The judge granted McLean and Stevens one-third of the lot next to them. That decision rendered it too small to sell or to build a home on, Kirlin said.
The Kirlins and McLean and Stevens each say that they made efforts to settle the matter -- but that the other party would not accept the offers.
In addition to the specifics of the dispute, the Kirlins take issue with the application of adverse possession law itself, saying it has its place but wasn't intended for cases such as this.
Many in the community seem to agree. When the news hit, residents reacted in an Internet-fueled fury. Bloggers ridiculed McLean and Stevens as land-grabbers who used their knowledge of the law to steal from an unsuspecting neighbor.
Last month, more than 200 people flocked to the property, where they hoisted signs with slogans such as "Thou shall not steal" and shouted "shame" and "thief" at the McLean/Stevens home, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reported.
State Sen. Ron Tupa, a Democrat from Boulder, said he had received a flood of e-mails about the case; he and Rep. Rob Witwer, a Republican from Evergreen, intend to propose a change to the law, although they haven't settled on the specifics.
"If the law allows this kind of taking, then it needs to be changed," Tupa said.
A change in state law wouldn't affect the Boulder case, which the Kirlins say they intend to appeal. Regardless of the outcome, they say they still want to build a home on the second lot that was not affected by the decision, where Susie Kirlin recently stapled a sign to the fence.
Facing the home of McLean and Stevens, it reads, "You will never enjoy a stolen view."
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deedee.correll@latimes.com
