TUNBRIDGE — A Vermont Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit brought against the Town of Tunbridge regarding its authority to manage trails on private property.
The lawsuit, filed by John Echeverria and Carin Pratt, who own the 325-acre Dodge Farm, argued that because a trail — like the Orchard and Baptist Hill trails that run through their property — “is not a part of the town highway system,” it isn’t in the purview of the Selectboard.
The Town of Tunbridge motioned to dismiss the case in August. The motion was approved by Judge Elizabeth Mann on Monday.
The plaintiffs’ “mere fears that the Town may one day seek to maintain the trails on the Dodge Farm property are not sufficient” to issue a judgment on, Mann wrote.
Due to the dismissal, no ruling was made on Tunbridge’s authority, or lack thereof, to maintain trails.
Posted online Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Find a full report in a subsequent edition of the VALLEY NEWS.