Chandler v. Alabama Power Company

122 S.E.2d 317, 104 Ga. App. 521, 1961 Ga. App. LEXIS 731
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedSeptember 12, 1961
Docket38904
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 122 S.E.2d 317 (Chandler v. Alabama Power Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chandler v. Alabama Power Company, 122 S.E.2d 317, 104 Ga. App. 521, 1961 Ga. App. LEXIS 731 (Ga. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinions

Hall, Judge.

In ground 7 of the-motion for new trial the owner complains of the admission of certain testimony of[524]*524fered by the condemnor. The court permitted Douglas Mc-Crary, an engineer in charge of the Hydrology Department of the Alabama Power Co. to give testimony and introduce an exhibit (the admission in evidence of the exhibit being the basis of ground 8) illustrating the effect that the presence of Weiss Dam as well as Allatoona Dam would have had on the floods that occurred during the twenty-year period from 1937 to 1957. He summarized his findings by stating the number of floods that occurred over this period in a given month and what elevations on the owner’s property the floods would have reached with the dams in place. In the study made by and under the direction of Mr. McCrary, the data used to enumerate the past floods were taken from some twenty books published by the United States Geological Survey. He had one of these books in court (but this one was not introduced in evidence). Mr. McCrary stated that he had no way to check the accuracy of the data. There was no testimony of any witness who had observed the floods involved in the study, nor any documentary evidence containing a record of their occurrence.

Mr. McCrary’s testimony was objected to on the ground that there was not sufficient foundation laid by way of records or the witness’ observations.

The owner also excepts to the overruling of an objection set out in ground 5 of his motion for new trial, to other testimony of Mr. McCrary, in which he stated the conclusions from his study as to the elevations these floods would have reached with only Allatoona Dam in place. Following this testimony the condemnor offered its Exhibit No. 5 as illustrating it graphically, which was admitted without objection.

Subsequent to the testimony objected to and after the witness had testified as to the source of his data on floods, the owner’s counsel elicited from the witness on cross-examination testimony as to the elevations reached by specific floods in specific months and years and what those elevations would have been with the dams in place, and as to the number of major floods from 1952 through to 1957.

The witness’ opinions as to the effect of the dams on the-elevations reached by the past floods was objectionable because the [525]*525facts on which the opinions were based-—the occurrence of the floods and the elevations they reached—were not testified to by any witness or document in evidence. Kuttner v. Swanson, 59 Ga. App. 818, 824 (2 SE2d 230); Ellis v. Southern Ry. Co., 89 Ga. App. 407 (79 SE2d 541); cf. Augusta Factory v. Barnes, 72 Ga. 217 (53 AR 838); Bryant v. State, 197 Ga. 641 (30 SE2d 259); Elliott v. Ga. Power Co., 58 Ga. App. 151, 153 (197 SE 914).

However, by obtaining from the witness testimony to the same effect, the owner waived his objection and cured the error. In Rabun v. Wynn, 209 Ga. 80, 83 (70 SE2d 745) it was held: “The allowance of . . . evidence, even if erroneous as contended, does not in- the circumstances of this case require a reversal of the judgment complained of, because counsel for the defendants, on cross-examination of the witness and with full knowledge of the character of the evidence to be expected, elicited substantially the same testimony.” Southern Ry. Co. v. Ward, 131 Ga. 21 (61 SE 913); Chatham Amusement Co. v. Perry, 216 Ga. 445 (117 SE2d 320); Cooley v. Bergstrom, 3 Ga. App. 496 (60 SE 220); Copeland v. Ruff, 20 Ga. App. 217 (92 SE 955); Simmons v. State, 34 Ga. App. 163 (128 SE 690); Exchange Bank of Savannah v. Pate, 41 Ga. App. 1 (151 SE 823); Corley v. Bussell, 92 Ga. App. 417, 422 (88 SE2d 470).

There was no reversible error in overruling grounds 5, 7 and 8.

Ground 4A complains of the admission, over the owner’s objection that it was a conclusion, of testimony by Douglas McCrary, that “the building of the dam does not cause any more rainfall upstream which will create any more floods on the Coosa River.” This testimony stated something that seems rather obvious though it may have a scientific basis that should properly have been shown. It was followed by: “However, the dam will have some effect on the floods that do occur.” The authorities cited in the last paragraph of Divisions 1 and 2 are applicable here.

The evidence objected to was not harmful nor reversible error.

In ground 6 the owner complains of the admission of the italicized testimony of Douglas McCrary included in the following excerpt from the brief of the evidence: “Plaintiff’s Exhibit 5, a sheet of paper with some figures on it, is a chart which [526]*526illustrates the testimony I have just given as to past floods of the Chandler property. I have also made scientific studies to determine how those floods which have occurred in the past would be affected by the presence of Weiss Dam, as well as Allatoona Ddm. That study did not reveal that there will be any more floods in number—there was the same rainfall. That the scientific studies I have made to determine how the past floods on Coosa River would be affected by the presence of Weiss Dam, as well as Allatoona Dam, did not reveal that there would be any more floods. The effect would have been to increase the elevation of those floods by some two or three feet, and to increase the duration of time that they would last by some two or three days. .

The owner objected on the ground: “. . . This line of testimony necessarily involves what the Good Lord is going to do about sending rain and floods, and I don’t think any expert could testify as to that, a layman or anybody else. We submit, Your Honor, that God Almighty is not controlled by man’s records. I object to that on the ground that he cannot base that on the factors which are the controlling factors.”

It is true this expert witness did not explain the scientific basis for his statement that dams, had they been present in the past, would not have caused any additional floods. While an objection on such a ground might have been well taken (though we do not so decide) we do not see that the owner’s objection made this point.

The overruling of ground 6 was not error.

In ground 9 the owner objects that the court excluded, as being a conclusion, his testimony as follows: . . As to whether, without that cotton land—being able to- plant it in cotton, I will be able to make a profit on the operation of that farm, no, sir, I don’t figure we would make a profit on it. I would lose my farm. . .”

Since a new trial will be required on another ground, it is not essential that we pass on this exclusion of evidence. However, it appears to us that the owner’s testimony, “I would lose my farm,” is not relevant to any issue in the case. But his testimony that he would not be able to make a profit on his farm [527]*527without the land condemned would have some relevance on the issue of consequential damages, as supporting evidence related to the owner’s other testimony that he was making a living on his farm, what his net farm income was, the portion of his productive land included in the condemned land, the necessity to clear other land to make it suitable for farming, the rate of production and cost of production on the condemned land as compared with other parts of the farm.

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Chandler v. Alabama Power Company
122 S.E.2d 317 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1961)

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Bluebook (online)
122 S.E.2d 317, 104 Ga. App. 521, 1961 Ga. App. LEXIS 731, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chandler-v-alabama-power-company-gactapp-1961.