Caesar v. State

11 Ill. Ct. Cl. 517, 1941 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 72
CourtCourt of Claims of Illinois
DecidedMay 13, 1941
DocketNo. 2568
StatusPublished

This text of 11 Ill. Ct. Cl. 517 (Caesar v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Claims of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Caesar v. State, 11 Ill. Ct. Cl. 517, 1941 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 72 (Ill. Super. Ct. 1941).

Opinion

Mr. Chief Justice Hollerich

delivered the opinion of the court:

Since September 30, 1929, the claimants, Alvin G. Caesar and Stella Caesar, have been the owners as joint tenants of the following described property, to wit: Lot Six (6) in Block Six (6) in “Twelve Oaks”, in the City of Belleville, County of St. Clair and State of Illinois, according to the plat thereof recorded in the Eecorder’s Office of said St. Clair County (except a small triangular tract along the south side thereof).

On December 4, 1926, the Board of Supervisors of St. Clair County adopted a resolution selecting a system of State-Aid roads in said County, which said resolution was approved by the Department of Public Works and Buildings of the respondent on January 7, 1927.

Thereafter said Board of Supervisors selected as a part of said State-Aid system, a certain highway which extended in an easterly and westerly direction along the south property line of the claimants ’ property, and which was laid out over a tract of land which had been previously owned by the Southern Traction Company, but was not being used for right-of-way purposes.

On December 20, 1933, the said Department of Public Works and Buildings awarded a contract for the construction of that part of said State-Aid Road which extended along the south line of claimants’ lot, which said road thereafter was known as S. B. I. Route No. 13.

Said S. B. I. Route No. 13 was constructed in 1934, and in the construction thereof, there was a grade separation over the tracks of the Illinois Central Railroad Company. In connection with such grade separation, a viaduct was constructed over such tracks, with an embankment leading thereto, which started at grade near the center of Fifteenth Street and rose gradually to meet the west end of the viaduct, at which point the elevation was 22 feet above the level of the natural ground. At the east end of the claimants’ lot the elevation was 11.3 feet above the level of the natural ground.

The highway right-of-way is 50 feet in width and the surface of the embankment consists of a concrete slab 20 feet in width together with clay shoulders approximately four feet in width adjoining the concrete slab. The embankment slopes at a steep angle to the southerly line of the claimants’ lot.

Claimants’ loti has a frontage of 50 feet on Fifteenth Street, which street extends in a northerly and southerly direction. Such lot is 130 feet in length and there is an alley at the rear thereof. The lot is improved by a five-room frame bungalow with bath, basement and furnace, with a garage near the rear of the lot.

Prior to the construction of the improvement in question, the garage was reached by way of the alley at the rear of the premises, but access to the alley was cut off by the embankment and at the the time of the construction of the highway improvement, the garage was turned around and raised! approximately two feet, doors were cut in the west side thereof and a driveway constructed from the front of claimants’ property along the southerly line thereof to such garage. The cost and expense of raising and turning the garage as aforesaid, amounted to $259.45 and was paid by the respondent.

The paved portion of the highway is approximately thirty feet from claimants’ house. Claimants contend that the fair cash market value of the property has been depreciated by reason of interference with the access thereto, by reason of the discharge of water, debris and mud from the highway thereon, by reason of the vibration resulting from the traffic, which caused the cracking of the walls of the house; by reason of noise and dust; and by shutting off the light, air and view from their premises; — and also contended that they had been put to additional expense in filling up their lot and digging up various flowers and shrubs, and had also suffered the loss of certain grape vines and fruit trees.

The case of Jesse L. Eule, et al, No. 2570, decided at the present term of this court, involved damages to property in the same vicinity, and damaged by the same improvement. The facts in that case are much the same as in the case at bar and what we said in that case with reference to the legal questions' involved, applies with equal force to the present case. In the consideration of that case, we said:

“Claimants’ right of recovery is and must be based upon the provisions of Section 13 of Article 2 of the Constitution of this State which provides that private property shall not be taken or damaged for public use without just compensation.
, “It is well settled that in cases of this kind, that is, in cases where private property is not taken, but is damaged for public use, the proper measure of damages is the difference between the fair cash market value of the property unaffected by the improvement and the fair cash market value thereof as affected by it. Brand vs. Union Elevator Co., 258 Ill. 133; Dept. of Public Works vs. Caldwell, 301 Ill. 342; Dept. of Public Works vs. McBride, 338 Ill. 347.
“It is also well settled that the aforementioned constitutional provision was not intended to reach every possible injury that might be occasioned by a public improvement, and that to warrant a recovery it must appear that there has, been some direct physical disturbance of a right, either public or private, which the plaintiff enjoys in connection with his property and which gives it an additional value, and that by reason of such disturbance he has sustained a special damage with respect to his property in excess of that sustained by the public generally. Rigney vs. City of Chicago, 102 Ill. 64; I. C. R. R. Co. vs. Trustees of Schools, 212 Ill. 406; Illinois Power and Light Corporation vs. Talbott, 321 Ill. 538.
“Also, in order to warrant a recovery, the damage must be different in kind from that sustained by the people of the whole neighborhood. If it differs only in degree from that suffered in common by the people of the whole neighborhood, the injury is not within the provisions of the Constitution.. City of Winchester vs. Ring, 312 Ill. 544.
“Also, that the opinions of witnesses must be based on such elements as form a proper basis for the establishment of a depreciation in the fair cash market value of the property, and remote speculative or contingent injuries cannot be considered, as such elements are not recognized by the law as elements entering into the damages which may be allowed. That is to say, depreciation in market value will not sustain a claim for damages to land not taken unless such depreciation results from a cause which the law regards as a basis for damages. Illinois Power & Light Corporation vs. Talbott, 321 Ill. 538; Rockford Electric Co. vs. Brownian, 339 Ill. 212.
“Also, that in cases involving damage to land not taken the burden of proof is upon the property owner to prove the damages claimed.
Illinois Power & Light Corp. vs. Barnett, 338 Ill. 499;
East St. Louis Light Co. vs. Cohen, 333 Ill. 218;
Illinois Power & Light Corp. vs. Talbott, 321 Ill. 538.

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Related

Department of Public Works & Buildings v. McBride
170 N.E. 295 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1930)
East St. Louis Light & Power Co. v. Cohen
164 N.E. 182 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1928)
Rockford Electric Co. v. Browman
171 N.E. 189 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1930)
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152 N.E. 486 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1926)
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Nevins v. City of Peoria
41 Ill. 502 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1866)
City of Bloomington v. Brokaw & Gregory
77 Ill. 194 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1875)
Rigney v. City of Chicago
102 Ill. 64 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1881)
Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railway Co. v. Nix
27 N.E. 81 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1891)
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31 N.E. 146 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1892)
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35 N.E. 750 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1893)
Field v. Barling
24 L.R.A. 406 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1894)
Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railway Co. v. Leah
38 N.E. 556 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1894)
Illinois Central Railroad v. Turner
62 N.E. 798 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1902)
Calumet & Chicago Canal & Dock Co. v. Morawetz
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Illinois Central Railroad v. Trustees of Schools
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Brand v. Union Elevated Railroad
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Bluebook (online)
11 Ill. Ct. Cl. 517, 1941 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 72, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/caesar-v-state-ilclaimsct-1941.