City of Nashville v. Mason

11 Tenn. App. 344, 1930 Tenn. App. LEXIS 17
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedFebruary 17, 1930
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 11 Tenn. App. 344 (City of Nashville v. Mason) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Nashville v. Mason, 11 Tenn. App. 344, 1930 Tenn. App. LEXIS 17 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1930).

Opinion

*346 CBOWNOVER, J.

This suit was an eminent domain proceeding for the purpose of widening Church Street in the-City of Nashville, in accordance with an ordinance of the city under the terms of its charter, which charter adopted the procedure outlined in Shannon’s Code, sections 1981 to 1984. This condemnation proceeding resulted in the destruction of Mason’s leasehold interest in three rooms in the second story of a building owned by the Luck heirs and used by him for a photograph gallery.

The case was tried by the Circuit Court in 1925 and resulted in a directed verdict for the city, on the theory that a lessee under a verbal lease cannot recover damages in a condemnation proceeding. Mason appealed in error to the Supreme Court and the case was disposed of by that court in a written opinion styled, Mason v. City of Nashville, in 155 Tenn., 256, 291 S. W., 1074. The Supreme Court held that a leasehold is property, for which compensation must be paid when it is appropriated under the law of eminent domain. The case was originally tried in the Circuit Court upon the pleadings and agreed state of facts made in open court, on which the court directed a verdict. The Supreme Court held that the procedure followed by the trial court was unusual and required interpretation, and under the peculiar procedure and facts of this case the motion for a directed verdict was “in effect a demurrer to the petition for appeal (from' the verdict of the jury of view) aided by the facts stipulated,” which the lower court should have overruled, and the Supreme Court reversed the judgment and remanded the case for further proceedings.

The case was again tried on February 25, 1929, by the court and a jury, on oral evidence, and again the city moved for a directed verdict, because, (1) there was no evidence to support a vei’dict, as defendant had failed to prove that he had a lease, and (2) because the lease was not in writing and the defendant was merely a tenant from month to month, at will. The motion, was overruled and the jury returned a verdict of $1000. Upon motion, interest was allowed on said verdict from August 1, 1924, amounting to $277.50, and a judgment was rendered for $1277.50 in favor oc Mason. The city’s motion for a new trial was overruled, and it has appealed in error and has assigned errors.

The first two assignments of error are to the effect that the court erred in overruling the city’s motion to dismiss, Mason’s appeal made before the ease was originally tried in the Circuit Court in 1925. The City, on May 11, 1925', filed a motion to dismiss Mason’s appeal, (1) because there is no appeal from a non-judicial body, and, (2) there was no appeal prayed, or granted, or appeal bond filed with the city. This motion was overruled by the court, and on June 22, 1925, the city again moved the court to dismiss Mason’s appeal, because it came too late. These same propositions were raised by the city *347 on the first appeal, but the Supreme Court held that no errors can be corrected in that court except those committed against the party-prosecuting the appeal in error, and as the city had not appealed, the propositions could not be entertained.

It is insisted by Mason that the city should have appealed in error on those propositions and have assigned errors on the first appeal, but as it did not do so, it waived them.

We do not think that the city waived these propositions by not raising them on the first appeal.

It is true that where a proposition is decided against the party who is successful in the lower court, on appeal in error in law eases the Supreme Court will only correct errors committed against the party prosecuting the appeal in error. Gallena v. Sudheimer, 9 Heisk., 191; Jones v. Ducktown, 109 Tenn., 375, 383, 71 S. W., 821; State v. Willis, 130 Tenn., 407, 170 S. W., 1030; Barnes v. Noel, 131 Tenn., 134, 174 S. W., 276; Yarbrough v. Yarbrough, 151 Tenn., 226-7, 269 S. W., 36; Mason v. City of Nashville, 155 Tenn., 261, 291 S. W., 1074; City of Nashville v. Land Co., 155 Tenn., 395, 293 S. W., 533.

Where the successful party has obtained full relief in the court below in law cases, the appellate courts will not pass upon his appeal if the question is a mere abstraction. State ex rel. v. Waggoner, 88 Tenn., 290, 12 S. W. 721.

'But in law cases, where an unsuccessful party has appealed in error, the successful party may also appeal in error on the propositions decided against him and may assign errors on the record where exceptions were properly preserved iini the lower court. Most of the cases above cited held that the appellate court would not entertain errors assigned by the successful party where he did not appeal; hence we are of the opinion that the successful party may also appeal in error on propositions decided against him and may assign errors on the record where the exceptions to the errors were properly preserved in the lower court, as he is the party aggrieved on the propositions decided against him.

But, in this case, these propositions raised by the motion to dismiss the appeal were not properly brought before the Supreme Court and were not entertained by that court, then the question remains, can they now be brought to the attention of this court on appeal in error ? We are of the opinion that they can be properly raised now. The Supreme Court merely passed on a demurrer, overruled the same and remanded the case, which had the same effect as if the lower court had overruled a demurrer. When the lower court overrules a demurrer, the parties do not waive any preliminary questions passed upon by the court where exceptions are properly preserved.

*348 “The decree of that court in general terms simply reverses the decree of the Chancellor 'and the opinion and decree of this court, overrules the demurrer to the bill, and remands the cause to the chancery court for answer and further proceedings. No opinion was filed by the court giving the precise grounds upon which it based its action. The effect, therefore, of this decree is that the bill, taking its averments to be true, called for an answer. ‘ Ordinarily, ’ says the Supreme Court, ‘ a decree of this court overruling a demurrer and remanding a cause to be proceeded with is not an adjudication of anything more than that there is sufficient equity upon the face of the bill to require an answer.’ Jourolmon v. Massengill, 86 Tenn., 90, 5 S. W., 721; Battle v. Street, 85 Tenn., 282, 2 S. W., 384; Rodgers v. Dibrell, 6 Lea, 69; Kirkpatrick v. Utley, 14 Lea, 97. It would seem, therefore, that upon answer and proof, and a second appeal to the Supreme Court, it could inquire into the legal sufficiency of any of the grounds of relief stated in the bill.” Gordon v. Weaver, 53 S. W., 752-3.
"But if it appears from the opinion, and the manner in which the case was presented, that a particular question was not presented, or intended by the parties to be passed upon on the appeal, the court will not, on a subsequent appeal, be precluded from an examination of the question.” Reynolds v. Brandon, 3 Heisk., 593.”

It is further insisted by Mason that these motions should have been renewed at the last trial.

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Bluebook (online)
11 Tenn. App. 344, 1930 Tenn. App. LEXIS 17, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-nashville-v-mason-tennctapp-1930.