Central Power and Light Company v. Graddy

318 S.W.2d 943, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 1619
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 11, 1958
Docket13297
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 318 S.W.2d 943 (Central Power and Light Company v. Graddy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Central Power and Light Company v. Graddy, 318 S.W.2d 943, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 1619 (Tex. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinions

BELL, Chief Justice.

This is a condemnation suit. The appellant acquired an easement across a 722.8 acre tract of land belonging to appellees. The easement was for the purpose of constructing an electric power line with the right to maintain, repair and renew the line, and appellant was to have the right of ingress and egress for such purposes. The easement or right-of-way was SO feet in width at some points and 100 feet at other points. The poles for the line were to be about 500 feet apart. The only portion of the land to be actually occupied would be that occupied by the poles. There would be about 21 poles on the land. They were to be [945]*945set, for the most part, in pairs with a distance between the individual poles of about 14 feet. The land, except that occupied by the poles, could be used by the owners for any purpose not inconsistent with the appellant’s right to construct, maintain and operate the line. The appellant made the easement subject to the limitation that it should not fence or otherwise enclose the right-of-way. Also appellant disclaimed in favor of appellees all mineral interests. The right-of-way enters the land about 526.5 feet west of the northeast corner and runs diagonally across the land to the southwest at about a 45° angle and makes its exit from appellees’ land about midway of the south line of the 722.8 acres. The shape of the land is such that about one-fourth of the acreage lies to the east of the right-of-way and about three-fourths to the west. There are 6.8 acres in the right-of-way.

The issues submitted to the jury and the answers of the jury are as follows:

Special Issue No. 1
“What do you find from a preponderance of the evidence was the reasonable market value of the 6.8 acres of land in the right-of-way across Defendants’ land immediately before January 31, 1957?
“Answer: $1700.00.”
Special Issue No. 2
“What do you find from a preponderance of the evidence was the reasonable market value of the 6.8 acres of land in the right-of-way across the Defendants’ land immediately after January 31, 1957?
“Answer: $0.”
Special Issue No. 3
“What do you find from a preponderance of the evidence was the reasonable market value of the remainder of the 722.8 acres of land of Defendants crossed by said easement condemned by Central Power and Light and not included in the right-of-way, immediately before the condemnation on January 31, 1957?
“Answer: $179,000.00.”
Special Issue No. 4.
“What do you find from a preponderance of the evidence was the reasonable market value of the remainder of the 722.8 acres of land of defendants crossed by said easement condemned by Central Power and Light Company and not included in the right-of-way, immediately after the condemnation on January 31, 1957?
“Answer: $170,418.00.”

The commissioners had made an award of $1,560. Appellees appealed from the award. Appellant paid $3,120 into the registry of the Court on February 7, 1957.

The court entered its judgment based on the jury verdict, in favor of appellees, for $10,282 together with interest thereon at the rate of 6% per annum from the 31st day of January, 19.57, to the date of the court’s judgment, and also on ' the whole judgment thereafter until it should be paid.

Mr. Hale, a witness for the appellees, testified that the 722.8 acres was of the reasonable market value of $175 per acre immediately before the condemnation on January 31, 1957, and that the reasonable market value after the condemnation and construction of the power line would be $155 per acre. He was not asked, and did'not testify, concerning the market value of the land in the right-of-way itself, other than is reflected by his testimony concerning the value of the whole tract. The witness testified that this was agricultural land though much of it at the time of condemnation was devoted to grazing, and that the tract was of such size that it, without the power line, was economical and feasible to use an airplane to seed the land and dust and fertilize the growing crops. [946]*946However, the presence of the line across the land would so interfere with these operations that the market value of the whole tract would be affected.

Mr. Peterson, also a witness for appellees, testified he had been engaged in farming operations all his life. He had lived in the area of the land involved all his life, and had been very familiar with this land for fifteen years. He considered the land very good farm land. He testified the market value of the land was from $250 to $300 per acre on January 31, 1957. He testified he had had experience in farming land where there was an electric power line across it. Difficulty was experienced' because the area around the poles, particularly where the poles were set in pairs, could not be cultivated by use of the equipment generally used. The equipment usually was a four-row tractor and the width of such was 15 feet. The distance between the poles, set in pairs, was 14 feet so the tractor could not go between the poles. Too, many people use 6-row tractors, which are of course even wider. He testified you are unable to follow a normal row pattern. He also stated the drainage, because of the absence of the normal row pattern, would be adversely affected. Further, the witness testified that an airplane could not effectively dust, seed or fertilize the area under or near the line. Where the area around the poles could not be cultivated, weeds and grasses would grow. While this area around the poles could be cultivated and the weeds and grasses controlled, the work in doing so would have to be by hand with the resulting increased expense. The drainage of the land would also be interfered with. In case of the growing of rice, particularly, the necessary irrigation would be interfered with. ■ The market value, because of the condemnation and the construction of the line, would be lessened $50 an acre. The market value •of the land in the right-of-way before the condemnation was, in his opinion, $250 to $300 per acre. The' market value of the land in the right-of-way after the taking would be nothing. On cross-examination the witness testified that 50 feet from the poles you could cultivate but airplane operations would be interfered with. The market value of the remainder of the tract would be lessened $50 per acre.

Mr. Hansan, witness for appellees, was engaged in farming operations. His opinion was that the land had a market value of $200 per acre before the condemnation of the easement. After the condemnation and the construction of the line the market value of the land in the right-of-way would be $100 per acre. The market value of the remaining acreage would be lowered $10 per acre. This witness’ testimony concerning the elements such as interference with farming operations was in substance the same as the previous witnesses’. The land that could not be cultivated would be an area about 35 feet by 45 feet around the poles.

Mr. Mangum, an aerial applicator, testified to the hazard to' dusting and seeding by use of an airplane caused by the presence of the power line. He testified that a large power line, such as is here involved, was a much greater hazard than the usual service lines furnishing power to the homes on farms.

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Central Power and Light Company v. Graddy
318 S.W.2d 943 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1958)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
318 S.W.2d 943, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 1619, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/central-power-and-light-company-v-graddy-texapp-1958.