Foley v. Iowa Electric Co.

193 Iowa 128
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedNovember 15, 1921
StatusPublished

This text of 193 Iowa 128 (Foley v. Iowa Electric Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Foley v. Iowa Electric Co., 193 Iowa 128 (iowa 1921).

Opinion

Arthur, J.

— In condemnation proceedings, a sheriff’s jury-awarded appellee $90 damages, by reason of the erection, maintenance, and operation of an electric high-tension line across appellee’s land. On appeal to the district court, the jury returned a verdict for appellee for $475, and on October 8, 1919, judgment was entered against appellant upon the verdict and for costs. Appellant filed a motion for a new trial, and on November 29, 1919, the motion was overruled. On January 2, 1920, appellant perfected its appeal to this court from the judgment of the district court, and from rulings and orders made by the district court adverse to appellant. On February 10, 1920, appellee filed a motion for an order taxing attorney fees, as part of the costs, against appellant, under Code Section 2007; and on March 29, 1920, the court granted the motion, and ordered taxed, as a part of the costs, an attorney’s fee of $150, in favor of appellee’s attorney and against appellant, and directed the clerk of the court to tax and enter the same accordingly.

Appellant is a corporation, organized under Chapter 174 of the Acts of the Thirty-fifth General Assembly, which chapter is incorporated in the Supplement of 1913 as Sections 2120-n [130]*130to Section 2120-t, inclusive. Appellant filed its petition with’ the railway commission, as required by said act, and was granted a franchise to acquire the necessary interest in the real estate of any person for the erection of its poles, wires, and other construction. The franchise granted by the commission was: J

“To construct, reconstruct, use, maintain, and operate a high potential electric transmission line, together with the necessary guy wires and appurtenances of said line, and together with the right of ingress and egress to said line, over and across the lands abutting upon said line, for the distribution for sale of electric current for light, heat and power purposes, from the south corporate limits of the .town of Iowa City, Iowa, to the south line of Section 3, Township 77 North, Range 7, in Washington County, Iowa, and along and upon a strip of land 25 feet in width, lying easterly of and abutting upon the easterly side of the right of way of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company, over and across the lands hereinafter described.”

Pursuant to its franchise, appellant proceeded under Section 2120-q, and erected its line across the land of appellee. The farm of appellee is cut in two almost in the middle by the right of way of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company, 100 feet wide, and running approximately north and south clear across appellee’s farm of 187 acres. The 25-foot strip over which appellant secured its easement lies immediately east of the railway right of way, and extends parallel with the railway right of way through appellee’s land; and appellant has erected thereon 20 poles, and the center line of the poles is parallel to and not more than 3 feet removed from the easterly side of the railway right of way. By agreement between the parties, the right of ingress and egress to the 25-foot strip over appellee’s land abutting thereon was surrendered, and the case did not involve the rights of appellant on appellee’s farm, except rights on the 25-foot strip. The only question involved was the amount of damages to appellee’s land.

l. .Evidence: opinfeotivoldhypothetTcai questions. Involved in this appeal are assigned errors, 13 in number, pertaining to rulings of the court on testimony, motion to strike testimony, and order taxing attorney fees in favor of appellee ag'ainst appel[131]*131lant. Assignments 1 to 6, inclusive, are lodged against overruling objections made by appellant to a hypothetical question propounded to appellee’s witnesses. The question was:

. “Suppose that the defendant, being engaged in the manufacture and sale and distribution for sale of electric current for light, power, and heating purposes, that it has secured a franchise to construct, reconstruct, use, maintain, and operate a high potential electric transmission line, together with necessary appurtenances, over and across the land of Mr. Foley, in distribution for sale of electric current for light, heat, and power purposes, along upon a strip of land 25 feet wide, lying eastwardly of and abutting upon the east side of the right of way of the Chicago, Bock Island & Pacific Bailw&y Company right of way, with approximately 20 poles, the center line of said poles being located on said 25-foot strip parallel to the said right of way, the center of said poles removed 3 feet from said right of way. "What would you say was the difference in the reasonable market value of said farm immediately before the condemnation proceedings were had, and said line constructed, and immediately thereafter ? ’ ’

Counsel for appellant complain of the question on the grounds: (a) That it does not fairly state the case; (b) that the question fails to incorporate a description of the right which appellant acquired over the land of appellee; (e) that it did not assume the rights which appellant had to the 25-foot strip, nor the rights which the appellee had in the strip after condemnation; (d) that it did not assume the character of the construction, nor the precaution which the law requires to be used; (e) that the question did not describe the liability for damages to the farm or to the 25-foot strip on account of the maintenance, repair, and operation of the line.

The statute provides:

‘ ‘ Said transmission line shall be constructed * * * so as not to * * * unnecessarily interfere with the use of any lands by .the occupant thereof, and shall be built of strong and proper wires attached to strong and sufficient supports properly insulated at all proper points of attachment; all wires, poles, and other devices which by ordinary wear or other causes are no longer safe shall be removed and replaced by new wires, poles, [132]*132or other devices, as the case may be, and all abandoned wires, poles, or other devices shall be at once removed. * * * there shall also be installed sufficient devices to automatically shut off electric current through said transmission line whenever connection is made whereby current is transmitted from the wires of said transmission line to the ground, and there shall also be provided a safe and modern improved device for the protection of said line against lightning.” Section 2120-r, Code Supplement, 1913.

The statute also provided that the defendant “shall pay to the owner' of such lands and of crops thereon all damages to said lands or crops caused by entering, using and occupying said lands for said purposes. Said damages shall be payable annually at the end of each season, and shall be payable in the county where caused.” Section 2120-t, Code Supplement, 1913.

Counsel for appellant urge that the provisions of the statute defining the rights of the parties should have been incorporated in the hypothetical question, in order that the witnesses could properly understand the nature of the easement acquired by appellant on appellee’s farm, and intelligently appraise the damages.

The hypothetical question is vulnerable to criticism. It did not contain a full statement of the matters properly to be considered in assessing damages in the instant case. The answers to them were of little or no value.

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Related

Porter v. Butterfield
89 N.W. 199 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1902)
Rogers v. Crandall
121 N.W. 1092 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1909)

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Bluebook (online)
193 Iowa 128, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/foley-v-iowa-electric-co-iowa-1921.