Columbia Gulf Transmission Co. v. C. J. Grayson, Inc.

232 So. 2d 150, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5750
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 3, 1970
DocketNo. 11342
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 232 So. 2d 150 (Columbia Gulf Transmission Co. v. C. J. Grayson, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Columbia Gulf Transmission Co. v. C. J. Grayson, Inc., 232 So. 2d 150, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5750 (La. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

PRICE, Judge.

Columbia Gulf Transmission Company, a natural gas company transporting gas in interstate commerce for public consumption, brought this action, in accordance with Title 19 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to expropriate a pipeline servitude across lands of C. J. Grayson, Inc., in Franklin Parish.

Plaintiff seeks a permanent servitude of a thirty foot width adjacent and parallel to two other lines previously constructed across defendant’s land. In addition, a construction servitude of a seventy-five foot width is sought which would be decreased to the thirty foot permanent servitude after completion of the line. A one-tenth acre tract is requested for installation and maintenance of a ground valve site. The lands of defendant, across which the servitude is requested, comprises 344 acres, and are situated some twelve miles south of Winnsboro and two miles north of Fort Necessity. The servitude proposed has a length of 334.4 rods. The permanent right-of-way sought comprises 3.65 acres, and the acreage to be used temporarily in construction contains 5.83 acres.

After trial of the expropriation proceedings, the trial judge rendered judgment awarding plaintiff the servitude as prayed for, conditioned on the payment to defendant of the sum of $21,342.50 for the value of the servitude taken, severance damage to the remaining property, and damage to growing crops.

Defendant filed a motion to dismiss the devolutive appeal perfected by plaintiff to this court, basing his motion on the following grounds:

(1). That plaintiff obtained all the relief asked for in the prayer of its petition, and, therefore, has no right to appeal.

(2). That if the judgment complained of is a divisible judgment and plaintiff only complains of a portion of same, then, under the law and jurisprudence, he must specify the portion complained of.

(3). That the plaintiff has acquiesced in the judgment by taking possession of the property expropriated and has paid the amount ordered in the judgment to defendant without reservation of any right to appeal.

Defendant relies on the provisions of Article 2085 of the Code of Civil Procedure, which reads as follows:

“An appeal cannot be taken by a party who confessed judgment in the proceedings in the trial court or who voluntarily and unconditionally acquiesced in a judgment rendered against him. Confession of or acquiescence in part of a divisible judgment or in a favorable part of an indivisible judgment does not preclude an appeal as to other parts of such judgment.”

In addition, defendant cites several cases of the Supreme Court holding that a party in whose favor a judgment has been rendered, in strict accordance with his own prayer, cannot appeal; State ex rel. John T. Moore Planting Co. v. Howell, 139 La. 336, 71 So. 529 (1916).

We do not find any merit in defendant’s motion to dismiss. An expropriation proceeding is an unusual action that has been provided for by special statutes. Title 19 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 sets forth the procedure to be followed by an expropriating authority who must draft his petition in accordance with this statute. This statute requires that a petition for expropriation must end by praying that the property be adjudicated to plaintiff upon payment to the owner of the amount of just compensation decided by the court. All judgments in favor of the expropriating authority would, therefore, be in accordance with the prayer of the petition. In this same title of the Revised [153]*153Statutes the Legislature recognized the right of the expropriating authority to appeal to contest the amount awarded for just compensation.

Title 19, Section 13 of the Revised Statutes, and Article 2634 of the Louisiana Civil Code expressly provide for appeals in these cases, as follows:

Title 19, Sec. 13.

“No party to any expropriation proceedings shall be entitled to or granted a suspensive appeal from any order, judgment, or decree rendered in such proceeding, whether such order, judgment, or decree is on the merits, exceptions, or special pleas and defenses, or any or all of them. The whole of the judgment, however, shall be subject to the decision of the appellate court on review under a devolutive appeal.
“When a devolutive appeal is taken by either party, payment to the owner of the amount awarded by the trial court, or the deposit thereof in the registry of the court, entitles the plaintiff to the property described in the judgment in the same manner as would a voluntary conveyance. If any change in the amount awarded is made on such appeal, the plaintiff shall pay the additional assessment or recover the surplus paid.”

Article 2634 of the Louisiana Civil Code:

“Any appeal to the Supreme Court from the verdict of the jury and judgment of the lower court, made by either party, shall not suspend the execution of such judgment, but the payment of the amount of the verdict by the company to the owner, or the deposit thereof subject to the owner’s order, in the hands of the sheriff, shall entitle the corporation to the right, title and estate of the owner in and to the land described in the petition in the same manner as a voluntary conveyance would do. But in the event of any change being made by the final decree in the decision of the cause, the corporation shall be bound to pay the additional assessment, or be entitled to recover back the surplus paid, as the case may be.”

In the case of Louisiana Power and Light Company v. Mosley, 18 So.2d 210 (Ct.App.2d Cir., 1944), this circuit, in ruling on a similar issue, dispelled the argument of the appellee as follows:

“The deposit with the sheriff of the amount of the jury’s award and payment of all costs of suit did not and could not constitute acquiescence in the judgment. This course is expressly authorized by Article 2634 of the Civil Code if the plaintiff in a case of this kind desires to, prior to hearing on appeal, take possession of the land involved therein. If the award is increased or decreased on appeal this law provides what shall be done in either event. In New Orleans, Fort Jackson & G. I. Railroad v. Mrs. Ada McNeely, 47 La.Ann. 1298, 17 So. 798, this question was considered. The court disposed of it tersely by saying: ‘The effect of the deposit by the corporation is to pass title from the owner to the corporation. It does not relate to the right of appeal. It remains unaffected by the deposit.’ ”

We do not find any intent by the enactment of the Code of Civil Procedure to repeal the existing special statutes providing for appeals.

Article 2081 of the Code of Civil Procedure, under the title of Appeals, reads as follows:

“The provisions of this Title are applicable to all appeals to the supreme court and the courts of appeal, except as otherwise provided by law.” (Emphasis supplied)

We, therefore, are of the opinion that appellee’s motion to dismiss the appeal cannot. be sustained.

[154]*154The record reflects that the trial judge arrived at the total just compensation award of $21,342.50 in the following manner :

For permanent servitude, 3.65 acres at $500.00 per acre times 50 percent $912.50
Rental for temporary work area:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Southern Natural Gas Co. v. Sutton
406 So. 2d 669 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1981)
CLAIBORNE ELEC. CO-OP., INC. v. Garrett
357 So. 2d 1251 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1978)
Greater Baton Rouge Airport Dist. v. Hays
339 So. 2d 431 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
232 So. 2d 150, 1970 La. App. LEXIS 5750, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/columbia-gulf-transmission-co-v-c-j-grayson-inc-lactapp-1970.