Arkansas State Highway Commission v. Coffelt

520 S.W.2d 294, 257 Ark. 770, 1975 Ark. LEXIS 1861
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMarch 10, 1975
Docket74-218
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 520 S.W.2d 294 (Arkansas State Highway Commission v. Coffelt) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Arkansas State Highway Commission v. Coffelt, 520 S.W.2d 294, 257 Ark. 770, 1975 Ark. LEXIS 1861 (Ark. 1975).

Opinions

J. Fred Jones, Justice.

This is an appeal by the Arkansas State Highway Commission from a decree of the Pulaski County Chancery Court enjoining the Highway Commission from closing so-called Coffelt Road where it crosses Highway No. 67 in connection with improvements on Highway 67.

On appeal to this court the Highway Commission relies on the following points for reversal:

“The trial court erred in finding that there was no notice of the county court order.
The trial court erred in finding that appellee was the title holder in fee of at least 20 feet of the south part of Coffelt Road, which crosses U. S. Highway #67.
The trial court erred in finding that appellant had never entered or attempted to stop the flow of traffic across Coffelt Road to the extent that such entry would amount of [sic] notice that the appellant was claiming said road in fee.”

The appellee, Bessie W. Coffelt, has cross-appealed and for reversal of the chancellor’s decree on cross-appeal she relies on the following points:

“The trial court erred in dissolving the Temporary Injunction entered August 23, 1972, without the Arkansas Highway Commission affirmatively requesting permission to make a deposit and comply with Per Curiam Order of September 25, 1972.
To comply with Per Curiam Order of Supreme Court of September 25, 1972, Highway Commission must request affirmative relief.
With respect to compensation due process requires that the landowner be given reasonable notice of, and an opportunity to be heard in the proceedings.”

The facts, as they appear from the record in this case, are as follows: On July 12, 1955, Horace D’Angelo and his wife owned the land involved in this case and through which the then proposed Highway 67 would run. On that date Pulaski County purchased from the D’Angelos a perpetual easement for Highway 67 over the right-of-way area here involved. The granting clause in the deed from the D’Angelos provided:

. . do hereby grant and convey unto the said Pulaski County, Arkansas, and unto its successors and assigns forever, a perpetual and exclusive easement for the right of way of State and U. S. Highway No. 67 through and over the following described lands lying in Pulaski County, Arkansas as shown on attached sketch marked Exhibit ‘A’.”

Following the granting clause and description the deed then provided as follows:

“This conveyance is made for the purposes of a freeway and adjacent frontage road and the grantor hereby releases and relinquishes to the grantee any and all other abutter’s rights including rights appurtenant to grantor’s remaining property in and to said freeway, provided, however, that such remaining property shall abut upon and have access to said frontage road which will be connected to the freeway only at such points as may be established by public authority.
To have and to hold the same unto the said Pulaski County, Arkansas and unto its successors and assigns forever, with all appurtenances thereto belonging.”

On July 25, 1955, the Pulaski County Court entered an order reciting as follows:

“Now on this day there comes on for consideration the matter of right of way damages in connection with the cost of the right of way on the above captioned road project.
And the Court being well and sufficiently advised on all matters of law and fact herein doth find that Pulaski County, Arkansas has entered upon the property of the herein named property owners under authority conveyed by easement deeds executed by the several property owners to said county and that the property acquired and the value thereof expressly including damages to their remaining lands is as follows and said property owners have agreed to accept the following allowance in full settlement of their claims for damages filed in this Court in this matter.”

This court order then set out the various amounts to be paid the landowners, including the D’Angelos, and the order concluded as follows:

“IT IS THEREFORE CONSIDERED, ORDERED AND ADJUDGED BY THE COURT that the above named property owners recover the amounts shown as total damage and that such allowance is to be paid by Pulaski County, Arkansas from funds made available by the Arkansas State Highway Department which allowances expressly include damages to their remaining lands located outside the right of way.”

On September 8, 1955, the D’Angelos sold their entire tract of land consisting of 240 acres, more or less, to Kenneth Coffelt by warranty deed. Following the legal description of the property, this deed provided as follows:

“[S]ubject to an easement for a road designated as Pickthorn Lane that runs across the North side of said property, if said Lane encroaches in any manner upon the above described property;
Also subject to a perpetual easement for a right-of-way for State and U. S. Highway No. 67 through and over said land, which easement and right-of-way is par-
ticularly set forth and described in an instrument described as ‘Easement Deed’ dated the 12th day of July, 1955, executed by Horace D’Angelo and his wife, Eleanor B. D’Angelo, to Pulaski County, Arkansas, which said deed is recorded in Book 578 at Page 437 of the Deed Records of Pulaski County, Arkansas. The highway right-of-way excepted from this conveyance and described in the Easement Deed above referred to contains 27.92 acres more or less in permanent right-of-way and 1.508 acres more or less in temporary right-of-way.” (Emphasis added).

This deed also contains a warranty clause as follows:

“And we hereby covenant with the said Kenneth Coffelt that we will forever warrant and defend the title to said lands against all claims whatsoever except the easements set forth in the granting clause, and the rights of Herman Berkhead, Jr., a tenant by the month, who is now occupying the tenant house on said property.” (Emphasis added).

On December 16, 1955, the Pulaski County Court entered an order finding that for the purpose of constructing, improving and maintaining U.S. Highway No. 67, the highway should be a controlled access facility for the reason that traffic conditions then and those contemplated and forecast for the future justify such special facility, “and therefore the owners or occupants of abutting land shall have no right or easement of existing, future, or potential common law or statutory rights of access, or ingress and egress to, from, or across this facility to or from abutting lands, except at such designated points at which access may be permitted upon such terms and conditions as may be specified from time to time by the Arkansas State Highway Commission.” The county court then found that under the provisions of said Act 383 of 1953 the said right-of-way should be acquired in fee simple. The county court order then provided as follows:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Arkansas State Highway Commission v. Munson
749 S.W.2d 317 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1988)
Arkansas State Highway Commission v. Coffelt
688 S.W.2d 282 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1985)
Coffelt v. Arkansas State Highway Commission
686 S.W.2d 786 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1985)
Parker v. Mobley
577 S.W.2d 583 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1979)
Arkansas State Highway Commission v. Rice
532 S.W.2d 727 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
520 S.W.2d 294, 257 Ark. 770, 1975 Ark. LEXIS 1861, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arkansas-state-highway-commission-v-coffelt-ark-1975.