Hilary Maslon v. Kenny Brown

148 So. 3d 27, 2014 Miss. App. LEXIS 541, 2014 WL 4814809
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedSeptember 30, 2014
Docket2013-CA-00700-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 148 So. 3d 27 (Hilary Maslon v. Kenny Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hilary Maslon v. Kenny Brown, 148 So. 3d 27, 2014 Miss. App. LEXIS 541, 2014 WL 4814809 (Mich. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

JAMES, J.,

for the Court:

¶ 1. This case arises out of an action initiated by Kenny Brown against Hilary Maslon in the Justice Court of Marshall County for damages he suffered as a result of Maslon’s cattle trespassing onto his property. The justice court ruled in favor of Brown, awarding him $3,500 in damages. Maslon appealed to the Circuit Court of Marshall County, where a bench trial de novo was held. The trial court awarded damages of $2,150 to Brown. Maslon appeals raising the following issues: whether damages to Brown’s property were established with reasonable certainty, and whether the failure to itemize the damages award requires a new hearing. Finding no error, we affirm.

FACTS

¶ 2. Brown and Maslon own adjacent parcels of property. Brown sought relief for the trespass of Maslon’s cattle onto his property in the justice court. On May 5, 2012, the justice court issued an order awarding Brown $3,500 in damages. Mas-lon did not attend the proceedings in justice court. Maslon appealed to the circuit court and retained counsel. Brown retained counsel on appeal as well. A bench trial was held on February 21, 2013.

¶ 3. At trial, Brown testified that he called the sheriffs department several times as a result of the trespass. Brown further testified that the cattle had trespassed onto his property at least twenty-five times since he started to document the incidents, but many times before he started to keep record of the incidents. On cross, Brown gave a “rough estimate” that there were “probably closer to fifty total” incidents of trespass on his property. Brown also estimated that the cows consumed seven or eight bales of hay over the years of trespassing.

¶4. Brown estimated that he spent eighty hours repairing the fence and rounding up cattle. Brown stated that if he hired a laborer to fix the fence and round up the cattle he would pay them $10 an hour. Brown also stated that the cows destroyed fifty oak trees and twenty-five cypress trees during the trespass incidents and the cost of replacing the trees was $165. However, Gene Ash, an employee of Maslon, also testified that during the five to six years working there, he never saw any trees planted along the fence. Maslon testified that she did not see any trees planted along the fence.

¶ 5. Maslon testified that she moved the cattle to a different field once she learned of her cattle crossing the fence. However, after a calf wandered into the road, she moved the cattle back to the field adjacent to Brown’s property. At the conclusion of the trial, the trial judge awarded Brown $2,150 in damages and ordered that Brown *30 and Maslon share the cost in building a hogwire fence to separate their properties. Maslon appealed.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 6. When reviewing a circuit court’s judgment after a bench trial, the circuit court judge receives “the same deference with regard to his findings as a chancellor.” Falkner v. Stubbs, 121 So.3d 899, 902 (¶ 8) (Miss.2013). “Therefore, we review the circuit court’s interpretation and application of the law de novo, and its findings of fact will not be reversed if supported by substantial evidence.” Id. When a chancellor’s findings are reviewed, the appellate court applies the “manifest error/substantial evidence rule.” Warren v. Derivaux, 996 So.2d 729, 734 (IT 10) (Miss.2008). That is, this Court will not disturb the findings of the chancellor unless they are “manifestly wrong or clearly erroneous.” Id. at 734-35 (¶ 10).

¶ 7. “This Court must examine the entire record and accept that evidence which supports or reasonably tends to support the findings of fact made below, together with all reasonable inferences which may be drawn therefrom and which favor the lower court’s findings of fact.” Callahan v. Ledbetter, 992 So.2d 1220, 1224 (¶ 8) (Miss.Ct.App.2008).

DISCUSSION

I. Whether damages to Brown’s property were established with reasonable certainty.

¶ 8. Maslon argues that Brown failed to provide records or other documentation to support his claim of damages. Maslon contends that Brown only offered speculation and conjecture as to his damages. Maslon asserts that the evidence ultimately offered did not support Brown’s claim of damages with a reasonable certainty.

¶ 9. It is undisputed that Mas-Ion’s cattle trespassed onto Brown’s property. It is also undisputed that the trespass caused damage to Brown’s property. The value of the damages suffered by Brown, however, Maslon disputes. The plaintiff has the burden of proving damages. Evans v. Clemons, 872 So.2d 23, 29 (¶ 21) (Miss.Ct.App.2003). It is the character of damage assessments that it “contain a measure of conjecture.” Id. “The question then is whether the judgment is based upon excessive speculation.” Id.

¶ 10. At trial, Brown testified that Maslon’s cattle trespassed onto his property several times. Due to the nature of the trespass, some speculation is to be expected as to the exact number of times cattle wandered over the fence. Brown also estimated how many hours he spent repairing his fence, what he would charge to do such work, the bales of hay he lost, and the amount of money each lost bale was worth. The supreme court has stated: “[W]here it is reasonably certain that damage has resulted, mere uncertainty as to the amount will not preclude the right of recovery or prevent a jury decision awarding damages.” TXG Intrastate Pipeline Co. v. Grossnickle, 716 So.2d 991, 1016 (¶80) (Miss.1997).

¶ 11. Mississippi Code Annotated section 69-13-19 (Rev. 2012) provides:

Every owner of livestock referred to in Section 69-13-1 shall be liable for damages for all injuries and trespasses committed by such animals by breaking and entering into or upon the lands, grounds, or premises of another person; and the person injured shall have a lien upon the animal, or animals, trespassing for all such damage. The damages for such trespass shall not be less than ten dollars ($10.00) for each horse, cow or hog, and five dollars ($5.00) for each of *31 the other kinds of stock; and for every succeeding offense, after the owner has been notified of the first trespass or injury, double damages shall be recovered with costs. For breaking or entering into a pasture or waste ground, however, double damage shall not be recoverable, and the damages in such cases may be assessed as low as eight dollars ($8.00) for each horse, cow or hog and two dollars ($2.00) for each of the other kinds of livestock.

The statute provides a guideline for the trial court to follow when calculating damages. The damages can be assessed for as little as eight dollars, but the statute does not limit the court’s ability to impose heftier sums per trespassing event. It is within the trial court’s discretion to assess damages in order to make the injured party whole.

¶ 12. Here, the damage to Brown’s property was temporary in nature and could be corrected through repairs. When the injury to land is temporary and can be restored, the appropriate measure of damages is the cost of restoration. R & S Dev. Inc. v. Wilson, 534 So.2d 1008, 1012 (Miss.1988).

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Bluebook (online)
148 So. 3d 27, 2014 Miss. App. LEXIS 541, 2014 WL 4814809, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hilary-maslon-v-kenny-brown-missctapp-2014.