010 to condemn a private way of necessity (i.e., easement) across neighboring property held by individual landowners, referred to collectively as the “Day Group Petitioners.” The Ruvalcabas argue that they are entitled to an easement because their property is landlocked and contend that there is an overriding public policy against rendering landlocked property useless. The Day Group Petitioners, however, contend that the Ruvalcabas voluntarily landlocked their property through severance of the parcel and…