City of Austin v. Bush

260 S.W. 300
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 23, 1924
DocketNo. 6692. [fn*]
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 260 S.W. 300 (City of Austin v. Bush) 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
City of Austin v. Bush, 260 S.W. 300 (Tex. Ct. App. 1924).

Opinion

Statement.

BLAIR, J.

Appellee, D. A. Bush, brought this suit against the city of Austin, appellant, for the recovery of damages alleged to" have been sustained on account of the depreciation in the value of his property by virtue of the presence of certain-noxious gas, odors, etc., caused by the construction and operation of a sewage disposal plant by appellant near his premises, which he used as a homestead for himself and family. Appel-lee’s petition alleged that the sewage disposal plant so constructed and operated by appellant emitted noxious, foul, and unwholesome gases, vapors, and odors, such as would cause discomfort and distress to persons of ordinary sensibilities and ordinary tastes and habits, and that they so affected plaintiff and his family, thereby constituting a nuisance, and by reason thereof plaintiff’s home or residence has been greatly damaged and the value thereof greatly depreciated in the sum of $5,000.

Appellant answered by general and special exceptions, and by a general denial.

The case was tried to a jury upon special issues, and the trial court based the judgment rendered for appellee upon said verdict.

Appellant has duly perfected its appeal in the manner provided for municipal corporations.

Opinion.

We agree with the conclusion asserted in appellant’s brief that this appeal involves, generally, but the one question: Did the evidence create the issue of fact as to whether the nuisance complained of by appellee was permanent or temporary in its character so as to necessitate the submission of the issue to the jury?

The following are the- special issues propounded to the jury, and their answers thereto:

“Question No. I: Do foul and noxious gases, vapors, or odors emanate from the sewage disposal plant operated by the city of Austin? Answer: Yes.
“Question No. 2: Do such gases, vapors, or odors (if any) reach the premises of the plaintiff in such manner as to disturb and annoy the plaintiff and his family? Answer: Yes.
“Question No. 3: If you answer question No. 2 in the affirmative, then answer this question: Would such gases, odors or vapors so disturb and annoy persons of ordinary sensibilities and ordinary tastes and habits located as the plaintiff? Answer: Yes.
“Question No. 4: What would be the reasonable market value at this time of plaintiff’s lots and improvements should the operation of the sewage disposal plant permanently cease? Answer: $5,600.
“Question No. 5: What is the reasonable market value at this time of plaintiff’s lots and improvements with the sewage disposal plant continuing to be operated at the place where it is now located? -Answer: $3,350.”

*302 The answers of the jury are sufficiently supported by the evidence.

Appellant presented the following written .'objections to questions 4 and 5 submitted by the trial court, and moved that an additional issue be submitted to the jury:

“(2) That both of said questions are predicated upon the assumption by the court that the proof has established, as a matter of law, that the operation of the sewage disposal plant by defendant is a nuisance permanent in its character, and the damage, ■ if any, to plaintiff resulting or incident to the operation of said plant would be of a permanent nature, whereas the defendant has offered proof to show that said plant can, ¿nd in good faith will, be improved and operated in the future, so as not to permit noxious gases, odors or vapors to emanate therefrom, and that defendant has already voluntarily begun and has progressed to a great extent toward remedying any nuisance that may have existed or that may now exist on account of such operation; and, at the least, that the testimony in this case has created the-issue of fact to be submitted to the jury, as to whether, if any nuisance exists by the operation of said plant, same is or will be of a permanent or of a temporary character.
“In, this connection, defendant respectfully suggests to and moves the court that an additional question be submitted to the jury, containing the issue as to whether such nuisance, if any, is permanent or temporary in its character, and that the other questions contained in the general charge should be reformed so as to properly conform to such additional question.
“(3) That said questions are prejudicial to defendant and misleading to the jury, in that they would be taken to assume that the mere continued operation of the sewage disposal plant would be such a nuisance as to affect permanently the market value of plaintiff’s premises, irrespective of whether or not same would or might be operated so that no noxious vapors or odors would reach plaintiff’s premises in such manner as to disturb and annoy him and his family.”

This objection and motion were overruled by the court.

In addition to the above objections and suggestion, appellant requested the court to ■ submit its two special charges to the jury, which, omitting the formal parts, are as follows:

Special charge No. 2: “If you answer questions 1, 2, and 3 of the general charge in the affirmative, then answer this question: Can such gases, odors, or vapors be prevented by defendant from so disturbing and annoying plaintiff and his family during the operation of the sewer disposal plant?”
Special charge No. 3: “If you answer questions 1, 2, and 3 of the general charge in the affirmative, then answer this question: Will such gases, odors, or vapors continue to disturb, and annoy plaintiff and his family, as now located, as long as the sewer disposal plant is operated at the place where it is now located?”

These charges were refused by the court:

Appellee takes the position generally that the question involved, as stated by appellant, is not quite so broad, and makes the following counter propositions:

“First: That the evidence was not sufficient to raise the issue that the nuisance was merely temporary.
“Second: That the verdict of the jury was, in effect, a finding upon all facts necessary to entitle plaintiff to recover damages as for a permanent nuisance.
“Third: That the special issues requested by appellant, and through which it sought to have submitted to the jury the character of the nuisance as being permanent or temporary, were incorrect charges, and the court did not err in refusing to give them.
“Fourth: If the findings of the jury in response to the issues submitted by the court were not sufficient to constitute findings that .the nuisance was permanent, then (appellant having requested no proper charge submitting the issue) the issue will be deemed to have been found by the court in such manner as will support the judgment.”

It is evident, from an examination of the main charge given by the court, that it was submitted in its entirety upon appellee’s theory of recovery. It is. also evident that in submitting the.

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Bluebook (online)
260 S.W. 300, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-austin-v-bush-texapp-1924.