Sanchez v. Dale Bellamah Homes of New Mexico, Inc.

NOBLE, Justice.

Manuel A. Sanchez owns a twenty-acre tract of land at the southerly side of Santa Fe to which the only access was by a meandering dirt road leading from the Albuquerque-Santa Fe highway across vacant land. Dale Bellamah Homes of New Mexico (hereafter termed “Bellamah”) bought this vacant tract lying between the Sanchez land and the highway and in the course of its development as a housing-project built houses across the access road,, effectively closing it to travel. Two jury verdicts were returned against Bellamah,. (1) assessing damages for trespass to and removal of dirt…