Fauske v. Dean

101 N.W.2d 769, 78 S.D. 310, 1960 S.D. LEXIS 16
South Dakota Supreme Court·Decided March 12, 1960·No. File 9761·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinions

BIEGELMEIER, J.

Plaintiff brought suit against the defendant members of the State Highway Commission of the State of South Dakota to restrain them from constructing a controlled-access interstate highway in a manner not in conformance with plans and testimony introduced in the prior condemnation action when the right of way was acquired. Plaintiff owns three tracts of land; a home place of 2,900 acres, 320 acres pasture and 160 acres "Wheatland Each tract is two or three miles distant from the other. The pasture is surrounded by land owned by the United States. The evidence in the condemnation action showed that plaintiff, under the Taylor Act, had a permit to pasture 190 head of cattle on the government land. See State Highway Commission v. Fortune, 77 S.D. 302, 91 N.W.2d 675, 683. The condemned highway angles in a northwesterly-southeasterly direction through the plaintiff’s 320-acre pasture and 160-acre wheatland and the government land.

At the trial of the condemnation action the plaintiff in this action was permitted to show, and the jury was instructed that he could recover, not only the value of the 40.66 acres taken in fee, the highest value of which was testified to be $35 per acre, but also damage to his whole ranch unit. The controlled-access highway is to be fenced so as not to allow livestock to- cross the highway at grade; it divides the common pasture with one-third to the south and two-thirds to the north; to permit livestock to graze on all the pasture, the plans and specifications introduced in evidence and testified to on behalf of the state showed two 7x7 concrete cattle underpasses and 232-ft. bridge over Whitewater Creek with roadways on each side under this bridge; all of these structures were to be 'built on the government land and none on plaintiff’s land. A layout of a proposed interchange was introduced in evidence; the State Highway Engineer testified it represented a “future proposed faci[313] lity”. It included an overpass of the four-lane highway which would permit traffic to traverse, enter and leave the highway without crossing it at grade. This ¡interchange was to be constructed over four miles from plaintiff’s buildings on or near the section line highway between sections 15 and 16 to the west of the Wheatland within the rights of way of the public highways. At the condemnation trial the plaintiff and witnesses on his behalf testified the proposed cattle passes did not provide sufficient access for his cattle to go from his ranch unit to the common pasture, and that the overpass on the interchange would not be sufficient for transfer of his machinery for his farming operations of the wheatland.

The state paid the jury’s condemnation award of $6,427 and thereafter let contracts for the construction of the highway in which the 7x7 cattle underpasses and the interchange were omitted. This injunction suit followed. The circuit court entered a judgment restraining the defendants from constructing the highway on plaintiff’s ranch unit in a manner not in strict conformance with the plans and specifications introduced in evidence at the trial of the condemnation proceeding. Section 13 of Article VI of the Constitution of the State of South Dakota in part provides:

“Private property shall not be taken for public use, or damaged, without just compensation as determined by a jury, which shall be paid as soon as it can be ascertained, and before possession is taken.”

Plaintiff urges this provision, Searle v. City of Lead, 10 S.D. 312, 73 N.W. 101, 39 L.R.A. 345 and Hyde v. Minnesota, D. & P. R. Co., 24 S.D. 386, 123 N.W. 849, authorize the trial court’s injunction, while defendants contend that this Hyde decision requires a contrary result. The equitable jurisdiction and power to issue injunctions is recognized and granted by Art. V, §§ 3 and 14 of our Constitution. Inadequacy of a remedy at law is a basis on which a court of equity founds the exercise of its power to afford relief by in[314] junction Holdcroft v. Murphy, 66 S.D. 388, 283 N.W. 860; see Beatty v. Smith, 14 S.D. 24, 84 N.W. 208; Miller v. Hagie, 59 Wyo. 383, 140 P.2d 746, and 18 Am.Jur., Eminent Domain, § 386 at p. 1033.

The reasoning in Hyde v. Minnesota was1 that if plaintiff had sustained any damages redress could be had in an appropriate action at law against the railroad. Here it is claimed the state will cause the damage by the planned road construction. An action at law cannot be maintained against the state in the absence of constitutional or statutory authority. Griffis v. State, 68 S.D. 360, 2 N.W.2d 666. No consent has been given to sue for damages such as are here involved. It follows that plaintiff has no remedy at law against the state and the holding in the Hyde injunction case has no application. The only remedy available to plaintiff, if he has sustained legal damage is by injunction. Such an action against state officers is not an action against the state. Suits in equity against persons who, while claiming to act as officers of the state, violate and invade property rights under color of authority unconstitutional or void are not suits against the state. White Eagle Oil & Refining Co. v. Gunderson, 48 S.D. 608, 205 N.W. 614, 43 A.L.R. 397. Art. VI, § 13 of the Constitution compels all persons who may be armed with the power of eminent domain of first paying just compensation to the owner before taking possession. This includes the state and its officers and a court of -equity will intervene to keep them within their authority. Hyde v. Minnesota, supra.

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Fauske v. Dean, 101 N.W.2d 769, 78 S.D. 310, 1960 S.D. LEXIS 16 (S.D. 1960).

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Fauske v. Dean
101 N.W.2d 769 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1960)