Which action is listed as a termination method for easements in the mnemonic?

• A. Abandonment
• B. Merger of estates
• C. Prescription
• D. Release

Answer: (A)

An easement can end through a few different actions, because the burdened land and the right of use are no longer needed once certain conditions occur. Abandonment is a recognized way to terminate an easement. When the owner of the dominant estate clearly intends to abandon the right and actually stops using it with that intent, the easement can be treated as terminated. It isn’t enough to merely stop using it; there must be a demonstrable intent to relinquish the right, which courts look for through behavior or explicit statements.

That’s why abandonment is listed as a termination method in the mnemonic—the act of showing intent to abandon and ceasing use effectively dissolves the easement. By contrast, merger of estates terminates an easement automatically when the dominant and servient estates come under common ownership, since there’s no separate owner burdening the land. Release is a separate route where the dominant owner formally relinquishes the easement, typically via deed or writing. Prescription, on the other hand, is about acquiring rights through long use, not ending them, so it doesn’t fit as a termination method.