City of Chicago v. Jewish Consumptives Relief Society

154 N.E. 117, 323 Ill. 389
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 28, 1926
DocketNo. 17479. Reversed and remanded.
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 154 N.E. 117 (City of Chicago v. Jewish Consumptives Relief Society) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Chicago v. Jewish Consumptives Relief Society, 154 N.E. 117, 323 Ill. 389 (Ill. 1926).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Thompson

delivered the opinion of the court:

This appeal is from a judgment of the circuit court of Cook county entered in favor of appellant, the Jewish Consumptives Relief Society of Chicago, a corporation organized not for pecuniary profit, in a condemnation proceeding brought in the name of the city of Chicago as trustee of property used for school purposes.

The petition in this case was filed by the board of education of the city of Chicago. The petition names the “city of Chicago, in trust for the use of schools,” as the petitioner and appellant and others as defendants. Appellant contends that the petition should have been dismissed because it was brought by a petitioner that had no legal existence, or, if it be considered that the petitioner is the city of Chicago, a municipal corporation, because the proceeding could not be instituted without the direction of the city council.

Section 1 of the act enabling boards of education to exercise the right of eminent domain provides: “Whenever any lot or parcel of land shall be needed by any * * * school district, as a site for building or for any educational purpose, and compensation for such lot or parcel of land cannot be agreed upon between the owmer or owners thereof and the * * * board of education * * * of such * * * school district so needing such lot or parcel of land, then such * * * board of education * * * of such * * * school district, shall have the power to have such compensation determined in the manner provided by law for the exercise of the right of eminent domain.” (Cahill’s Stat. 1925, p. 2232.) Section 132 of the School act, which deals with boards of education in cities exceeding 100,000 inhabitants, provides: “The board of education may acquire, by purchase, condemnation or otherwise, real estate for any and all school purposes. Condemnation proceedings for the purpose of acquiring such property shall be conducted in the name of the city, in trust for the use of schools.” (Cahill’s Stat. 1925, p. 2178.) Prior to 1917 section 132 provided that the board of education, “with the concurrence of the city council,” might institute condemnation proceedings, but when the statute was amended the words requiring the concurrence of the city council were omitted. Where the legislature enacts an amendatory statute providing that a certain section shall be amended so as to read as repeated in the amendatory act, all such portions of the old section as are not repeated in the new section are repealed without any express words for that purpose. (Merlo v. Johnston City Coal Co. 258 Ill. 328.) It must be held that the legislature intended to make some change in the law when the amendment was made in 1917 by omitting the phrase “with the concurrence of the city council,” (Lyons v. Peoples Bank, 317 Ill. 44,) and the only change it could have intended by such omission was to give the board of education authority to institute condemnation proceedings without any action on the part of the city council. The board of education is authorized by the statute to agree with the parties interested in the land upon the compensation to be paid for a school site, and in case of failure to agree it may proceed to have such compensation determined in the manner which may be at the time provided by law for the exercise of the right of eminent domain. (Banks v. School Directors, 194 Ill. 247.) Under the statute the city council has nothing to do with bargaining for the lands needed for school purposes nor does it have anything to do with the institution of the condemnation proceeding. The board of education is given the right to bring the condemnation proceeding in the name of the city, and it is not required to have the consent of the city to use its name. The reason the proceeding must be brought in the name of the city is that the title to real estate used for school purposes is in the city as trustee. As the property condemned cannot be taken until the compensation awarded has been paid, it is immaterial to appellant whether this payment is made by the board of education in the name of the city of Chicago as trustee or otherwise. (Trustees of Schools v. McMahon, 265 Ill. 83.) If the board of education fails to make payment of the compensation awarded within the time named by the order entered by the court, and the court enters an order requiring the petitioner to pay costs, expenses and reasonable attorney’s fees of the - defendant paid or incurred by such defendant in defense of the petition, such judgment for costs and expenses would under section 19 of the Costs act be entered against the board of education, for whosé use the suit was brought. The petition was properly filed by the board of education in the name of the city' of Chicago as trustee.

By the statute under which this proceeding is brought it is provided that if the school authorities cannot agree with the owner of the land selected upon the amount to be paid him therefor, they may proceed in the manner provided in the act providing for the exercise of the right of eminent domain. Section 2 of this act authorizes the filing of the petition where the compensation to be paid for the property sought to be appropriated cannot be agreed upon by the parties interested. The petition filed in this case alleges an endeavor and inability on the part of appellee to agree with appellant upon the compensation to be paid for the lands in question. This allegation is denied by the answer of appellant, and the claim of appellant that no effort was made to agree with it upon the compensation for the property in question is made the basis of a motion to dismiss the petition. Where the land owner goes to trial on the merits without challenging the allegation in the petition of an endeavor and inability to agree upon the compensation to be paid the question cannot be raised after verdict, (West Skokie Drainage District v. Dawson, 243 Ill. 175; Ward v. Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad Co. 119 id. 287;) but where the land owner raises the jurisdictional question of an effort to agree upon the compensation to be paid, the burden is on the petitioner to show by proper proof an endeavor and inability to agree. (Lieberman v. Chicago Rapid Transit Railroad Co. 141 Ill. 140.) The statute contemplates that the owner shall be fully advised as to the real party proposing to purchase and the real purpose for which the property is to be acquired. Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Co. v. Gage, 280 Ill. 639.

The evidence on the question of effort to agree upon compensation shows that the business manager of the board of education had some correspondence with George S. Pines, an attorney who had theretofore looked after some legal business for appellant regarding some special assessments against its property. One of the clerks employed by the board of education ascertained the name of the owner of the land sought to be taken by an examination of the tax records, but these did not show the address of the owner. He inquired at the Hebrew Institute for the address of the owner and was referred by an officer of the institute to Pines. The business manager of the board of education wrote to Pines advising him that the board of education was considering the purchase of the tract of land owned by appellant for school purposes, and asked him to fill out and return a form of proposal of sale which he inclosed. At the same time he sent a duplicate of; the letter to the Jewish Consumptives Relief Society, in care of Pines. The latter received these letters and in compliance with the request offered to sell the property for $125,000.

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Bluebook (online)
154 N.E. 117, 323 Ill. 389, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-chicago-v-jewish-consumptives-relief-society-ill-1926.