Jackson County v. Hesterberg

519 S.W.2d 537, 1975 Mo. App. LEXIS 1554
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 3, 1975
DocketNo. KCD 26136
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 519 S.W.2d 537 (Jackson County v. Hesterberg) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jackson County v. Hesterberg, 519 S.W.2d 537, 1975 Mo. App. LEXIS 1554 (Mo. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

In this condemnation proceeding, the defendant, Carl T. Moore, appeals from judgment entered on a jury verdict awarding $51,000 damages for his property taken by Jackson County, Missouri, under eminent domain for use as a park. The plaintiff county has not appealed. Defendant asserts that he was denied due process of law when the trial court did not allow defendant to discover or introduce evidence challenging plaintiff’s right to condemn at the initial hearing on the plaintiff’s petition. Defendant also asserts error in the denial of defendant’s motion for new trial because the $51,000 jury verdict was not within the range of nor supported by any of the competent evidence adduced during trial. The plaintiff has also filed a motion to dismiss defendant’s appeal, taken with the case and requiring initial consideration.

On May 10, 1972, the trial court entered the following order:

“Upon application of counsel for defendant Dr. Carl T. Moore . . . , the Clerk of this court is hereby ordered to pay and disperse [sic] out of the deposit made by plaintiff the following sum $35,392.70 in full satisfaction of the judgment hereinbefore entered.” (Emphasis added.)

Plaintiff’s motion to dismiss was filed January 15, 1973. April 16, 1973, defendant landowner deposited in the registry of this court $54,392.70. This amount was equal to the $35,392.70 withdrawn May 10, 1973 and the $19,000 paid in to the circuit clerk pursuant to the award of the commissioners in this case.

Plaintiff’s motion to dismiss urges that the withdrawal of the funds deposited after the jury verdict constitutes a satisfaction of the judgment and the appeal of defendant is moot.

This contention requires first that the effect of the language of the court’s order be considered. It would appear on the face of the order to be a satisfaction of the judgment. The order, however, cannot have that effect. It is settled that the satisfaction of judgments is circumscribed by rule' and statute. Only by compliance with those rules and statutes can a judgment be satisfied. In short, they require release on the margin of the record by the judgment creditor which does not appear. Hardin v. Hardin and Central States Steel, Inc., 512 S.W.2d 851 (Mo.App.1974), so holds and explicates the various procedures to procure the release of a judgment, none of which were followed in this case. If the plaintiff county had, at the time of the court’s order, felt that the judgment was satisfied and that it should be marginally released and defendant had failed to do so, the statute permits the circuit court, on application and notice, to order the clerk to enter the necessary marginal release. Section 511.620 RSMo 1969, V.A.M.S. Plaintiff county does not claim that there was accord and satisfaction or any intent on the part of the defendant to satisfy the judgment. Both parties concede that the payment by the county into the register of the court and the withdrawal by plaintiff are part of a practice to avoid imposition of interest.

The second issue to be met is whether this withdrawal by the defendant constitutes such a tender and acceptance of the sum due to estop the defendant from pursuing his appeal. The authority prof[540]*540fered in support by plaintiff holds that one in whose favor a judgment is rendered cannot execute that judgment and still appeal from it. Noah v. German Ins. Co., 78 Mo.App. 370 (1899); Central Surety & Ins. Corp. v. New Amsterdam Casualty Co., 216 S.W.2d 527 (Mo.App.1948).

There can be no question as to the authority of these cases in ordinary litigation. Proceedings in condemnation, however, are based on constitutional right. Article I, Section 26, Constitution of Missouri, V.A.M.S. The Constitution and the statutes implementing it make condemnation proceedings sui generis, particularly in the area of the withdrawal of funds from the register of the court. Arkansas-Missouri Power Co. v. Hamlin, 288 S.W.2d 14 (Mo.App.1956). Chapter 523 RSMo 1969, V.A.M.S., governing these proceedings, clearly permits the withdrawal of the award of the commissioners. What is really in dispute here is the effect of the withdrawal of the difference between the award of the commissioners and the jury verdict plus the interest to the date upon which the amount was paid into court. This withdrawal was made after verdict and while the appeal was pending so that the entire issue relates to the post-verdict period.

A review of the case law and statutory provisions respecting interest and payment of the amounts due to owners in condemnation cases may serve to focus the legal issue presented by plaintiff county’s contention.

Prior to the enactment of Section 523.-045 RSMo 1969, V.A.M.S., the issue of the payment of interest in condemnation cases was extensively litigated. Arkansas-Missouri Power Company v. Hamlin, supra, in an extensive review of the case law and reasoning of the courts in the area of interest on condemnation awards, held that the landowner was entitled to such interest. The court reasoned that interest in compensation cases is not interest eo nomine, but is a “means of measuring the value of the deprivation of the use of the property, and because it is a part and element of the just compensation required by constitutional provisions, which are self-enforcing, entirely independent of statute; for when no other method is at hand to determine the landowner’s loss for the interim period, its allowance as an element of the just compensation is held necessary to preserve the constitutionality of statutory procedures which do not of themselves provide a way for compensating the owner for the period he is kept out of owner’s possession without full payment.” Arkansas-Missouri Power Company v. Hamlin, supra, 1. c. 17.

Despite the landowner’s apparent victory in persuading the court to hold that interest should be allowed, the court denied him recovery of the interest because of a failure to request from the trial court the imposition of the interest.

Thereafter, in State ex rel. Highway Commission v. Galloway, 292 S.W.2d 904 (Mo.App.1956), the Springfield Court of Appeals refused to permit interest to be assessed on a judgment which had become final by a separate motion to assess. Deeming the question to be of general interest, the case was transferred to the Supreme Court, and in an opinion, State ex rel. Highway Commission v. Galloway, 300 S.W.2d 480 (Mo.1957), the Supreme Court held that the method of assessment by separate motion was improper on the facts of the case, but affirmed the holding of the Hamlin case as to the right to interest.

Thereafter, the Supreme Court, in State ex rel. Highway Commission v. Green, 305 S.W.2d 688 (Mo.1957), specifically denied to the trial court power to add interest to a jury verdict and overruled Hamlin and Galloway to the extent they indicated such a power existed to add interest to a condemnation verdict. The Green court concluded that only by legislative enactment could the necessary power be vested in the trial court.

In St. Louis Housing Authority v. Magafas, 324 S.W.2d 697

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Bluebook (online)
519 S.W.2d 537, 1975 Mo. App. LEXIS 1554, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-county-v-hesterberg-moctapp-1975.