Harris v. Winslar

314 S.W.2d 642, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 2088
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 15, 1958
DocketNo. 3569
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 314 S.W.2d 642 (Harris v. Winslar) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harris v. Winslar, 314 S.W.2d 642, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 2088 (Tex. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

Plaintiff grounded this action on the failure of defendant to comply with the terms of the judgment entered in the same District Court in Cause No. 7086, styled Winslar v. Harris, and alleged special damages sustained by him because of the failure on the part of defendant to comply with the foregoing judgment. The court overruled defendant’s request for an instructed verdict and the jury found substantially that defendant failed to comply with the terms of the decree required of him, as stated in such decree dated July 10, 1953, between the parties in Cause No. 7086; that such failure on the part of defendant caused more water to flow across plaintiff’s land than would have had the defendant fully complied with said judgment, and that such failure resulted in excess water being caused to flow on and across plaintiff’s land; that plaintiff had suffered damages to his land by reason of the excess waters caused to flow across his land in the year 1956 and fixed the amount of such damages at $1,242. There were no exceptions or objections filed to the court’s charge. The court overruled defendant’s motion for judgment non ob-stante veredicto and entered judgment in favor of the plaintiff on the verdict. Thereafter, defendant seasonably filed his motion for new trial and, it being overruled, he perfected his appeal to this court.

The judgment is assailed on what appellant designates as three points. They are substantially to the same effect: Nos. 1 and 3, that the court should have granted appellant’s motion for an instructed verdict because the undisputed evidence is to the effect that no excess water was caused to flow onto and across the lands of appellee by reason of defendant’s failure to level down the embankment the full distance of 600 feet, and that no more water did flow across appellee’s lands than would have flowed thereon if the judgment had been fully complied with. 2. The court erred in overruling defendant’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto.

A statement is necessary.

Going back to the judgment on which plaintiff’s cause of action is based, we find the following recitals: The court “finds as a fact that the natural flow of the surface water from that certain part of the Eustace Harris land described in the Plaintiff’s petition and from that certain culvert under State Highway No. 84 described in said petition, is to the Northeast, across a portion of the lands of the said Eustace Harris, and onto and across a portion of the lands of the Plaintiff, J. 'O. Winslar; and further finds as a fact that in order to restore said flow of surface water to its natural and customary course, it is and will be necessary to remove and level down the embankment or levee on the embankment or levee on the North side of what is known and designated in the pleadings of the parties as the ‘Old Highway’ from a point beginning at the East end of the dam or wingway constructed by the Defendant, Eustace Harris, immediately South of and above said culvert, and extending Eastward along said ‘Old Highway’ for a distance of 150 yards, and to lower said grade to such an extent that the water flowing Eastward from the said Harris tank will not be impounded in said old roadway site, but will [644]*644flow in a Northeasterly direction across the small four acre farm of the said Harris; and further finds as a fact that a levee or embankment to be at least two feet high after it has settled should be constructed across the Harris four acre field, beginning at a point next to the hill on the South side of said 'Old Highway,’ 150 yards East of the East end of said wing-dam, and extending in a Northeasterly direction to an iron pipe set in the Northeast corner of the said Harris four acre farm; the Court further finds that the embankment or levee which now runs along and under the North fence of the said four acre tract of the said Eustace Harris, should be removed and leveled down to a grade even with or below the general surface of said field so that it will not obstruct or impede the flow of surface water to the Northeast from and off of said four acre farm for a distance of at least 200 yards from said iron pipe at the Northeast corner of said four acre farm Westward.

“The Court further finds that the Plaintiff, J. 0. Winslar, is entitled to a mandatory injunction against the said defendant, Eustace Harris, ordering and commanding the said Eustace Harris, at his own expense, to remove and construct said embankments and levees in the manner and to the extent hereinabove set out.” The court then decreed: “ * * * that the Defendant, Eustace Harris, within a period of four months from this date proceed, at his own expense, to build, construct, remove and modify the said levees, embankments and grades in the manner and form in all things as hereinabove set out and described, and in the event of his failure or refusal so to do, then in that event the Court will appoint a receiver to do and perform said work and all of the expense of so doing shall be charged against the Defendant as costs of this suit.”

Plaintiff went to trial on his original petition. In paragraphs 10 and 11 we find substantially these allegations: That defendant failed to comply with the judgment here referred to and on the contrary, erected a levee from just east of the dam where the water was diverted to the northeast corner of plaintiff’s property, and failed and refused to lower the levee and guards along the highway for a distance of 200' yards as provided for in said judgment, which action prevented the water from flowing in a northeasterly direction toward its natural channel, as provided in the judgment; that on the 1st day of May 1956 heavy rains came on the watershed of the branch where the dam was constructed ; that these heavy rains created a flooding condition, and that the flood waters ran down the side of the levee to the corners where plaintiff’s and defendant’s properties join at the intersection of the Pearl Road, and the flood waters ran across the field of the plaintiff on the south of Highway 84, washing gullies and trenches across plaintiff’s property; that the flood waters covered half of the field and formed a lake near its east end, covering some four acres of land; that the flood waters washed gravel, sand, and Johnson Grass roots on his field; that the top soil was washed off of said land down to the hard surface.

Defendant went to trial on his original answer and his trial amendment. His original answer contains a general denial, and in his answer, among other things, he pleaded substantially that in the event it should be true that any portion of said water was carried across the plaintiff’s premises as he alleged, that it was in such small volume as to do no material injury; that lying to the south of the paved highway and running in a northerly and southerly direction along the line between plaintiff and defendant there is a county road, and the ditches on the side of the road collect the waters coming from the south from the hills and raised ground, and but for this road would naturally flow onto and across the land of plaintiff and would never reach or touch the land of defend[645]

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Bluebook (online)
314 S.W.2d 642, 1958 Tex. App. LEXIS 2088, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harris-v-winslar-texapp-1958.