City of Tulsa v. Grier

1924 OK 1125, 243 P. 753, 114 Okla. 93, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 798
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 16, 1924
Docket13029
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 1924 OK 1125 (City of Tulsa v. Grier) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Tulsa v. Grier, 1924 OK 1125, 243 P. 753, 114 Okla. 93, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 798 (Okla. 1924).

Opinion

WARREN, J.

In this case the' defendant in error, Lolrenzo Grier-, brought suit against the plaintiff in error, the city of Tulsa, -because of alleged damage to' his real property located in the city of Tulsa by reason of the -construction by the city of a sanitary sewer, a storm sewer and an embankment for a street, closing the course of what is alleged to have been a well-defined stream.

The -suit was originally filed May 11, 1917. and sued the city for damage because of negligence in constructing the sanitary sewer and in obstructing the fio'w of water -through its natural course down a ravine, by constructing a storm sewer in the bed of the stream and filling it otherwise until the water in -time of unusual freshets could nc-t be carried off thereby.

To this -petition a motion to make more definite and certain was filed by the defendant. This was sustained, and on July 5, 1917, an amended petition was filed expanding the allegations of the original pe- *94 ti cion, but still resting) bis claim lor damage on tbe 'negligent construction of. tbe Sanitary and storm, sewers and obstructing tbe course of tbe stream.

To tbis pleading an answer was filed, and in due time a reply. Later, on April 10. 1920; a second amended petiticto was filed, wbicn is tbe petition on which, tbe judgment of the trial court in tbis action is based.

This second amended petition pleads three separate causes of action. Tbe first cause o>f action alleges damage because of the negligent construction of a sanitary sewer with manholes constructed too low, with movable tops, .thereby causing, in time of heavy rains., tbe sanitary sewer to! become flooded with surface water, forcing the sewage out of tbe sewer over the premises of ■the plaintiff. Tbis sewer was constructed pursuant to an easement or right of way granted tbe city by( Grier.

Tbe secctad cause of action alleges tbe filling up! of a ravine or water course by a storm sewer,1 6 feet in diameter, causing; tbe water formerly carried thereby, during heavy rains, to be forced over tbe premises of plaintiff, damaging tbe foundation off bis houses and rendering them undesirable as rental property. Tbis stormi sewer also was constructed under a right of way or easement granted by Grier.

Tbe third cause of action alleges tbe damming1 olf tbe same stream, ravine, or water course a.s alleged in the second cause of action by tbe construction of a fill on 8th street, raising the grade thereof, thereby preventing; the water of tbis ravine from fldwing- off in its usual course.

To this second amended petition tbe defendant filed its motion to require tbe .plaintiff to elect whether he would sue for temporary damages or fo!r .permanent damages, on tbe theory that tbe alternative claim for temporary or 'permanent damages as claimed by tbe plaintiff was inconsistent, and for the further reason that defendant could not properly defend against an alternative action.

This motion was overruled by the cohrt, to which action tbe defendant excepted, and tbis is assigned as error on tbis appeal.

An answer was filed by tbe defendant, admitting the donstruction of the sewers and the 8th street embankment, but denying’ that the sewers or embankment were negligently construed. Defendant further alleged that plaintiff’s property was situated in lotv lands over which surface waters ■naturally flowed and that plaintiff failed to protect and guard bis lands and that the property bad always been subject to similar floods. Defendant furcher .plleaded that tbe improvements were made in the exercise of governmental and discretionary legislative powers properly dctae for the improvement of the municipality, and because of this de.endant is not liable. As a further defense defendant pleaded tbe two-year statute of .limitations. Tbe reply was a general denial.

A jury was waived and the cause submitted to tbe court, which heard the evidence and rendered judgment for $T,50® in favor off plaintiff,, later remitting $1,000 on the 'hearing of the motion fdr new trial. Appeal wasi perfected. regularly and in due •time.

Plaintiff in error argues six assignments of error in its brief, which are as! follows;

“1. Tbe trial cdurt erred in overruling the demurrer to plaintiff’s second amended petition, defendant’s objection to' the introduction of any evidence under plaintiff’s second amended petition, and defendant’s demurrer to the evidence off the plaintiff.

“2. The judgment off the trial court is contrary to the evidence.

“3. The judgment of the trial court is contrary to' law.

“4. The judgment is excessive.

“5'. The trial court erred in admitting incompetent evidence on the part of the plaintiff and refusing’ to admit competent evidence on the part off clefendant.

“6. The trial court erred in. overruling ■the motion Gff the defendant to require the plaintiff to elect upon which theory he was seeking to recover.”

The argument under the first assignment of errotr is largely confined to the propositions of the alleged bar of the statute of limitations. Plaintiff in error relies on the, provisions of section 185, Comp. Stat. 1921, the pertinent part off which is as follows:

“Civil actions other than for the recovery lof real property can only be brought within the following periods after the cause off action shall have accrued, and not after-wards :
“Third: Within two years: An action for trespass upon, real property; an action fot taking, detaining or injuring personal property, including actions for the specific recovery of personal property, an action for injury to the rights of another, not arising oln. contract, and not hereinafter enumerated, ’an .action for relief on the *95 ground of irauci — the cause of action in such case shall uot be deemed to have accrued until the discovery of the fraud.”

He points ciut that the original petition was filed May 11, 1917, and the second amended petition, on which the cause was tried, was filed April 10, 1920. He further shows that the allegations of the pe-titicfei show that tihei first flood was in June, 1913, the sanitary sewer was constructed in October, 1912:, the storm sewer in 1912, and the grading of 8th street in March, 1913. He further relies on the fact that the 8th street grading and embankment are not specifically complained of in the original petition.

He next calls attention tol the fact that on May 20, 1913, the plaintiff, Lorenzo Grier, filed a claim with ihe commissioners of the city; of Tulsa for the sum of $5,000 because of negligence and carelessness of the city off Tulsa in building an embankment on the 8th street between Madison and Lansing, the point in question here. This claim was attached to an exhibit to the amended petition and was later introduced in evidence by the .defendant. It specified damage to lots 19 and 20, block 9, Bumutt addition, lolls 1, 7, 91, 10 and 11, Oaklawn addition, a part of the premises herein all-aged to have been damaged. It also claimed damage because -of thei sanitary sewer and storm, sewer.

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Bluebook (online)
1924 OK 1125, 243 P. 753, 114 Okla. 93, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 798, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-tulsa-v-grier-okla-1924.