Enders v. Friday

111 N.W. 140, 78 Neb. 510, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 181
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 7, 1907
DocketNo. 14,906
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 111 N.W. 140 (Enders v. Friday) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Enders v. Friday, 111 N.W. 140, 78 Neb. 510, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 181 (Neb. 1907).

Opinion

Duffie, C.

The petition in this case is quite lengthy. The material facts are the following: The plaintiffs are the owners of real estate abutting on Philip avenue in the city of Nor[511]*511folk, and brought this action to enjoin the defendants, as the mayor and council of said city, from passing an ordinance vacating a portion of said street for the purpose of allowing the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company to construct a depot. After describing the property owned by the plaintiffs, and alleging “that all of said real estate borders upon and is adjacent to that part of Philip avenue in said city which lies west of the east line of the depot grounds of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company, more particularly described as a piece or parcel of land commencing 132 feet .west of the west line of Sixth street, and east of the west line of the right of way of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company,” the petition recites that in February, 1906, the defendants, constituting the common council of the city of Norfolk, made and entered into an unlawful agreement with the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company, whereby it was agreed that they would, as speedily as possible, pass an ordinance to vacate so much of Philip avenue as lies Avest of the east line of the depot grounds of said Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company, commencing 132 feet west of the west line of Sixth street, and east to the west line of the right of way of said railAvay company, and surrender the exclusive possession and control thereof to said company, and close up and keep forever closed said street at said place, the company in consideration thereof to immediately construct on its land, adjacent to said part of Philip avenue thus to be vacated, a depot costing the sum of $15,000, and that the ordinance in question was introduced into the common council of the city in fulfilment of this agreement. It is further alleged that, unless the court interpose, the defendants will proceed to the passage of said ordinance and surrender the vacated portion of said street to the railway company for its exclusive use and benefit without paying, or causing to be paid, to the plaintiffs, or any of them, or to any persons damaged by such vacation, the damage caused thereby; that no provision Avhatever has [512]*512been made, nor do the defendants intend to make any provision, for the payment of such damages as may accrue to the plaintiffs or others. It is alleged that the vacation of that portion of Philip avenue above described will depreciate the value of the property owned by the plaintiffs to the extent of 20 per cent., and that defendants do not purpose or intend to make any provision for the payment of such damages. The petition further proceeds to show that valuable church, school and other buildings have been erected on said street, and that such vacation will incommode and endanger pupils attending such schools; that it will injure, inconvenience and discommode the people of the city; that the ground is not needed by the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company for depot grounds or other purposes; that a large number of property owners of the city have remonstrated against the vacation; and that, unless restrained, the defendants will pass and approve the ordinance without its being read on three separate days, as required by law, and without giving the plaintiffs, or other property holders or taxpayers of said city, any warning or notice or affording them an opportunity to appear and oppose and contest the same. The plaintiffs further aver that they have no speedy and adequate remedy at law to prevent the damages and injuries about to be committed, and pray for an injunction restraining the defendants from passing the ordinance and turning the vacated portion of the street over to the railway company. A temporary injunction was allowed, and on April 2, 1906, defendants filed an answer, to which a reply was filed April 14. On the case being called for trial, a demurrer ore tenus was interposed to the petition and sustained by the district court, and an order entered dissolving the temporary injunction, and judg-. ment for costs rendered against the plaintiffs.

While the petition alleges that all the real estate described in the petition “borders upon and is adjacent to that part of Philip avenue in said city which lies west of the east line of the depot grounds of the Chicago & [513]*513Northwestern Railway Company, more particularly described as a piece or parcel of land commencing 132 feet west of the west line of Sixth- street, and east of the west line of the right of way of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company, there is nothing to indicate how far west of the vacated part of the street the lots of the plaintiff are located, and no statement whatever that any of the lots abut upon that part of the street proposed to be vacated, so as to obstruct access thereto or egress therefrom.

Prom this statement it will be seen that the only question presented to us for determination is the sufficiency of the statements in the petition to entitle the plaintiffs to any relief. It is conceded that the city of Norfolk is a city of the second class, having less than 5,000 inhabitants. Section 8739, Ann. St., defines the powers of the council over the streets of the city, and is in the following language: “To open, widen, or otherwise improve or vacate any street, avenue, alley, or lane within the limit of the city or village, and also to create, open and improve any new street, avenue, alley or lane; Provided, that all damages sustained by the citizens of the city or village, or of the owners of the property therein, shall be ascertained in such manner as shall be provided by ordinance; Provided further, that whenever any avenue, street, alley, or lane shall be vacated, the same shall revert to the owners of the adjacent real estate, one-half on each side thereof.” By this section the city council is invested with discretionary powers relating to the opening, improving or vacation of streets and alleys within the city limits, and as a general rule, where the proceedings are regular and fraud is not shown, the courts are not authorized to interfere with such discretion. This court has gone to the extent of declaring that the action of a village board, under the provisions of the section above quoted, in vacating a street, where, as in the case under consideration, the ordinance declares such [514]*514vacation to be expedient and for the public good, and where all the provisions of the statute are observed, has all the force and effect of a judgment, and that only such irregularities as are jurisdictional in their nature will render the proceedings void. Village of Bellevue v. Bellevue Improvement Co., 65 Neb. 52. It was further held in that case that, even if the vacation proceedings are had at the instance and request and primarily for the benefit of certain owners whose property would be benefited by such vacation, this would not affect the validity of the proceedings; that the motive of the board in vacating a street or alley would not ordinarily be inquired into by the courts.

The cited case is apparently decisive of every question relied on by the appellants to reverse the action of the district court, except only the question arising from the allegation in their petition that no steps had been taken to ascertain or pay them damages which would result to their property on account of the vacation. • This requires us to determine what property owners in the city or- village are entitled to damages 'on account of the vacation of a street, or part of a street, upon which their property abuts.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
111 N.W. 140, 78 Neb. 510, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 181, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/enders-v-friday-neb-1907.