Gram Construction Co. v. Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sault Ste. Marie Railway Co.

161 N.W. 732, 36 N.D. 164, 1916 N.D. LEXIS 184
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 23, 1916
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 161 N.W. 732 (Gram Construction Co. v. Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sault Ste. Marie Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gram Construction Co. v. Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sault Ste. Marie Railway Co., 161 N.W. 732, 36 N.D. 164, 1916 N.D. LEXIS 184 (N.D. 1916).

Opinion

Bruce, J.

This is an action to recover for damages alleged to have been occasioned to plaintiff’s property in the city of Devils Lake, by reason of the construction and operation, by the defendant railway company, of a spur track in the street in front of the same. The defendant appeals from a judgment for $625, which was entered on the verdict of the jury; motions for a directed verdict and for judgment non obstante veredicto having been denied.

The first error assigned is that alleged to have been committed by tbe court in allowing tbe plaintiff to amend his complaint after the motion for judgment non obstante veredicto had been made.

The original complaint alleged, among other things, “that the defendant owns and operates a certain railway which runs through tbe said city of Devils Lake between Tenth and Eleventh streets, and-across that part of block 12 in Maher & Locke’s addition to tbe said city, lying north of lots seven (7) and sixteen (16) in said block, and north of the alley running up to the north line of said lot sixteen (16).

That plaintiff is the owner, and has been such owner since prior to tbe construction of said railway line, of lots seven to twelve inclusive (7 to 12 inc.) and tbe east 47.45 feet of lots sixteen to twenty-four inclusive (16 to 24 inc.) in said block 12 of Maher & Locke’s addition. That said property fronts on tbe streets of said city as follows: All of tbe east 47.45 feet of lot 25 and all of lot 12 in said block fronts on Tenth street; and the east boundaries of lots 7 to 12 inclusive in said block fronts on Flint avenue in said city, — said Tenth street running east and west and said Elint avenue running north and south.

That prior to tbe happening of tbe events hereinafter related tbe said property was suitably situated for residence or business, and that tbe plaintiff, during all tbe times hereinafter stated, bad tbe usual property rights in said streets and avenue and alley subject to user for street purposes ; and that said real estate was and is used for residence and industrial purposes.

That the defendant, in disregard of plaintiff’s rights in said property and tbe undisturbed use and enjoyment thereof, has extended during [170]*170the past year a branch railroad track from its main line across said Tenth street and Flint avenue, in front of plaintiff’s said property, from block 13, directly east of plaintiff’s said property into block 11, directly south of plaintiff’s property aforesaid, and runs its cars and engines .along said extension in front of plaintiff’s said property, over and across from the northeast corner to the southwest corner of the intersection of said Tenth street and Flint avenue, to and from the mill situated south of Tenth street and west of said avenue, and has for upwards of eight months used said branch for railroad purposes, and occupies said street and avenue in running its trains over the same, and frequently and habitually leaving cars standing thereon, and continues its business of traffic along and back over said extension, and will continue such use and traffic permanently, thus permanently damaging plaintiff’s property.

That defendant, during the time stated, has operated said branch line across said streets and avenue and alley, and occupied said streets, avenue, and alley, and prevents free use and enjoyment of the same, .and interferes with the free ingress and egress to and from said premises, and interferes with the plaintiffs property rights in said streets, avenue, and alley, and damages the same for all the purposes herein-before stated otherwise, namely, by smoke and noise, and renders the reasonable and necessary use of said property hazardous, dangerous, and inconvenient, and damages plaintiff’s business on said property and its rental value for all purposes. That defendant has appropriated said ■street, avenue, and alley, and obstructed the same in front of and along plaintiff’s said premises, and rendered the view therefrom and thereto unsightly, and continues and will continue said acts and damages.

That all of said acts of defendant were done and are continued without paying or offering to pay any compensation for taking plaintiff’s property rights in said street, avenue, and alley, and damaging said property.

That by reason of the premises, the defendant has damaged the said property of the plaintiff to the amount of $3,000.

Wherefore, plaintiff prays for judgment herein against the defendant for the sum of $3,000, besides costs and disbursements in this action.”

The amendment, which was offered and allowed and inserted in the -original complaint, was as follows:

[171]*171'“That prior to the construction, of the defendant’s said spur track, the property of plaintiff hereinbefore described was bounded on the north by the right of way and main track of defendant, on the west by the right of way and tracks of the Farmers’ Grain & Shipping Company’s railway, on the south by Tenth street, and on the east by Flint avenue. That last-named streets were the only streets by which plaintiff had ■access to its said property to and from the other parts of the city, without ■crossing the main line of the defendant’s road or the Farmers’ Grain & Shipping Company’s railroad line; and that by reason of the construction and operation of said spur track plaintiff’s said property is cut off from ■•approach without crossing some line of a railroad, and that the plaintiff is damaged in manner different from any other property in said city by reason of the spur track aforesaid.”

The objection to this amendment is stated by counsel for appellant ■as follows:

“At the beginning of the testimony on behalf of the plaintiff, defendant objected to the introduction of any evidence under the complaint in this action, raising the point that the complaint makes no claim that the track is upon plaintiff’s property, and that there was nothing in the allegations of the complaint to show that the use and operation •of the spur was other than the ordinary use thereof, and that there is nothing to show any special injury to the plaintiff. This point was again raised at the close of the plaintiff’s main case by a motion on the part ■of the defendant for a directed verdict, and the court specifically called the attention of plaintiff’s attorney to the matter of amending to meet these objections. Plaintiff declined to amend. This was in November, 1914. In April, 1915, at the time of the hearing upon the motion for judgment non obstante, plaintiff then asked to amend to cover the point raised, to the effect that no special damage was shown as to plaintiff. To allow this amendment at such late hour, we contend was error.' At that time the jury was of course gone, and there was no opportunity for •the defendant to vary its proof to meet that new allegation.”

We can see no merit to these objections, as we can see no necessity for the amendment at all. The original complaint alleged the location -of the premises, and that the plaintiff possessed the usual property rights in the street. It also alleged the construction and operation of the rail-load track; and that such construction and operation interfered with the [172]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
161 N.W. 732, 36 N.D. 164, 1916 N.D. LEXIS 184, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gram-construction-co-v-minneapolis-st-paul-sault-ste-marie-railway-nd-1916.