Cassady v. City of Columbus

286 N.E.2d 318, 31 Ohio App. 2d 100, 60 Ohio Op. 2d 183, 1972 Ohio App. LEXIS 449
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 11, 1972
Docket71-298
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 286 N.E.2d 318 (Cassady v. City of Columbus) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cassady v. City of Columbus, 286 N.E.2d 318, 31 Ohio App. 2d 100, 60 Ohio Op. 2d 183, 1972 Ohio App. LEXIS 449 (Ohio Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

Whiteside, J.

This is an appeal from a summary judgment entered by the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.

Plaintiffs, by their complaint, sought compensatory and exemplary damages for an alleged trespass upon their property by the defendant city of Columbus and the defendant Complete General Construction Company. Plaintiffs allege that defendant city entered into a contract with the defendant construction company to construct a sewer line for the Olentangy Sanitary Main Trunk Sewer, Part III. Plaintiffs allege that pursuant to such contract defendant construction company, at the direction of the city, entered upon the lands of plaintiffs and constructed the sewer line through their property without lawful authority.

By its answer, defendant city alleged that it filed a petition for the appropriation of a sewer easement across plaintiffs’ property on January 15, 1970, and deposited with the clerk of courts the sum of $1,535 as security for *102 the compensation to be paid, plaintiffs therefor. Defendant city further alleged that on April 7, 1970, plaintiffs withdrew the said sum so deposited and are, thereby, estopped from alleging that the city’s activities were wrongful and unlawful. Defendant city further alleged that it had the authority, pursuant to Section 19, Article I of the Ohio Constitution, upon making said deposit, to enter upon plaintiffs’ property for the purpose of constructing a sewer line. Plaintiffs filed no reply to defendant city’s answer. Defendant construction company also filed an answer to the complaint; however, no issue is raised in this court with respect to plaintiffs’ action against defendant construction company.

Defendant city subsequently filed a motion for summary judgment, contending that, as a matter of law, it is entitled to enter upon plaintiffs’ appropriated property prior to a jury’s final determination of compensation, without incurring liability in a trespass action. The Court of Common Pleas sustained the city’s motion for summary judgment. Plaintiffs appeal to this court, and submit a single assignment of error as follows:

“The Court of Common Pleas erred in sustaining the defendant-appellee, City of Columbus’ motion for summary judgment in concluding that Article I, Section 19 of the Ohio Constitution permits the City of Columbus and its agents to ‘quick take’ private property for a sanitary sewer easement prior to the assessment of the value of the easement by a jury; thereby denying the plaintiff s-appellants their claim for relief in trespass and for punitive damages. ’ ’

In support of their contention, plaintiffs rely upon the case of City of Worthington v. Carskadon (1969), 18 Ohio St. 2d 222. Defendant city contends that that case is not controlling, and relies upon the constitutional debates surrounding the enactment of Section 19, Article I of the Constitution.

The Worthington case must be viewed as controlling with regard to the constitutionality of the “quick take” procedure under the ordinance herein involved. However, *103 that case is not necessarily controlling on the issue of whether there can be a “quick take” procedure consistent with Section 19, Article I, Ohio Constitution. See, however, Wagner v. Railway Co. (1882), 38 Ohio St. 32.

Section 19, Article I, Ohio Constitution, provides as follows:

“Private property shall ever be held inviolate, but subservient to the public welfare. When taken in time of Avar or other public exigency, imperatively requiring its immediate seizure or for the purpose of making or repairing roads, which shall be open to the public, without charge, a compensation shall be made to the owner, in money, and in all other cases, where private property shall be taken for public use, a compensation therefor shall first be made in money, or first secured by a deposit of money; and such compensation shall be assessed by a jury, without deduction for benefits to any property of the oAvner.” (Emphasis supplied.)

By virtue thereof, private property may be taken for the purpose of making or repairing roads, or in time of war or other public exigency imperatively requiring its immediate seizure, without first either compensating the owner or securing such compensation to be made, provided compensation is subsequently determined. In all other cases, when private property is taken for a public use, “a compensation therefor shall first be made in money, or first secured by a deposit of money.”

Even if it be conceded arguendo that compensation may be “first secured by a deposit of money” prior to the time that the amount of such compensation be assessed by a jury, it is obvious that the amount of such deposit must be sufficient to reasonably secure payment of the eompensation Avhich the jury may assess. This is the thrust of the constitutional debates relied upon by defendant city, which state to the effect that the deposit must “amply” secure the compensation that may be finally assessed by the jury.

The Worthington ease contains the following comment in this regard, at page 224:

*104 “ ‘ It is “ compensation, ’ ’ and not some estimate, which is to be paid in money or secured by a deposit. “Compensation” shall be assessed by a jury and not by the city.’ ”

The Columbus ordinance (Section 909.04 of the Columbus City Codes) has the same infirmity as the Worthington ordinance. That ordinance provides that “the city council may fix what is determined to be the value of such property appropriated, together with damages, if any, to the residue, and may appropriate such amount to be deposited with the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County for the use and benefit of the owners of the property appropriated.” There is no assurance that the amount determined by the city council will be adequate to secure the compensation that the jury may ultimately assess.

Were there a “quick take” procedure involving a deposit prior to the determination of compensation by a jury, but in an amount determined to be ample to secure the payment of the compensation that the jury might assess, then it might be successfully argued that a taking prior to an assessment of compensation by the jury, but following such deposit, would meet the requirements of Section 19, Article I, Ohio Constitution. However, that is not the situation here. In view of Worthington, we must conclude that the Columbus “quick take” ordinance is unconstitutional.

While we have concluded that the foundation of the Common Pleas Court’s judgment was erroneous, this does not necessitate a reversal of that judgment. In Worthington, it was stated, at page 224:

“ * * The proper remedies for illegal entry upon one’s property are criminal trespass and civil damages against the individuals entering, and injunction against the city and its agents. * * *’ ” (Emphasis supplied.)

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Bluebook (online)
286 N.E.2d 318, 31 Ohio App. 2d 100, 60 Ohio Op. 2d 183, 1972 Ohio App. LEXIS 449, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cassady-v-city-of-columbus-ohioctapp-1972.