A few months back this news story came to light:
It’s about a couple named Don and Susie Kirlin. They moved to the city in 1980. A few years later, the Kirlins purchased a plot of land near their residence, hoping to someday build a “dream home.”
…
Despite owning the land, despite living only 200 yards from the property, despite hiking past it every week with their three dogs, despite spraying for weeds and fixing fences, despite paying homeowner association dues and property taxes each year, someone else had taken a shine to it. Someone powerful.
Former Boulder District Judge, Boulder Mayor, RTD board member - among other elected positions - Richard McLean and his wife, attorney Edith Stevens, used an arcane common law called “adverse possession” to claim the land for their own.
Thank Goodness there has been some movement on this. The immense public backlash (not government intervention) means that the Kirkins and their neighbors are attempting to reach a possible compromise in this ridiculous Adverse Possession case.
Don and Susie Kirlin lost part of one of their two vacant lots in a lawsuit filed by former Boulder judge Richard McLean and his wife, attorney Edith Stevens.
“We’ll see if we can come together on something that works for both of us,” Susie Kirlin said. “We’ll listen to any offer they make.”
Because McLean and Stevens have a district judge’s decision on their side, Susie Kirlin suggests that the negotiations are their opportunity to smooth over public outrage surrounding the case.
“My feeling is that they’ve had such a public backlash that I don’t think they ever expected — I think they would like to retrieve their images as much as possible,” she said. “Hopefully, this would help them out in the public if we can resolve this. I’m all for it.”
