US v. Old Dominion Boat Club, No. 09-5363

By FindLaw Staff on January 12, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Action by U.S. to Quiet Title

In US v. Old Dominion Boat Club, No. 09-5363, an action by the U.S. to quiet title to certain "filled," i.e., reclaimed, lands lying on the bed of the Potomac River, seeking to secure public access to the Alexandria, Virginia, waterfront, the court granted summary judgment for defendant where, as a riparian owner abutting District of Columbia waters, defendant had the right to lay fill and build wharves.

 

As the court wrote:  "Through this action to quiet title to certain "filled," i.e., reclaimed, lands lying on the bed of the Potomac River, the United States seeks to secure public access to the Alexandria, Virginia, waterfront. Defendant, the Old Dominion Boat Club, is an Alexandria private social club the bulk of whose property lies on that filled land. The district court held that despite the United States' ownership of the riverbed, Old Dominion had not trespassed nor was it obligated to provide public access because, as a riparian owner abutting District of Columbia waters, it had the right to lay fill and build wharves. Since binding circuit precedent recognizes just such a right, we affirm."

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