Keck v. Bruster

1962 OK 35, 368 P.2d 1003, 1962 Okla. LEXIS 368
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 13, 1962
Docket39726
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 1962 OK 35 (Keck v. Bruster) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Keck v. Bruster, 1962 OK 35, 368 P.2d 1003, 1962 Okla. LEXIS 368 (Okla. 1962).

Opinion

HALLEY, Justice.

During the period from October, 1958, to February, 1959, defendant (Clarence Keck, d/b/a Keck Construction Company) assisted in the building of a new highway near Madill, Oklahoma, in Marshall County. In, order to prepare the roadbed it was necessary to use explosives to break or crack some of the rock that was too hard to rip. The explosives caused underground vibrations or shock waves in the surrounding area.

Plaintiffs (Mr. & Mrs. Dorris Bruster) had built in 1956 a brick veneer home on their property near Madill at a cost of $12,000.00. The new highway passed near their home, the closest point being 225 steps away. While the construction of the highway was some distance away, they heard some explosions and could feel some vibrations. When the construction was passing nearest their home some of the explosions could be distinctly felt inside the house, causing dishes and windows to rattle and the house to be jarred. Some of the explosions sent dirt, gravel and some rock into the air which fell around the house. Immediately before the highway construction, the house had been in good condition. A consulting engineer testified in answer to a hypothetical question based on facts in evidence that in his opinion the damage to plaintiffs’ house was a direct result of blasting by defendant.

Plaintiffs’ testimony showed that after the highway construction the house had the following damage: the foundation under both the east and west wall was completely broken in two and both the east and west wall had several jagged cracks running up and down the wall; window frames were pulled away from the brick an inch or more; the hardwood floor throughout the house was unlevel and uneven; the roof sagged five or six inches and a rafter was broken; inside the house nearly every room had cracks in the walls and ceilings; and doors and windows did not function properly.

The jury returned a verdict for plaintiffs and against the appealing defendant. The defendant’s motion for new trial was overruled and judgment entered.

Although defendant offered no requested instruction on the measure of damages to be used by the jury in assessing the amount of plaintiffs’ recovery for damage to a building, he claims that the instruction given by the trial court was erroneous. After advising the jury that it could render a verdict for the cost of repair if such would restore the property to its former *1005 condition, the trial court continued its instruction as follows:

“If, however, you find that said house may not be successfully repaired so that it will be substantially in as good a condition as it was before the injury, then you shall determine from the evidence the actual cash value of the house at the time of the injury and deduct therefrom the salvage value of the present house used in connection therewith, insofar as the salvage may be successfully used, and render a verdict for such actual cash value, less the salvage value. In this connection, the original cost and the cost of rebuilding immediately after the injury and damage are to be considered in computing damages to improvements; however, when the original cost and cost of rebuilding are used by you to arrive at the actual cash value of the property at the time of the injury, then you should make allowance for depreciation, deterioration, and any other factors bearing upon its condition at the time of the injury.
“Using the yardsticks outlined above, should you find from a preponderance of the evidence, under these instructions, in favor of the plaintiffs, you will assess the amount of their recovery for damages, if any, which you find from a preponderance of the evidence were sustained by plaintiffs as a direct .and proximate result of the acts of the defendants, or either of them, and which must not be oppressive or unreasonable, but which you find will fairly .and reasonably compensate plaintiffs and award them such sum as you determine, not to exceed in any event, the amount sued for, $10,000.00.”

Plaintiffs cite Chicago, R. I. & P. Ry. Co. v. Quigley, 57 Okl. 260, 156 P. 669, L.R.A. 1918A, 273, which contains a statement of the measure of damages for total or partial ■destruction of a building in substantially the language of the quoted instruction.

In A. B. C. Construction Co. of Oklahoma v. Thomas, Old., 347 P.2d 649, we stated the rules to be applied in this type of case:

“We are committed to the rule that where damages are of a permanent nature, the measure of damage is the difference between the actual value immediately before and immediately after the damage is sustained. Mid-Continent Petroleum Corporation v. Fisher, 183 Okl. 638, 84 P.2d 22; City of Stillwater v. Cundiff, 184 Okl. 375, 87 P.2d 947; Oden v. Russell, 207 Okl. 570, 251 P.2d 184. Where property can be repaired and substantially restored to its former condition, the measure of damage is the reasonable cost of repairing the damage and restoring it to its former condition. Ellison v. Walker, Okl., 281 P.2d 931.”

The instruction given by the trial court in the instant case conforms with the rules stated in the cited cases. There was evidence that the value of the house was $12,-500.00 prior to the damage and that the salvage value thereafter was $2,386.00. A contractor stated that the house could not be repaired to be in substantially as good condition as before the damage, but it could be rebuilt for $12,740.00 and by using the salvage material the net cost would be $10,-354.00. Defendant’s attorney on cross-examination of one of the plaintiffs showed that a repair estimate in the amount of $1,100.00 had been made by another contractor. The plaintiff stated that it was for a patch-up job and denied that such repairs were intended to substantially restore the house to its former condition. The defendant offered no evidence concerning damages. Such being the state of the record, we believe the instruction complained of was predicated upon competent evidence and the verdict of the jury in the amount of $6,500.00 is supported by sufficient competent evidence.

Defendant also contends that this judgment should be reversed and remanded to *1006 the trial court with directions to sustain defendant’s motion for change of venue. In support of his contention defendant cites Richardson v. Augustine, S Okl. 667, 49 P. 930, wherein the trial court’s refusal to grant an application for change of venue was held to be error.

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Bluebook (online)
1962 OK 35, 368 P.2d 1003, 1962 Okla. LEXIS 368, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/keck-v-bruster-okla-1962.