Adams v. State

279 So. 2d 488, 291 Ala. 224, 1973 Ala. LEXIS 1084
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedJune 7, 1973
DocketSC 176
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 279 So. 2d 488 (Adams v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Adams v. State, 279 So. 2d 488, 291 Ala. 224, 1973 Ala. LEXIS 1084 (Ala. 1973).

Opinion

MADDOX, Justice.

The State of Alabama filed a petition in the Probate Court of Pike County to condemn lands belonging to Dr. Ralph Adams and J. Roy Crow for the purpose of widening Highway 231 in Troy.

From the judgment of condemnation and award of the probate court, both the State and the landowners took appeals to the circuit court. No issue was made as to the right of the State to condemn. The sole question was the amount of damages to be awarded.

*227 In the circuit court, the trial was before the court and a jury. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the landowners in the sum of $18,000. Judgment was entered accordingly, and the owners’ motion for a new trial was overruled. The landowners have appealed to this Court.

The condemnation proceeding was begun when the State filed in the probate court its petition for condemnation on June 5, 1970. Appellants’ tract was designated therein as Tract 33 and contained 12.05 acres, more or less. On June 23, 1970, the State amended its petition for condemnation insofar as Tract 33 was concerned (there were other tracts in the same petition owned by different individuals) and designated the portions of Tract 33 owned by Adams and Crow as Parcel 1, containing 3.73 acres, more or less, and Parcel 2, containing 7.02 acres, more or less. A tract containing 1.30 acres, more or less, was described in the amended petition as Tract 33-A, and Troy Motors, Inc., was listed as the owner. In appellee’s brief, and from testimony in the record, it appears that after June 5, 1970, and prior to June 23, 1970, a tract (including Tract 33-A), having 430 feet of highway frontage was sold by Adams and Crow to Troy Motors, Inc. (Robert R. Dunn). Several maps which were introduced at the trial and referred to in testimony were not certified by the clerk to this Court and are not available to us for review.

Appellants’ principal argument concerns approximately 42,000 cubic yards of dirt which were removed from Tract 33 and apparently put on Tract 33-A (Troy Motors). While there was no direct testimony as to who removed the dirt from one tract to the other, counsel for the appellants, during a discourse between them and the trial judge, out of the presence of the jury, stated the following:

“. It was Robert R. Dunn through Troy Motor Company that moved the dirt.” “Sue Robert Dunn. He is the one that moved it, our folks didn’t move it.” “. . .It was Troy Motor Company that moved the dirt.”

While these unsworn statements of counsel are not evidence [American National Bank & Trust Co. v. Long, 281 Ala. 654, 207 So.2d 129 (1968)], it is helpful to know who the appellants claim were responsible for removing the dirt. We now come to a discussion of the assignments of error.

Assignments of Error 1, 8, 9 and 13 are concerned with the removal of the approximately 42,000 cubic yards of dirt from the condemnees’ tract to the tract sold by the condemnees to Troy Motors, Inc., after the petition for condemnation was filed.

Assignment of Error 1 claims that the Court erred in allowing the State to introduce evidence of the removal of the dirt from the condemned property to reduce the reasonable market value of the condemned tract.

We have considered the two rulings of the court which appear on the pages of the transcript specified in the assignment, and no prejudicial error is apparent. In one instance, a state’s witness was asked, “Well, now was any dirt removed?” After much voir dire examination by appellants’ counsel, the court stated that the witness could testify as to his knowledge on questions related to whether or not dirt was removed. The question was relevant on the issue of an adjustment, if any, which should be made because of the removal of dirt after the' petition for condemnation was filed.

As compensation for the taking of a tract of land for public use, property owners are entitled to receive by way of damages the fair market value of the land taken, calculated as of the time of the taking. Or, where only a part of the tract is taken by condemnation, the owner is entitled to the difference between the value of the entire tract immediately before the taking and the value of the part remaining after the taking, giving effect to any en *228 hancement in value of the part remaining if the condemnation is for a public highway. State v. Burroughs, 285 Ala. 177, 230 So.2d 235 (1970); State v. Huggins, 280 Ala. 538, 196 So.2d 387 (1967). The circumstances in a given case may dictate that adjustment be made when part of the property condemned is removed or destroyed after the date of filing of the petition if such adjustment is necessary to prevent double compensation to the landowner. State v. Huggins, 280 Ala. 538, 196 So.2d 387 (1967); Jefferson County v. Adwell, 267 Ala. 544, 103 So.2d 143 (1956).

Consequently, the trial court did not err in permitting the witness to state, if he knew, whether dirt had been removed from the tract after the petition of condemnation was filed.

The only other ruling of the court occurred on an objection made during the voir dire examination of a state witness outside the presence of the jury. One of appellants’ counsel was questioning the witness. Appellants’ other counsel objected to an answer which the witness gave to his co-counsel’s question. We have reviewed the record and no error appears.

Assignment of Error 8 is that the court erred in its ruling that it made no difference who removed the dirt from the condemned property as tending to establish damage to the petitioner. A study of the context of the court’s remark on the pages of the transcript called to our attention indicates that the court’s statement was made conversationally, not as a ruling, during voir dire examination of a witness outside the presence of the jury. Furthermore, the court inquired whether counsel wanted to explore the question being considered further on voir dire “before the Court rules . . . .” The court finally made a statement, as follows:

“THE COURT: The final decision is mine and I have been called upon to rule- and I am prepared to rule if you all are ready for a ruling. The objection was made to allowing this witness to answer questions related to whether there was or was not dirt removed. If he has knowledge of that the Court will permit him to answer such questions, which will in effect result in overruling your objection.”

There is no error presented by Assignment 8.

Assignment of Error 9 is that the court erred in allowing State’s counsel to argue to the jury that the dirt was removed by respondents. In the matter of an attorney’s argument to the jury, much must be left to the enlightened judgment of the trial court, with presumptions in favor of its rulings. Central of Georgia Ry. v. Phillips, 286 Ala. 365, 240 So.2d 118 (1970); Alabama Power Co. v. Johnson, 281 Ala. 259, 201 So.2d 514 (1967). To justify reversal because of attorney's argument to jury, this Court must conclude that substantial prejudice has resulted. St. Clair County v. Martin, 273 Ala. 302, 139 So.2d 617 (1962).

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Bluebook (online)
279 So. 2d 488, 291 Ala. 224, 1973 Ala. LEXIS 1084, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/adams-v-state-ala-1973.