Oklahoma Turnpike Authority v. Deal

1965 OK 57, 401 P.2d 508, 1965 Okla. LEXIS 310
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 30, 1965
Docket40622
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 1965 OK 57 (Oklahoma Turnpike Authority v. Deal) 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
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority v. Deal, 1965 OK 57, 401 P.2d 508, 1965 Okla. LEXIS 310 (Okla. 1965).

Opinions

[509]*509IRWIN, Justice.

Oklahoma Turnpike Authority commenced condemnation proceedings against W. V. Deal and Emma Deal, referred to as defendants, to condemn and acquire for turnpike purposes the surface rights to 6.32 acres of land in McClain County. The Commissioners, in their report, listed the damages at $3,028.00, and both parties filed a demand for a jury trial. Thereafter, defendants withdrew their demand. The cause was tried and the measure of damages was submitted to the jury and it returned a verdict for $6,000.00 and judgment was rendered thereon. The Authority perfected an appeal from the order overruling its motion for a new trial.

The issues involved in this appeal are: (1) The admissibility of evidence concerning the amount of money the Authority paid in purchasing a right-of-way from another party; and, (2), whether the admission of such evidence constitutes reversible error in the instant action.

FACTS

The 6.32 acre tract involved is located in the southeast corner of defendants’ 189.5 acre farm. Defendant Deal testified that the value of the farm before the taking was $47,000.00 and after the taking was $40,000.00, or, in his opinion, the measure of damages was $7,000.00. Included in the $47,000.00 estimate were the improvements and defendant Deal placed a value of approximately $14,000.00 on the improvements. No improvements were located on the tract condemned. In other words, defendant Deal testified that his 189.5 acre farm, exclusive of the improvements, was worth approximately $33,000.00 before the taking, and after the Authority took the 6.32 acre tract, which had no improvements, the remaining portion was worth approximately $26,000.00. The 6.32 acre tract is a part of a 23 acre tract that had been used for feed land before the same was placed in the soil bank with the U. S. .Government.

On cross examination defendant Deal was asked if he could break down the value that was placed on each part of his land. He replied, “No, not without figuring I couldn’t tell you”, and he couldn’t place a value on it because there is no more selling up there and “ * * * you can't buy it, so I don’t know how to break the value down”. How defendant Deal ascertained the value of his farm before the taking and the value after the taking and whether he had had any experience in appraising land were not shown.

The Authority took only the surface rights (no minerals) to the 6.32 acre tract and on cross examination defendant Deal testified he had a sixty acre mineral interest in and under the 189.5 acre farm; that his mineral interest was included in arriving at his estimated value; that he didn’t know what portion of his estimate was attributable to the mineral interest although the minerals had value; and that he didn’t know the value of the minerals and didn’t know of any being sold.

A Mr. Hunt testified for defendants as an expert witness, and in his opinion the value of the farm with the improvements before the taking was $45,000.00, and after the taking the farm was worth $40,000.00, or $5,000.00 difference. In his opinion the value of the land taken was $3,000.00 and the damage to the remainder by reason of the taking was $2,000.00. A Mr. Bishop, testifying as an expert witness for defendants, stated the value of the land with the improvements before the taking was $55,-000.00, and after the taking, $50,000.00, or $5,000.00 difference.

Three witnesses for the Authority testified as experts concerning the value of the farm before and after the taking. One testified the measure of damages was $1,597.-54; another stated $1,412.00; and the other witness said $1,350.00.

The 6.32 acre tract of land involved in this action is located in the Southeast corner of the Southwest quarter of the Northeast quarter of Section 9. A Mr. Remington, who testified as an expert witness for the Authority placed the damages at $1,597.54, on direct examination stated [510]*510that the Northwest quarter of Section 10, (referred to as the Griffith tract) with one-half of the minerals, sold for $45,000.00 about two years prior to trial of this cause. He stated however, that you couldn’t compare the two tracts of land because the Griffith tract was “more level” and “much more productive” than defendants’ farm.

On cross examination the witness stated that he never mentioned that the two tracts could be compared but he used the Griffith purchase price as a guide in arriving at the value of defendants’ farm. Counsel for defendants also tried to show on cross examination that the sale was not voluntary but a forced sale, but the witness denied this. The witness was also asked: “ * * if it isn’t a fact that the turnpike has just paid the owner of that land $70,000.00 for taking 22 acres out of the 160.” The witness answered “No sir”. The Authority objected to any further questions regarding the settlement between the Authority and Mr. Griffith. The objection was overruled and the trial court stated it was admitted only for the purpose of affecting the credibility and the testimony of the witness. The witness was asked if the answer was “no” because another tract of land was included in the settlement. The witness said that was one of the reasons and the settlement figure was nearer to $50,000.00 than $70,000.00. In the further cross examination of the witness Remington, he was asked, “Now, Mr. Remington, my question is, that although you value the total 160, the land, at $47,-000.00, my question is, did not the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority pay Mr. Griffith $70,000.00, or substantially that amount for the taking of 22.76 acres of it?” The witness answered “No sir”, and the trial court overruled the Authority’s request that the question be stricken and the jury properly admonished.

After further questioning, the witness admitted that another right of way had been included in the settlement with Mr. Griffith. Defendants’ counsel then produced the pleadings filed by the Authority against Griffith, which included 10.87 more acres, and asked the witness if this was not correct. The trial court overruled the objection but admonished the jury that the evidence was not offered for any purpose but for cross examination of the “witness to test his recollection of values and his basis for determining the values in this case and is not offered as any evidence of the value in the case. that you are now trying.”

The witness was later asked if the Turnpike Authority did not pay Mr. Griffith a substantial portion of $70,000.00 for 33.63 acres. This was objected to by the Authority. The objection was overruled and the witness answered that he did not know.

CONTENTIONS

The Authority contends that it was reversible error for the trial court to permit the defendant-condemnee, over the objection of the plaintiff-condemnor to prove payments made by the plaintiff-condemnor in the acquisition of other tracts of land.

Defendants contend that where the Authority in an eminent domain case qualifies their witness as an expert in land values by his testimony concerning the sale of a particular tract as a “comparable sale”, it is thereafter permissible to cross-examine that witness concerning that sale so that the jury may determine whether it was a free or forced sale, and whether it was a comparable sale, and the weight and credibility of that expert opinion witness.

CONCLUSIONS

Defendants propose that the evidence concerning what the Authority paid Griffith for settling a condemnation proceeding against him was competent evidence and cites Wilkerson v.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1965 OK 57, 401 P.2d 508, 1965 Okla. LEXIS 310, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oklahoma-turnpike-authority-v-deal-okla-1965.