Interesting points. If IBT had a special easement above and beyond the normal public utility one granted by law they would and should have documentation to prove it. Likewise, the original seller of the house had to convey clear title or describe in the deed any special easements.
In my state, deeds for homes contain some standard boilerplate prohibiting their use as a tannery or pig farm or other obnoxious uses as well as granting easements for utilities. They may be also convenants with the deed limiting certain uses or alterations. For example, when Levittowns were built, owners were prohibited from building fences or doing laundry on Sunday.
Most people don't read their deed or properly reserach the original title of the property their buying or of the surrounding area. Most deed convenants are very tightly binding and very difficult to overturn. An exception was convenants that limited subsequent sale to certain ethnicities; they have been voided by law.
As to the issue of conveying clear title, this is true, and certainly the woman could sue the former owner if it turned out IBT in fact had an easement that wasn't disclosed in the title. HOWEVER, there's two old expressions in real estate: "you can't sue bricks" and "you can sue me if you can find me". In other words, any questions should be resolved before the property is purchased, not after because it's damned hard too.
Yes, that's true too. A common example is when a neighbor builds a garage that happens to fall on your side of the property line. If you don't about it or ignore it for the specified length of time, the property line is shifted and becomes your neighbor's. Another example is a college that has streets on its campus open to the public but are actually private. Typically colleges close these streets once a year and publish a notice to retain its ownership. Likewise for buildings with sidewalks open to the public but are on private property.
The critical issue in real estate is to get everything in writing and keep the papers permanently. If you're buying a property, make sure the seller or agent answers all your questions in writing before you sign for it.
Our complex got burned with the water company because we were sloppy and didn't require a written record. The water company built a new pipeline through our complex, which they had a legal right to do. They met with us and promised to restore the area (light woodsy) and plant lots of specified trees. But after construction they planted _one_ cheap tree and refused to do any more (they did plant grass). We had no written record of their committment and they denied it. Our own damn stupidity.