Nod's Inc. v. Commonwealth

5 Pa. D. & C.3d 202, 1978 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 382
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Beaver County
DecidedFebruary 27, 1978
Docketno. 806 of 1976
StatusPublished

This text of 5 Pa. D. & C.3d 202 (Nod's Inc. v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Beaver County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nod's Inc. v. Commonwealth, 5 Pa. D. & C.3d 202, 1978 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 382 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1978).

Opinion

KLEIN, J.,

This case is before the court on the Commonwealth’s preliminary objections to plaintiffs petition for the appointment of viewers. The grounds alleged in support of said preliminary objections were as follows: (1) failure to set forth a cause of action under section 502(e) of the Eminent Domain Code of June 22, 1964, P.L. (Spec. Sess.) 84, as amended, 26 P.S. §1-502; (2) failure to set forth any cause of action under the code; (3) res judicata and collateral estoppel; (4) statute of limitations; and (5) the board of viewers [203]*203lacks jurisdiction over the subject matter. For these reasons, the Commonwealth maintains that it is not hable to plaintiff under the eminent domain code. At oral argument, in support of its preliminary objections, the Commonwealth abandoned all of its grounds for objection exceptres judicata, and, alternatively, the applicability of section 502(e) of the eminent domain code. Before reaching the merits of these two contentions, it is essential to view the history of this case and the property involved so that it can be seen in its proper perspective.

I. HISTORY

Plaintiff, Nod’s Incorporated, owns a vacant tract of land situated in the Borough of Aliquippa, Beaver County. The land abuts the west side of Constitution Boulevard, a state highway. On May 14, 1970, the Governor approved plans to widen Constitution Boulevard from three lanes to four lanes and construct a three foot high medial barrier along the center line. During the construction, the Commonwealth excavated and trenched along the toe of the slope which abuts Nod’s property. The Commonwealth claimed that there was no taking (deposition of Richard A. Matisz, September 1, 1977, p. 40) and did not file a declaration of taking.

Nod’s petitioned and the court appointed a board of viewers which, after hearings, filed a report awarding damages of $37,500 for interference with access and injury to surface support. The court dismissed the Commonwealth’s objections to the viewers’ report and the Commonwealth appealed, raising the question of interference with access. The Commonwealth Court, on appeal, reversed, and remanded the record to resolve the question of injury to surface support.

[204]*204On October 3, 1975, a jury awarded Nod’s a verdict of $20,000 plus detention damages for injury to surface support. The question of taking was not at issue. At trial, Nod’s maintained that it became aware that the Commonwealth may have taken its property by constructing concrete headwalls and drain pipes beyond the legal right-of-way, on Nod’s property.

On May 12, 1976, Nod’s petitioned and the court appointed a board of viewers to ascertain the just compensation to which Nod’s is entitled for the de facto taking of its land. The Commonwealth filed the instant preliminary objections seeking to set aside Nod’s petition or, in the alternative, to schedule an evidentiary hearing. Pursuant thereto, this court ordered that the parties depose witnesses and submit evidence to. determine whether there was a taking, and if so, how and when it occurred. After oral depositions, the Commonwealth stipulated that it did in fact construct four headwalls of various sizes and drain pipes beyond the right-of-way line and on Nod’s property. (Transcript of proceedings, October 6, 1977.)

II. RES JUDICATA

The Commonwealth contends that plaintiff should be barred from raising the issue of the de facto taking because of the doctrine of res judicata. The principle of res judicata is that a prior judgment operates as an estoppel to a subsequent action where both actions involved the same facts and issues. In Thompson v. Karastan Rug Mills, 228 Pa. Superior Ct. 260, 323 A. 2d 341 (1974), the court set out the requirements necessary to invoke the doctrine. “To support a claim of res judicata, the party asserting this defense must show the concurrence [205]*205of four conditions; (1) identity of the thing sued upon; (2) identity of the cause of action; (3) identity of persons and parties to the action; and (4) identity of the quality or capacity of the parties suing or sued.” Id. at 265. See also Bearoff v. Bearoff Bros., Inc., 458 Pa. 494, 327 A. 2d 72 (1974); Stevenson v. Silverman, 417 Pa. 187, 208 A. 2d 786 (1965). The Commonwealth asserts that all four of these conditions have been met. With this contention we must disagree. There is no identity as to the cause of action.

It is generally recognized that “[i]n a condemnation proceeding the owner must recover in the one proceeding all the damages which may have resulted, or are reasonably likely to result in the future, from a proper construction and operation of the improvement.” 13 P.L.E., 371, §108. No subsequent action will lie to récover items which were or might have been considered in the original proceeding: Rogers v. City of Philadelphia, 181 Pa. 243, 37 Atl. 339 (1897). The Commonwealth maintains that plaintiff knew of the taking, and therefore, should have raised that issue at the time of the initial action. Plaintiff was uncertain as to whether or not there had been a taking.

At the trial in the original action, no. 1415 of 1971, the following exchange occurred during a side bar conference:

“Mr. Bowers: If they asked for an offer of proof, we would be prepared. Are you attempting to show the Commonwealth was within their right-of-way?
“Mr. Scichilone: Yes.
“Mr. Bowers: We will submit, and have the court charge the jury, that has been stipulated. Is there any other purpose of the profile?
“Mr. Scichilone: No, not really.
[206]*206“Mr. Bowers: Okay. There is no need for the witness to testify, Your Honor. That has been stipulated, all the drawings show it, and we agree with it.
“The Court: He is allowed to put the witness on. You can’t try a case with no witnesses on one side—
“Mr. Bowers: Your Honor, then we withdraw the stipulation. I think it is of no matter, if that is the sole purpose under the offer.
“The Court: —that is no lawsuit.
“Mr. Bowers: It has no bearing.
“Mr. Neish: It may very well be, if this witness gets on and testifies—
“Mr. Scichilone: I will withdraw the witness.
“Mr. Bowers: On the record, so the Court understands just what Mr. Neish said, we look at those drawings, they very well might be outside the right-of-way. We feel they probably are. We have chosen not to raise that issue. We tried to put a profile — Maybe we should prove they are within the right-of-way, and you have a take. We are not raising that issue.” (R-235, 236).

Furthermore, this court made it clear, during our charge to the jury, that there was no claim based on a taking (R-259). The Commonwealth believes that the above exchange makes it evident that plaintiff knew that there had been a taking. We interpret such language to mean, at most, that during the trial, plaintiff became alerted to the possibility that there may have been a taking.

Depositions were taken on September 1, 1977. Mr. Richard A. Matisz, the design engineer, and Mr. Wallace G.

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Related

Bearoff v. Bearoff Bros., Inc.
327 A.2d 72 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)
Thompson v. Karastan Rug Mills
323 A.2d 341 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)
Stevenson v. Silverman
208 A.2d 786 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1965)
Cavalier Appeal
183 A.2d 547 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1962)
Rodgers v. City of Philadelphia
37 A. 339 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1897)
Short v. Commonwealth
289 A.2d 253 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1972)

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Bluebook (online)
5 Pa. D. & C.3d 202, 1978 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 382, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nods-inc-v-commonwealth-pactcomplbeaver-1978.