Cocke v. State

391 S.W.2d 553, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2615
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 26, 1965
DocketNo. 11303
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 391 S.W.2d 553 (Cocke v. State) 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
Cocke v. State, 391 S.W.2d 553, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2615 (Tex. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

ARCHER, Chief Justice.

This is a condemnation case. Appellee, plaintiff, below, brought this action against J. S. Cocke and his wife, Mary E. Cocke, to condemn and take the fee simple title, excluding oil, gas and sulphur, to 39.7 acres of land out of a parent tract containing 220.4 acres located on U. S. Highway 81 approximately two and one-half miles north of the center of Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas.

Appellants admitted that appellee had the right to condemn under its petition, that all [554]*554prerequisites to condemnation had been complied with, that the County Court of Williamson County, Texas, had jurisdiction to try said cause and that the only questions to be resolved at the trial were the fair market value of the property taken and damages, if any, to the remaining land as of September 20, 1962.

The case was tried before a jury and in answer to special issues submitted, the jury found that the market value of the tract condemned was $8,650.00, that the market value of the remaining land immediately before the taking was $49,957.00 and that the market value of the remaining land immediately after the taking was $48,-957.00.

Judgment was entered on the jury verdict on September 1, 1964, and it is from this judgment that appellants have appealed.

The appeal is predicated on six points and are that the trial court erred in permitting witness McKee to testify that a water culvert could be used as a stock pass; in permitting witness Legge to testify as to the use of the remaining land or a portion thereof could be used for business, such as a filling station, motel or shopping center, when the land was part of a farm; in overruling defendants’ motion for a new trial based on jury misconduct, in endeavoring to answer the issues in a manner that would entitle the appellants to only $1,000.00 damages ; in permitting witness Legge to compare this farm land to urban lots, and the sale price of such lots; in overruling a motion for new trial because the verdict of the jury in answer to Issues Nos. 1, 2 and 3 was so contrary to the preponderance of the evidence as to be fundamentally wrong, and in returning a verdict for an amount substantially less than the testimony shows appellant is entitled to.

The appellant did not object to and obtain a ruling from the trial court and waived such concerning the testimony of McKee.

The testimony about wmch appellant complains is as follows:

“Q All right. Now, there was some discussion earlier about — I thought maybe you might clear it up— the significance of this cattle pass that is under the highway; there was some question as to whether or not—
MR. McCLAIN. Now, just a minute. He says this is a cattle pass, but the witness hasn’t said this. For this reason, I say he is leading the witness. I would like him to state what that it down there, what that structure is.
THE COURT: Ail right.
Q Are you familiar with any structure that is under the creek in through there, Mr. McKee?
A Yes, sir; I refer to this as a culvert.
Q What type?
A Let me explain that on the interstate system, we don’t build stock passes, as such. If the design or the hydraulics require a structure large enough that is suitable for a stock pass, and the use of that structure as a stock pass is compatible with the construction and the operation of the facility, there is no objection by the Highway Department in the owner operating that as a stock pass.
MR. McCLAIN: I object to him saying that there is no objection from the Highway Department unless he has authority to speak for the Highway Department. I would object to this unless — do you have the authority to speak?
A I think so, yes, sir.
MR. McCLAIN: All right; okay.” 4 Tex.Jur.2d 377, Sec. [555]*555108. Texas Employers’ Insurance Association v. Dennis, Tex.Civ.App., 372 S.W.2d 559, er. ref., n. r. e. Webb v. Mitchell, Tex.Civ.App., 371 S.W.2d 754, n. w. h.

The appellants first introduced testimony concerning the use of stock passes under a highway.

Mr. Cocke was asked on direct examination and answered as follows:

“Q Mr. Cocke, what is your present use of this 25 acres which lies east • of old 81?
A Well, I’ve got an underpass under the present road, and my cattle go back and forth over there and come up here to the house to water.
Q Then let me assume this, Mr. Cocke. In so far as your 25 acres is concerned and your 12 acres is concerned, you will still have the underpass there; do you use that underpass for cattle?
A State that question over.
Q From the 25 acres to old 81 is still in here; that’s right, isn’t it, old—
A Yes.
Q 81 is still there, and your little 12-acre tract is still there on the west side ?
A Uh huh.
Q Now, I am asking you to state to this jury whether or not cattle can still go across here between the 12 acres and 25 acres?
A Yes, between the 12 acres and the 25 acres they can graze all that and then go back and forth under that underpass.”

Appellants are precluded from complaining about testimony which they invited the State to introduce and which they first introduced into the trial. 4 Tex.Jur.2d 279, Sec. 769. Texas Power & Light Company v. Lovinggood, Tex.Civ.App., 389 S.W.2d 712.

There was no testimony that the remainder would be damaged but for a stock pass and no witness testified that the market value of the remainder was reduced in value or damaged because appellants’ farm would be in four tracts after the taking as compared to three tracts before the taking, and there was no evidence upon which the jury could base damages due to the additional tract.

Apparently each value witness for appellants considered elements of damage to the house, and damage because a part of the remainder was left unfenced, and damage because a water gap would be needed on the fence in the Pecan Creek area.

Mr. Wolf fixed the before taking at $72,-120.00 and after taking at $61,840.00 or a difference of $10,280.00 and damages to the house at $5,000.00, refencing $1,500.00 and cost of water gap $200.00, or a total of $6,700.00.

J. S. Cocke fixed the value before taking at $72,120.00 and remainder after taking at $64,143.00 with damages to house, cost of refencing and water gap at a total of $8,000.00. There were two other witnesses who fixed the damages at substantially as did Mr. Wolf and Mr. Cocke.

Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
391 S.W.2d 553, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2615, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cocke-v-state-texapp-1965.