Taft v. Washington

The plaintiffs are the owners of the south half of a lot which has a frontage of sixty feet and six inches on the west side of Spring Street, in the city of Los Angeles. The defendant is the owner of the north half of the lot for the term of her natural life, with remainder over to the plain tiffs. The entire frontage is covered by a two-story building which was erected in the year 1885 by Biddy Mason, predecessor in title of the parties to this action. The lower story of the building is divided into three storerooms. The upper story contains a number of rooms, to which access is obtained by a stairway located on the north side of the building. Plaintiffs alleged and the court has found that at the commencement of this action the defendant had under construction a wooden partition extending from front to rear of the middle storeroom through and near the center thereof and located partly on the south side of the true center line of the lot; also that the defendant threatened to tear up and disconnect certain sewer-pipes and drain-pipes which are located upon the north half of the premises and to destroy plaintiffs’ access to the upper portion of the south half of the building by…