Fredal v. Forster

156 N.W.2d 606, 9 Mich. App. 215, 1967 Mich. App. LEXIS 421
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 8, 1967
DocketDocket 1,261, 1,494
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 156 N.W.2d 606 (Fredal v. Forster) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fredal v. Forster, 156 N.W.2d 606, 9 Mich. App. 215, 1967 Mich. App. LEXIS 421 (Mich. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

J. II. Gnus, J.

Plaintiffs brought an action to permanently enjoin and restrain the operation of a gravel pit and the use of defendants’ land for quarrying purposes.

*221 The plaintiffs are 20 neighboring property owners 1 and the township in which the qnarry land is located. Operation of the property as a quarry site was permanently enjoined by judgment of the trial court and defendants appeal from that order.

A second case arising out of the same proceedings is consolidated on this appeal. The basis of that appeal is the combination counterclaim and cross-claim filed in the trial court by defendants, Forster, Lubbers, and Oswald alleging conspiracy. The sole issue on the combination counterclaim and cross-claim is the propriety of the allowance of reasonable attorney’s fees for allegations which the trial court found to have been unwarranted.

The record reveals that defendant Leonard Forster was the owner of the southeast 1/4 of section 18, township 3 north, range 12 east, situated within Shelby township. He inherited this parcel in 1934 and since that time has quarried portions of the parcel through various licensees and lessees. A number of these licensees or lessees were made defendants along with Forster; John Lubbers and Arthur Oswald, individually and as copartners, doing business as A & J Sand Co.; William Gritzinger, Sr., and William Gritzinger & Son; and John Migut, doing business as General Sand Co. Gritzinger & Son and General Sand Co. were subsequently dismissed as defendants.

Plaintiffs alleged that the quarry operation was a public nuisance, as a violation of the Shelby township zoning ordinance, art 17, §17.02, and therefore a nuisance per se 2 as well as a private nuisance. They sought injunctive relief and rehabilitation of the land in controversy. A preliminary injunction *222 issued enjoining sand and gravel operations on the described property. Motions by defendants to dismiss and for rehearing in regard to the preliminary injunction were denied. Additional defense motions to separate the township plaintiff from the other plaintiffs into separate suits for trial, or to dismiss the action as to either of them, as well as defense demand for jury trial, were denied.

By counterclaim, defendants Forster, Lubbers, and Oswald claimed damages against the individual plaintiffs based on an allegation that plaintiffs’ misrepresentations caused the preliminary injunction to issue. They also proceeded against plaintiff Shelby township and cross-defendant Migut for an alleged illegal conspiracy to put the countercomplainants out of business for the benefit of Migut. It appears that these allegations were based upon the township’s grant to Migut of permission to quarry at another site, to the detriment of countercomplainants’ business. This combination countercomplaint and cross-complaint was dismissed in toto, and the issue arising therefrom is the aforementioned allowance of costs and attorney fees in favor of John Migut, against Forster, Lubbers, and Oswald, in the sum of $2,696-.25.

Since the quarrying operations commenced on defendant’s parcel in the 1930’s, the use of the property as such has been scattered and sporadic. The trial court referred to the entire parcel as if it were divided into quarters in making its determination as to the use thereof. Although such division is arbitrary, we employ it here solely as an aid to visualization.

As to the NW 1/4 of the SE 1/4, from 1930 to 1960 some quarrying was conducted by Ray Industries. The court found this site to have been abandoned in 1960 or 1961.

As to the NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4, in the 1956-1957 period a 2-acre quarry site was established during. *223 which time defendant Gritzinger & Son removed some 45,000-50,000 cubic yards. In 1958, one Wineberger removed approximately 6,600 cubic yards.

As to the SE 1/4 of the SE 1/4, in this area, particularly the southernmost 25 acres, a large operation (apparently the bulwark of defendant’s business) was established, which continued until the time of this suit.

The record does not establish that any use was commenced in the SW 1/4 of defendant’s parcel.

In 1953, defendant’s entire quartersection was zoned residential. The following year, however, a nonconforming use was granted by Shelby township Ordinance No 13 (1954) which rezoned the entire parcel industrial and provided for its use as a quarry site. 3 As set forth above,,considerable quantities of sand and gravel have been extracted from the parcel subsequent to the ordinances of 1953 and 1954.

In 1958, the area immediately contiguous to the north, on the easterly side of defendant’s property, was subdivided into the Country Lane Estates, in which the individual plaintiffs purchased homes. The situation as it then existed was that the Estates was zoned residential and defendant’s property was zoned for nonconforming quarrying purposes. Physically, as the evidence established, the northeasterly portion of defendant’s parcel was not then being used for quarrying purposes as far as any of the plaintiff homeowners could visually discern. There was testimony to the effect that this portion of defendant’s property appeared to be agricultural, with a barn, livestock, and farm equipment within view of the plaintiffs’ homes.

Shelby township, in 1963, rezoned defendant’s property to residential. Quarrying was to be per *224 mittcd only by application to the township board, and only under certain specified conditions. Admittedly defendant has not acquired a permit nor sought permission to conduct a quarrying operation.

The event which triggered this present litigation occurred in the fall of 1964. At that time A & J Sand Co., and General Sand Co., pursuant to an agreement with Forster, began a large scale quarrying operation in the northeast section of defendant’s property. Cranes, trucks, and other equipment were moved into the area. A similar operation was simultaneously commenced in the southeasterly section. The homeowners alleged that large quantities of dust were caused to blow onto and into their homes, that unreasonably loud noises were created and that defendant’s ground-breaking equipment caused their very foundations to shake. They also complained of odors emanating from stagnant ponds created in the quarry pits, of an attractive nuisance to children in the area, and that the general area of operation was unsightly.

Charged with great emotionalism on all sides, a 10 day trial ensued which resulted in a court order which enjoined quarrying operations on this property except as to the southeasternmost 25 acres.

The court below described the various mining activities which occurred prior to October 1964 as of such a minor degree as to constitute no private nuisance.

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Bluebook (online)
156 N.W.2d 606, 9 Mich. App. 215, 1967 Mich. App. LEXIS 421, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fredal-v-forster-michctapp-1967.