American Locomotive Co. v. Hoffman

61 S.E. 759, 108 Va. 363, 1908 Va. LEXIS 41
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedJune 11, 1908
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 61 S.E. 759 (American Locomotive Co. v. Hoffman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Locomotive Co. v. Hoffman, 61 S.E. 759, 108 Va. 363, 1908 Va. LEXIS 41 (Va. 1908).

Opinion

Buchanan, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is the second time this case has been in this court. The case upon the former writ of error is reported under the same style in 105 Va. 343-354, 54 S. E. 25, 6 L. R. A. (N. S.) 252. No further statement of the case is necessary beyond what is there found, except as to the proceedings had since then.

After the cause was remanded for a new trial, the plaintiff amended his declaration by adding eight counts, and by striking out the second and sixth counts of the declaration as it was upon the former trial. The object of the new counts was to recover damages for injuries alleged to have been suffered by the plaintiff from flooding, arising from the same causes, between the time of bringing the action and the filing of the last amended declaration. Upon the trial on this amended declaration, theré was a verdict and judgment for the plaintiff. To that judgment this writ of error was awarded.

The first error assigned is to the action of the court in admitting evidence as to the difference in the fee-simple or [366]*366market value of the plaintiff’s premises immediately before it was first overflowed, in December, 1902, and after the last overflow in July, 1906. The same question is raised by instruction numbered five, given at the request of the plaintiff, which told the jury that if they found for the plaintiff, in assessing his damages they should take into consideration the actual loss sustained by him as shown by the evidence, and in arriving at such damages the jury might consider the market value of the property as shown by the evidence before it was first flooded and after it was last flooded, any incumbrance or annoyance to which the plaintiff was subjected, and any amount which the evidence showed had been expended by the plaintiff in cleaning and repairing the premises.

Whether or not that evidence was admissible, and the giving of that instruction proper, depends upon the character of the obstruction or nuisance complained of, and the object of the action. See Southside R. Co. v. Daniel, 20 Gratt. 344; 2 Farnham on Waters, secs. 589 and 589a.

In the case of the Southside R. Co. v. Daniel, supra, at page 367, it was said by Judge Staples, in delivering the opinion of the court, that where the act complained of “is unlawful in itself, a right of action accrues immediately, and is held to include all subsequent damage flowing from it. And in such cases there can be but one recovery between the parties, as the injury is not the cause of the action.

“Where, however, the act is lawful in itself, but negligently and improperly performed, the gist of the action is the damage, without which there, can be no recovery,” and until such damage does occur there is no cause of action; and for repeated injuries resulting from the same cause repeated actions may be brought.”

The principles announced in that case are recognized and approved in the recent case of Va. Hot Springs Co. v. McCray, 106 Va. 461, 472-3, 56 S. E. 216, 10 L. R. A. (N. S.) 465.

The erection of the culverts and the fence and water-gate in [367]*367this case, being upon the defendant’s own land, was not an unlawful act in itself, and no cause of action could arise until damage resulted to the plaintiff therefrom; and new actions could be brought for recurring injuries resulting from a continuance of the nuisance. Southside R. Co. v. Daniel, supra.

This action was not brought to recover entire damages, even if the facts of the case would have authorized it. This is clear from the declaration itself. It claims damages for overflows caused by seven different freshets. After the case was remanded for a new trial, the manifest object in amending the declaration by adding the eight new counts was to recover damages for overflows caused by freshets, subsequent to the institution of the action, and to avoid the necessity of bringing another action therefor. This being an action to recover damages for injuries done to the plaintiff’s premises by reason of the overflows which had occurred prior to the filing of the plaintiff’s last amended declaration, and the defendant being liable to a succession of actions for subsequent injuries caused by a continuance of the nuisance, if it was one, the diminution in the fee-simple or market value of the premises was not a proper subject to be considered by the jury in ascertaining the damages; for it would be manifestly unjust to permit the plaintiff to recover as damages a sum equal to the dimunition of the market or fee-simple value of his premises, and still have the right to successive actions against the defendants for a continuance of the nuisance. See Battishill v. Reed, 18 C. B. 696; reported also in Sedgwick’s Lead. Oases on the Measure of Damages.

We are of opinion that the court erred in admitting the evidence and in giving the instruction.

Evidence was admitted as to the unsanitary condition of the plaintiff’s premises, alleged to have been caused by the overflows complained of. This action of the court was objected to, upon the ground that there was no claim for such damages alleged in the declaration.

[368]*368In counts one and nine of the declaration, there were allegations as to the unhealthy condition of the property after the floods, respectively, of December, 1902, and of June, 1905. Under these counts, evidence of the facts alleged was admissible ; and if it be true, as stated, that the witnesses who testified as to the unsanitary condition of the premises knew nothing of their condition after those floods, then the defendants should have asked the court not to admit any evidence on that subject, except as to those floods, instead of objecting on the ground they did; for a party will not be allowed to specify one or more grounds of objection to evidence offered in the trial court, and rely upon other grounds in the appellate court. He is regarded as having waived all other objections to the evidence except those which he pointed out specifically. Warren v. Warren, 93 Va. 93, 24 S. E. 913.

The action of the court in giving the other four instructions asked for by the plaintiff is assigned as error.

Instruction Ho. 1 as is follows: “The court instructs the jury, that it was the duty of the defendants in building their fence and water-gate across, and constructing their culverts in, Gannon’s branch, to so build said fence and water-gate and construct said culverts as not to obstruct such flow of water as the defendants might reasonably have expected would occasionally flow down Gannon’s branch, including the ordinary rise of said branch at periodically recurring freshets. And if the jury believe from the evidence that the flows of water in Cannon’s branch, upon the occasions complained of in the declaration, were not greater than that which the defendants might reasonably have expected would flow down said Gannon’s branch on such occasions, then it was the duty of the defendants to have anticipated such flows of water, and to have so built said fence and water-gate and constructed said culverts that neither said fence and water-gate nor said culverts would, under such circumstances, have caused the water to back upon the plaintiff’s property. And if the jury believe from the evidence, that [369]

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Bluebook (online)
61 S.E. 759, 108 Va. 363, 1908 Va. LEXIS 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-locomotive-co-v-hoffman-va-1908.