In re Ford

35 A.D.2d 626, 313 N.Y.S.2d 42, 1970 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4045
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York·Decided July 20, 1970·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

Geeenblott, J.

[627]*627CLAIM OF LOYAL W. AND MANTIS J. WHITTON AND CORA R. BACKUS.

Appellant’s contention that the awards to these respondents are excessive and not supported by probative evidence is without merit. The Whitton property, located some 27 miles below the Neversink Dam, contained about 370 acres and was improved by a residence and two barns. The Whittons purchased it in 1949 for $7,500 and sold it with a reservation of this claim in 1960 for $20,000. The property contained extensive frontage on the river, and was ideally suited for camp sites or recreational development. On the basis of comparable sales, respondents’ appraiser testified that the property was worth $37,000 before the taking and $16,000 after, for total damages of $21,000. Appellant’s expert valued the property as a hunting club at $27,000 before and $26,000 after. The commissioners found a before value of $34,000 and $22,000 after and awarded damages of $12,000. Since this award is within the range of the expert testimony, it should be confirmed. Respondent Backus operated a boarding house on her property which comprised 87 acres with more than 500 feet of river frontage. Using comparable sales, respondent’s expert valued [628]*628the property as a resort, at $22,000 before the diversion and $14,500 after, for damages of $7,500. Appellant’s two expert witnesses testified that the damages were only $250. One said the property was worth $12,000 before and $11,750 after and the other valued it at $12,500 before and $12,000 after. Respondent sold the property in 1960 for $14,500. The commission found it was worth $18,000 before and $10,750 after for damages of $7,250. Here too, the total damages are within the range of expert testimony and should be sustained. Thus the order entered May 28, 1968 confirming the awards to respondents Whitton and Backus should be affirmed.

CLAIM OF IRVING AND FANNIE KUSHEL.

Appellant objects to this award solely on the ground that respondents acquired their property on September 10, 1955, long past the acquisition date of June 10, 1952. In Matter of Ford [Luth] (18 A D 2d 855), we construed section K41—44.0 now 51—44.0) to the effect that claimants who did not have title either at the time of the taking or at the time of the execution of the plans would not be entitled to an award for indirect damage. The date of the taking was June 2, 1952, and actual diversion of the water occurred on June 1, 1953, both of which was prior to the date that respondents acquired their property (Sept. 10, 1955). Since respondents did not receive an assignment of the claim by special assignment from their grantor, their claim must be dismissed. Nor is there any merit in respondents’ contention that the following clause in their deed constituted an assignment of their right to an award: The grantor does hereby remise, release and quitclaim unto the grantees, all her right, title and interest, if any, in a certain easement or right and more fully set forth in a deed from Joseph Malman and Sarah Malman, his wife, to Samuel Newmah, dated March 19, 1925, and recorded in the Sullivan County Clerk’s Office in Liber 237 of Deeds at page 350 on March 23, 1925.” Although this clause assigned a right of way to the river it did not constitute an assignment of a right to an award for damages resulting from the diversion. Accordingly, the order affirming the award in favor of respondents should be reversed and the claim dismissed.

CLAIM OF MADISON M. AND LILLIAN MISNER.

Respondents claimed indirect damage to four parcels which were part of a larger tract conveyed to them in 1945. Appellant contends that they are not entitled to damages as to parcels 2, 3 or 4 and that the award of $14,750 insofar as it includes damages to these parcels is excessive. Parcel 2, a 2.6 acre unimproved lot on the east side of Woodbourne Road, has no direct access to the river. The Misners claimed that it had access over a right of way reserved in the conveyance to Miller, but that reservation reads: Subject to a right of way 12 feet in width along the northerly bounds of the above described premises leading from the Woodbourne-Hasbrouck Highway easterly to the Neversink River, which right of way is for the purpose of affording ingress and egress to the parties of the first part * * * f0r the benefit of the premises owned by them lying on the westerly side of the Hasbrouck-Woodbourne Highway, which right of way shall be appurtenant to the last described premises”. (Emphasis added.) Obviously, this right of way was limited to parcel 1 and afforded no legal access from parcel 2 to the river. Similarly, respondents’ contention that they had established access by license is of no avail. We have searched the record but can find no proof showing the granting of a license permitting access to respondents. Accordingly, we find that claimants have not established their claim of damage to parcel 2. Appellant contends that parcels 3 and 4 were conveyed by respondents prior to the [629]*629acquisition so that respondents are not entitled to any award as to them. Respondents maintain that they retained approximately four acres with about 1,000 feet of river frontage when they conveyed a portion of their premises to the Sullivan County Highway Products Corp. and the Town of Fallsburg in 1950. The deeds in the record support appellant’s interpretation. According to respondents, their conveyance to the Sullivan County Highway Products Corp. did not include river frontage, but was bound on the east by a stone wall lying west of the river. However, the description of the land conveyed reads: “ Beginning at the southeasterly corner of the lands of the parties of the first part (Misners) and running thence in a westerly direction along a stone wall approximately five hundred feet (500') to a stone wall and corner; and thence in a northerly direction along said stone wall approximately one thousand feet (1,000') to a stone wall and corner; and thence in an easterly direction a distance of approximately five hundred feet (500') to the easterly boundary line of the Misner property; and thence along said easterly boundary line of the Misner property approximately one thousand feet (1,000') to the point or place of BEGINNING containing ten (10) acres of land be the same more or less.” (Emphasis added.) Since the river is the easterly boundary of the original Misner tract, it is obvious that the claimants had conveyed any interest they had to the river frontage east of the property. Similarly, the easterly boundary of the land conveyed to the Town of Fallsburg in 1950 was the center line of the Neversink River”. Thus, there seems to be no reasonable basis for respondents’ claim to ownership of parcels 3 or 4. In their award, the commissioners made no finding as to what property respondents owned or whether the award included damages to the disputed parcels. However, since the Commissioners found a before value of $30,000 and none of the expert witnesses valued parcel 1 in excess of $25,104, they must have included these parcels in their computations. Respondents’ expert Goldstein testified that parcel 1 had a value of $300 per acre before the acquisition and $150 per acre after. As proof of after value, respondents sold parcel 1 in 1955 for $2,500, which reflects a per acre value which is considerably lower than that found by respondents’ witnesses. Accordingly, on the basis of this record, we find that the 83.6 acres of parcel 1 had a market value of $25,100 (rounded) before the acquisition and $12,500 (rounded) after, for damages of $12,600.

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In re Ford, 35 A.D.2d 626, 313 N.Y.S.2d 42, 1970 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4045 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1970).

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