Mayor of Liberty v. Boggess

332 S.W.2d 305, 1960 Mo. App. LEXIS 603
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 11, 1960
DocketNo. 23024
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 332 S.W.2d 305 (Mayor of Liberty v. Boggess) 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
Mayor of Liberty v. Boggess, 332 S.W.2d 305, 1960 Mo. App. LEXIS 603 (Mo. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

MAUGHMER, Commissioner.

On February 6, 1959, the Clay County Circuit Court issued its mandatory injunction, restraining defendant James Collier Boggess from interfering with the possession of plaintiffs, hereinafter referred to as City, in and to Lots 163 and 164, Original Town of Liberty, Clay County, Missouri. Defendant has duly appealed.

In order to understand the present controversy it is necessary to present some previous occurrences which were litigated in the courts. These prior events are set out in sufficient detail to uncover the present dispute, but only to the extent necessary to evaluate and determine this particular lawsuit.

On February 1, 1957, the City passed an ordinance to appropriate defendant’s lots for use as off-street parking. On June 10, 1957, commissioners awarded damages in the sum of $48,720 and defendant filed exceptions. On February 17, 1958, there was a jury verdict and judgment of $52,000 for defendant. Defendant appealed and the Supreme Court in Mayor, Councilmen and Citizens of City of Liberty v. Boggess, Mo.Sup., 321 S.W.2d 677, on March 9, 1959, approved the condemnation proceeding and affirmed the judgment, holding that both the city charter and the general city condemnation statutes applied. Prior to the Supreme Court ruling and on June 10, 1958, the City deposited $52,000 with the Circuit Court for the benefit of defendant and as payment of the jury award. Apparently defendant continued to retain possession of the property and did not withdraw any of the deposited fund. Defendant continued to receive rent from a lessee.

On August 4, 1958, the City filed its petition for injunction. Defendant’s motion to dismiss, alleging the petition was insufficient, that another suit was pending (the Supreme Court appeal), and that plaintiff was entitled to neither possession nor equitable relief was overruled.

[307]*307Defendant thereupon filed answer. Therein he (1) denied that plaintiff had duly and lawfully condemned the property (for various reasons, all of which were decided adversely to him by the Supreme Court, supra); (2) that the $52,000 deposit was not lawfully authorized by the City of Liberty, was paid from unauthorized funds by officers unauthorized to pay the same; (3) that “the deposit was inadequate and insufficient to discharge the verdict of the jury” and (4) a portion of the premises were under lease, lessee was in possession and was not a party to the condemnation proceeding.

Some evidence was heard but excepting only the testimony of a deputy city clerk, consisted of discussions between counsel into which the court entered from time to time. On February 6, 1959, the court entered its decree, mandatorily and permanently enjoining defendant on and after March 1, 1959, from interfering with the possession and use of the lots in question by the City or its agents.

Defendant’s motion for new trial was overruled and the present appeal was seasonably perfected. On this appeal two points are urged. First, that since the jury verdict and judgment in the condemnation suit was entered February 17, 1958, the payment into court of only the amount of the award without any interest thereon was not a sufficient payment to either satisfy the judgment or entitle the City to possession and hence it was error for the court to grant the injunction. Second, the payment, as made, was not by ordinance authorized to be taken from any specific fund; that it was composed in part from funds from General Revenue, and in part from the Parking Meter Fund, was all unauthorized, improper and, therefore, not a proper discharge of the judgment. Defendant also asks that he be allowed interest at 6 percent from February 17, 1958, until the whole judgment is paid.

The record here shows that the entire $52,000 payment was finally made out of the Parking Meter Fund, although approximately $15,000 was “borrowed from General Revenue”, but almost immediately thereafter replaced with proceeds from the sale of Government bonds held in the Parking Meter account. On June 8, 1958, a resolution or motion was unanimously passed by the City Council to the effect that the “City borrow $17,000 for the time needed to be able to proceed with the purchase of the Boggess lot”. On December 24, 1958, a resolution was passed “to clear the buildings” from the Boggess property if possession is secured, and a contract to clear the buildings for the sum of $550 (the bid of one George Wegner) was approved.

This condemnation proceeding has been approved procedurally and finally by the Supreme Court (Mayor, Councilmen and Citizens of City of Liberty v. Boggess, supra). The amount of the jury award, $52,000, was deposited with the court for the benefit of defendant on June 10, 1958. On that date and continuously ever since defendant has had the right to withdraw this money. It represents payment of the principal amount of the award and judgment, which defendant secured against the City. That matter has been finally adjudicated. We shall not in this proceeding inquire, research or write upon the proper procedure which the City should follow in making payment of such a valid, final judgment against it. The payment has been resting with the court, available to defendant for more than eighteen months. It appears to be regular and we shall so treat it.

Now as to the matter of interest. Claims for and entitlement to interest on condemnation awards or judgments arise in various ways. In Arkansas-Missouri Power Company v. Hamlin, Mo.App., 288 S.W. 2d 14, and in State ex rel. State Highway S.W.2d 904, the Springfield Court of Appeals ruled first, that a condemnee was entitled to interest on the difference, if any, between the commissioners’ award and the jury’s determination of the damages; sec[308]*308ond, such condemnee is also entitled to interest on the jury’s award from the date of entry until the amount is paid into court, but third, where condemnee did not request inclusion of interest prior to the appeal and after the judgment had become final (insofar as the trial court was concerned) it was not subject to amendment nunc pro tunc and the appellate court would not allow interest because it had been waived. The opinion in the Hamlin case contains an exhaustive and learned review of the whole question and this review by reference is approved in the Galloway opinion. We recommend its examination by those interested in pursuing the question further. Because of public interest the Galloway case was certified to the Supreme Court. That court (State ex rel. State Highway Commission v. Galloway, Mo.Sup., 300 S.W.2d 480) approved the opinion generally, holding that the procedure followed by Galloway was not the appropriate way to recover interest, but not ruling on the question of entitlement generally.

In State ex rel. State Highway Commission v. Green, Mo.Sup., 305 S.W.2d 688, the Supreme Court again considered this question and overruled the Hamlin and Galloway (dicta) holdings relating to the power and duty of the trial court to add interest (305 S.W.2d at page 693) although indicating that the jury under appropriate instructions might allow interest from the date of the taking to the date of the jury’s award. The court held, however, that the landowners were entitled to interest from the date of judgment. See, also, St. Louis Housing Authority v.

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State ex rel. Missouri Highway & Transportation Commission v. Chadwell
735 S.W.2d 96 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1987)
Jackson County v. Hesterberg
519 S.W.2d 537 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1975)
State Ex Rel. State Highway Commission v. Ellis
382 S.W.2d 225 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1964)
Mayor of Liberty v. Boggess
347 S.W.2d 247 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1961)

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Bluebook (online)
332 S.W.2d 305, 1960 Mo. App. LEXIS 603, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mayor-of-liberty-v-boggess-moctapp-1960.