Mowery v. Township of Warrington

8 Pa. D. & C.4th 126, 1990 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 134
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, York County
DecidedOctober 19, 1990
Docketno. 88-SU-01848-01
StatusPublished

This text of 8 Pa. D. & C.4th 126 (Mowery v. Township of Warrington) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, York County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mowery v. Township of Warrington, 8 Pa. D. & C.4th 126, 1990 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 134 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1990).

Opinion

ERB, J.,

This matter is before the court on a motion for summary judgment and preliminaiy objections from two related proceedings. The first matter involves defendant Warrington Township’s motion for summary judgment.

The relevant pleaded facts are as follows. Plaintiffs, Catherine A. Mowery, formerly Catherine A. Siemers, and F. Joseph Siemers, filed an action in trespass docketed to no. 88-SU-1848-01 for the damage caused to plaintiffs’ land when defendant commenced road work proximate to plaintiffs’ property in February 1988. As a result of defendant’s use of explosives and heavy machinery on plaintiffs’ land without their consent, plaintiffs contend that there was physical damage to the property, including the destruction of trees and shrubbery. Defendant township had no ordinance, resolution, plan or [127]*127survey prior to initiating work on Conley Road. Moreover, defendant had neither commenced nor announced its intention to file condemnation proceedings. In his deposition, James Wueschinski, Road Master of Warrington Township, stated that the work was performed to change the course of the road and that he was unaware that said work was performed on plaintiffs’ property. After plaintiffs complained to the township, further damage ceased; however, defendant neither restored nor repaired the property. Plaintiffs initiated this action on May 4, 1988. Defendant subsequently filed a declaration of taking on July 11, 1989.

Defendant has filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that plaintiffs’ solé remedy is dictated by the Act of June 22, 1964, Sp.Sess., P.L. 84, Art. 1, §101, the Eminent Domain Code, 26 P.S. §1-101 et seq. Defendant further avers that the complaint fails to state a sufficient cause of action in negligence to sustain the trespass action.

For the reasons set forth in this opinion, we will deny defendant’s motion for summary judgment. Summary judgment is only granted upon a showing that there is no genuine issue of material fact. Pa.R.C.P. 1035(b). The court will view the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Johnson v. Baker, 346 Pa. Super. 183, 499 A.2d 372 (1985). The foremost contention of defendant is that this action is most properly brought pursuant to the Eminent Domain Code. We disagree.

Prior to defendant’s entry onto plaintiffs’ land, there was no declaration of taking filed. However, the court is aware that 26 P.S. §l-502(e) permits the condemnee to file a petition for appointment of viewers for the assessment of compensable injury to the property. In the instant case, the Road Master mistakenly believed he wás not on plaintiffs’ prop[128]*128erty. He believed that he had approval to work on the property from persons he believed owned it. He neither checked with plaintiffs, made a survey nor verified his information. A property owner may bring a trespass action for damages to their property which occurred before filing condemnation proceedings. 23 Standard Pennsylvania Practice 2d §124.99; Patterson v. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, 65 D.&C. 2d 784 (1974).

We also find Enon Valley Telephone Co. v. Market et ux., 90 Pa. Commw. 53, 493 A.2d 800 (1985), persuasive. There, the landowners alleged that Enon Valley Telephone Company went on the Markets’ property to install telephone cable, abandoned this and later installed a telephone line and poles on their land. The Markets filed a petition for an appointment of a board of viewers to assess damages. The trial court granted the petition and the board awarded damages. The trial court also concluded at a hearing that Enon had committed a de facto taking of the property. The Commonwealth Court, on appeal, considered whether there had in fact been a de facto taking. The court stated that a de facto taking results when an entity having the power of eminent domain substantially deprives the landowner of that property’s use and enjoyment. Id. at 56, 493 A.2d at 802. The landowner must show that such deprivation was the direct and necessary consequence of the entity’s action. Id. The court analyzed the record and determined that the field engineer received a right-of-way to install the equipment from persons he mistakenly believed owned the property. When Enon realized that these persons did not own the property, it abandoned the underground cable. The court found that such action by Enon was not a necessary and unavoidable result of the power of eminent domain but was the result of [129]*129Enon’s negligence. The court determined that when the “landowner has suffered specific damages to his or her property as a consequence of the alleged negligent actions of the condemning body, the proper action lies in trespass.” Enon, 90 Pa. Commw. at 57, 493 A.2d at 802.

The court in the Enon case further elaborated that “ 'No recovery may be obtained through eminent domain proceedings where the injuries resulted from a trespass and no de facto taking may result from negligent acts committed by the agents of the condemning body.’ ” Enon, 90 Pa. Commw. at 57, 493 A.2d at 802, quoting Lutzko v. Mikris Inc., 48 Pa. Commw. 75, 79, 410 A.2d 370, 372 (1979).

This court has carefully read the briefs submitted by counsel and reviewed the case law. We believe that the Enon case is most persuasive. In the instant case, defendant was negligent since its agents mistakenly believed that they were not on plaintiffs’ land. Furthermore, the road work has been abandoned, presumably until the court resolves defendant’s declaration of taking. There is no indication that the township’s acts were the immediate, necessary or unavoidable consequence of its eminent domain rights. Under these circumstances, we conclude that the plaintiffs’ action lies in trespass since defendant’s negligence could not result in a de facto taking. We further conclude that plaintiffs’ allegations support the trespass action for damages prior to the taking by condemnation. Thus, summary judgment would not be appropriate.

The other matter before this court is the preliminary objections of the condemnees, Catherine A. Moweiy and F. Joseph Siemers, to the condem-nor’s, Warrington Township, declaration of taking, docketed to no. 89-SU-3136-05. The township filed this action to acquire condemnees’ land to improve [130]*130Conley Road. Condemnees argue several points. Condemnees first contend that the township did not have the authority to take their property without a finding that Conley Road is dangerous. Condemnees further argue that the township has not established the legal right-of-way of Conley Road and the precise boundaries of the land taken. Condemnees assert that the survey, attached to the declaration of land, does not encompass the entire amount of land previously trespassed on by the township. Finally, the condemnees contend that the township failed to comply with statutory requirements for notice and hearing prior to filing the declaration of taking and failed to enact an ordinance pursuant to the Second Class Township Code, sections 66101 and 66102. In their brief, condemnees, for the first time, raise the issue of bad faith on the part of condemnors.

The exclusive remedy for challenging a declaration of taking is preliminary objections pursuant to 26 P.S. §1-406.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Jordan Appeal
459 A.2d 435 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1983)
Johnson v. Baker
499 A.2d 372 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1985)
Vecchione v. Township of Cheltenham
320 A.2d 853 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)
Lutzko v. Mikris, Inc.
410 A.2d 370 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1979)
Swartz v. Pittsburgh Public Parking Authority
439 A.2d 1254 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1981)
Enon Valley Telephone Co. v. Market
493 A.2d 800 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1985)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
8 Pa. D. & C.4th 126, 1990 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 134, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mowery-v-township-of-warrington-pactcomplyork-1990.