Leonard v. Benton County

194 Iowa 1250
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedDecember 15, 1922
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 194 Iowa 1250 (Leonard v. Benton County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leonard v. Benton County, 194 Iowa 1250 (iowa 1922).

Opinion

Arthur,- J.

I. Plaintiff was the owner of a 120-acre farm, 40 acres of which are situated in Benton County and 80 acres in Buchanan County. The county-line road in question cut plaintiff’s farm into two parts. The return of the writ, containing transcript of the records, disclosed facts as follows:

W. W. Long and 37 other petitioners filed in the office of the county auditor of Benton County, Iowa, their petition for the establishment of a highway 50 feet wide on the county line between Benton and Buchanan Counties, commencing at the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter. of Section 5, Township 86 north, Range 10 west of the 5th P. M., running thence east one and three-quarters miles, and terminating at the northeast corner of Section 4, said township and range, such road to be one half in Benton County and one half in Buchanan County. A commissioner was appointed to examine and report on the expediency of locating such highway, and reported in favor of establishing such highway. The auditor of Benton County caused to be published a notice stating the location of the road petitioned for, and that the commissioner had reported in favor of establishment of the road, and [1252]*1252fixing the time limit of filing objections and claims for damages at noon on the 15th day of September, 1913. Personal service of the notice was made on plaintiff, J. C. Leonard, in Linn County, Iowa, and, on September 5, 1913, plaintiff, J. C. Leonard, filed in writing in the office of the auditor objections to the establishment of the road and claim for damages. Other claims for damages were filed. The auditor appointed a commission to appraise damages, who made such appraisement and filed return.

Return of the writ further disclosed that, “on or about the 13th day of January, 1914, the board of supervisors of Buchanan County, Iowa, and the board of supervisors of Benton County, Iowa, met in joint session, at Brandon, Buchainan County, Iowa, the closest town to said highway, being adjacent and near said highway, for the purpose of considering said highway and all matters pertaining thereto, and being satisfied that the proposed highway was of sufficient public importance to be opened and worked by the public, jointly entered into a written order establishing the same, which written order was signed by L. P. Timson, chairman of the board of supervisors of Buchanan County, Iowa, and E. J. Hauser, chairman of the board' of supervisors of Benton County,” conditioned upon the payment of all costs and damages; that the damages of J. C. Leonard were fixed at $258; that the costs and all damages were paid, except the damages of J. C. Leonard, which damages were tendered to Leonard, and acceptance thereof refused by him.

The return further recites:

‘ ‘ That all matters relative to the establishment of said highway were enacted and carried out by the concurrent action of the supervisors of said two counties, and by the auditors of said counties, representing said boards of supervisors; and that, at said meeting at Brandon, Iowa, on the 13th day of January, 1914, all matters connected with the establishment of said highway, including costs, damages, width, length, public importance, and work, were jointly discussed and considered by said two boards of supervisors in joint meeting; that the plaintiff in this case has never appealed from the action of said boards of supervisors in fixing his damages or in establishing said highway; that said highway has since been opened and worked by the [1253]*1253public, and is now used by the public, as described in the petition and the orders ■ of said boards of supervisors establishing the same, running from the starting point one mile east and 20 rods, being 50 feet wide, and the south half thereof being in Benton Comity, Iowa, and the north half thereof being in Buchanan County.”

. The return further recited that the notice prepared for service upon plaintiff, Leonard, contained the exact description of the location of the land as contained in the petition, — that is, "commencing at the northeast corner,” etc.,' — and further recited that, when the officer was serving the notice upon Leonard by reading it to him, Leonard fraudulently induced the officer to "change the point of commencing from the northeast corner to the southeast corner, and to change the place of terminating from the northeast corner to the southeast corner, as shown by said notice, which is here returned. ’ ’.

. The return further recites that: “After the said notice, as changed by plaintiff, was served upon him, and with, full knowledge of the true description of said highway and its true location, filed his claim for damages on account of the establishment thereof, consenting to and giving said board of supervisors full jurisdiction as to him and in all matters connected with said highway. ’ ’

Plaintiff pleaded a denial of so much of the return as was inconsistent with his petition, and denied that the highway had been opened and worked, and denied that "the original notice was in any other form than the copy served on him, ’ ’ and denied all charges of fraud.

Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the writ on the grounds that the matters alleged by plaintiff in his petition and the facts disclosed by the return of defendants show that there was no legal basis for the issuance of the writ; that the action of the boards of supervisors of Benton and Buchanan Counties was regular and in accordance with law, in the establishment of the highway in question; that the records show that the plaintiff had full knowledge of the true description of the proposed highway; that, by filing his claim for damages, he gave the court jurisdiction of the subject-matter of said highway and all questions pertaining thereto; that the irregularities complained of [1254]*1254were insufficient to warrant annulling the proceedings' of the boards of supervisors; and that the plaintiff was in no way-prejudiced by the final action of the said boards.

At the trial, plaintiff stood on the writ and recitations of the return, and offered nothing further. Defendants offered testimony relative to the notice and the service thereof upon plaintiff, J. C. Leonái-d, and testimony relative to the meeting of the boards at Brandon, and the order there made.

Alexander Runyon, who was auditor of .Benton County at the time in question, testified to preparing the notice for service upon Leonard and delivering it to the sheriff for service, and that it contained the true description of the location of the proposed road as appeared in the petition; and that the notice had been changed after he turned it over to the sheriff, in the particulars that the point of commencement was changed from the “northeast” corner to the “southeast” corner, and the terminus from the “northeast” corner to the “southeast” corner.

J. H. Ferguson, who was sheriff of Benton County at the time in question, and who delivered the notice to W. H. Clary for service on Leonard, testified that the notice contained the correct description of the commencement and terminus of the road, and that the change was made in it after it left his hands.

W. H. Clary, who was shown the notice served on Leonard and the return thereon, testified:

“I read the notice to him, and he suggested to me that it was necessary to make a change in those papers, in order to correct them.

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Bluebook (online)
194 Iowa 1250, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leonard-v-benton-county-iowa-1922.