Oster v. Broe

64 N.E. 918, 161 Ind. 113, 1902 Ind. LEXIS 219
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 14, 1902
DocketNo. 19,911
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 64 N.E. 918 (Oster v. Broe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oster v. Broe, 64 N.E. 918, 161 Ind. 113, 1902 Ind. LEXIS 219 (Ind. 1902).

Opinion

Monks, J.

— By sustaining appellant’s petition for an order of transfer under clause 2, §10, of the act of 1901 (Acts 1901, p. 565, §1337j Burns 1901, 6565f Horner 1901), this court lias vacated the decision of the Appellate Court, and lias brought this cause here for final determination.

This suit was brought by the appellant against appellees, husband and wife, to compel them to allow appellant to repair a tile ditch which he had constructed at his own expense, under an oral license, across real estate owned by appellees, for the drainage of appellant’s real estate and said real estate of appellees; to restrain appellees from removing the tile, or interfering with the ditch after its repair ; for the specific performance of said oral license; and for damages. Appellant filed an answer in two paragraphs. The first was a general denial; the second, a plea of former adjudication. Before the trial there was an agreement in open court, entered .of record, that the complaint was denied in due and legal form, and “that all affirmative defenses and all affirmative matters in reply thereto might be [115]*115given in evidence without special plea.” The court made a special finding of facts, stated conclusions of law thereon in favor of appellees, and, over a motion for a new trial, rendered judgment against appellant.

The errors assigned call in question each conclusion of law and the action of the court in overruling appellant’s motion for a new trial.

It appears from the special finding of facts that prior 'to July, 1894, a public ditch had been constructed across the land of one Eoberts, and that for the construction of said ditch the lands of the appellant, appellees, and said Eoberts had been assessed; that said public ditch furnished the most convenient arid natural outlet for the drainage of appellant’s. land, but the same could not be drained without a tile ditch across the land of appellees and the land of said Eoberts tc said public ditch. During said month of July, by an agreement between appellant and appellees, permission was granted appellant by appellees, and also by said Eoberts, to construct a tile-drain across the lands of appellees and said Eoberts to said public ditch; that pursuant to said license, upon a line selected by appellees, appellant constructed a tile ditch from his said land across the lands of appellees and said Eoberts to said public drain;1 that said tile ditch, when so constructed, connected- with a system of ditches on appellant’s land, and properly and effectually drained the same. Said ditch was so constructed with the knowledge and consent of appellees, at an expense to appellant of $100. “Afterwards, in March, 1896, appellee George W. Broe dug up twelve feet of the tile ditch so constructed by appellant, where it entered the lands of appellees, and thereby wrongfully obstructed the flow of the water through said tile ditch, and rendered the same of no value to appellant for the drainage of his land; and said appellee wrongfully refused to permit appellant to enter upon his land for said purpose of repairing said tile ditch, and still so' refuses to permit appellant to enter upon [116]*116his land for said purpose, and said tile ditch is still so obstructed and fenderod useless by the acts of said appellee.”

In August, 1897, appellant brought an action against appellee George W. Broe in the Benton Circuit Court. The complaint was in two paragraphs. It was alleged in the first paragraph, in substance: “That plaintiff [appellant] was the owner of certain real estate in Benton county, Indiana [describing it], and that defendant was the owner of real estate in said county and State [describing it], and that they were such owners at the time of the grievances hereinafter complained of; that for the betterment and benefit of said real estate, together with other real estate in the vicinity thereof, a public ditch was constructed under the drainage law of this State, and said public ditch was so constructed through and across the land of one Roberts [describing said land], and the lands of plaintiff and said defendant wore assessed as benefited by the construction of said public ditch, and the same afforded drainage for each of said tracts of land; that said defendant’s land lies immediately between the land of plaintiff and the land of said Roberts, and the only natural and convenient way to drain plaintiff’s land into said public ditch was by going through the land of said defendant, and plaintiff was about to resort to the remedies afforded him by the drainage laws of this State and thereby to obtain the right to enter upon the land of the defendant, and to put across it a tile ditch, but the defendant, to save the trouble and the expense of such legal proceedings, entered into a parol agreement with plaintiff whereby it was agreed by and between them that if the plaintiff would furnish the tile, and in all things construct at his own expense a tile-drain across the defendant’s land, and continue it over the land of Roberts, sufficient to connect with the open ditch, the plaintiff should have the right of way across defendant’s land, without going to the cost and trouble of legal proceedings; that, pursuant to this agreement, the plaintiff, in 1894, [117]*117furnished the tile and constructed a tile-drain sixty-one-rods in length across defendant’s land at a cost of about $200 in addition to his own trouble and time, and connected the same with the open ditch, thereby giving the defendant’s land the full benefit of the tile-drain; that afterwards the defendant, for the purpose of injuring the plaintiff and preventing him from raising grain on a large portion of his land, in March, 1896, did wrongfully, wilfully, and purposely .break, destroy, pull up, and demolish several of said tile near to and on the line where the drain is connected with those on plaintiff’s and defendant’s lands, in consequence whereof the defendant prevented the drain on plaintiff’s land from running water into the drain across the defendant’s land, and from utilizing for plaintiff’s benefit the open ditch; that afterwards the plaintiff furnished other tile to replace those so broken, destroyed, pulled up, and demolished by the defendant, and replaced these other tile in the ground, and connected them with the tile-drain on defendant’s land; that defendant again tore up and destroyed the tile last put in, and thereby rendered it impossible for plaintiff to raise any grain on that portion of his land near the line of defendant’s land; that by reason of the wrongful act of the defendant thix’ty acres of plaintiff’s land during the crop seasons of 1896 and' 1897, was submerged in water, thereby rendering it unfit for farming purposes; that by reason thereof the plaintiff has been damaged by such wrongful acts of the defendant in the sum of $500. Wherefore plaintiff demands judgment from the defendant for $500, together with all other just and equitable relief.”

The second paragraph of complaint, as set forth in the special findings, in addition to the averments in regard to the ownership of the lands, the making of the public ditch, the agreement for the construction of the tile ditch across the lands of appellees and Roberts, its construction under said oral license, alleged that said appellee “wrongfully, wil[118]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
64 N.E. 918, 161 Ind. 113, 1902 Ind. LEXIS 219, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oster-v-broe-ind-1902.