13 Mass. App. Ct. 1047 | Mass. App. Ct. | 1982
The action is one for declaratory and injunctive relief brought by the Attorney General in 1976 to vindicate and enforce the limited access rights acquired by the Commonwealth across the front of a parcel of land in Quincy (locus) pursuant to a layout and order of taking adopted and recorded by the Department of Public Works in 1954 while acting under the authority of St. 1952, c. 556, § 6, and G. L. c. 81, § 7C, as amended through St. 1950, c. 829. See Nichols v. Commonwealth, 331 Mass. 581, 584-585 (1954); Wenton v. Commonwealth, 335 Mass. 78, 79-81 (1956); Cann v. Commonwealth, 353 Mass. 71, 73-75 (1967). A District Court judge sitting in the Superior Court under statutory authority held that the activities of the defendants do not “constitute a violation or overburdening of any easement [ ] of access taken by the Commonwealth,” but it is clear that that holding was premised on the judge’s earlier determination that “[t]he purported restriction of access to the [locus] . . . exceeded the authority of the Department . . . under G. L. c. 81, § 7C, and is therefore null, void and unenforceable.” The judge erred in indulging in any such determination because none of the defendants had any standing to question the validity of the taking. There had been proper compliance with all the procedural requirements imposed on
So ordered.
