Perdue v. Ward

106 S.E. 874, 88 W. Va. 371, 14 A.L.R. 539, 1921 W. Va. LEXIS 90
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedApril 12, 1921
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 106 S.E. 874 (Perdue v. Ward) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Perdue v. Ward, 106 S.E. 874, 88 W. Va. 371, 14 A.L.R. 539, 1921 W. Va. LEXIS 90 (W. Va. 1921).

Opinion

Lively, Judge:

Orra Perdue and others instituted an action of trespass on the case against the defendants Sam Ward and Lindsay Ward for damages for obstructing a right of way over the defendants’ land to the county road from a tract of 75 acres owned by the plaintiffs in Wayne County. A special plea was interposed by defendants, bringing into the case the record of a former suit between the same parties concerning the same right of way, decided by the Supreme Court and reported in 85 W. Va. 474, and styled Alice Roberts et al. v. Lindsay Ward et al., which it is urged is res judicata of the right of the plaintiffs to the damages here involved.

The circuit court decided that the decree of the Supreme Court was res judicata of the claim of damages because if the damages were not litigated in the former injunction suit [372]*372they could have been, and ought to have been; and this is the controlling question certified.for decision here.

An inspection of the injunction suit of Roberts v. Ward set up here as a bar to damages discloses that the question of damages was not involved. The only allegation in the bill which has any bearing whatever on the question is, that the closing of the right of way by defendants “operates to the great and irreparable injury of the plaintiffs in the use, farming and occupancy of said tract of land.” No damages are sought for or asked in the prayer, and nothing whatever is said about damages in the evidence. Where there is no pleading, there can be no recovery. Allegata and probata must correspond. Riley v. Jarvis, 43 W. Va. 43. This allegation of “irreparable injury” in the original bill is not a sufficient pleading of damages and was clearly not intended to be so. It is a mere conclusion. A plaintiff’s demand for any specific relief must be set out with reasonable certainty, with facts and circumstances of time, place and manner as will fully disclose his demand and inform the defendant of what he has to meet. The facts out of which his demand arises must be stated, and not merely conclusions of law. Zell Guana Co. v. Heatherly, 38 W. Va. 409. Without proper pleading no relief can be had. In the bill there was no attempt to plead damages, none were asked, no evidence taken on that question, and no recovery, clearly indicating that the parties and the court considered that this question was in no way involved.

We are not unmindful of the principle that where equity jurisdiction has been obtained all incidental relief may be granted, and the cause retained for that purpose in order to avoid a multiplicity of suits and settle all questions in controversy between the parties growing out of the principal matter in litigation. The court below took the view that inasmuch as plaintiffs might have so framed their injunction bill as to include damages, might have introduced evidence on that question, and ought to have done both, but failed or neglected to do either, then they should be estopped for that reason. The weight of authority seems to be otherwise. The two actions are separate and distinct. One is [373]*373for the purpose of preserving an easement free and unobstructed and to compel the removal of obstructions already-placed, peculiarly a subject of chancery jurisdiction; and the other, assessment of damages, peculiarly a question for a jury. The plaintiffs are entitled to their trial by jury preserved to them by the constitution. In the injunction suit the right of way is the foundation of the action, and not the damages suffered. In many cases of this character no damages are involved, and especially is this true where the obstruction is such as might usurp the right of way by adverse user. Danielson v. Sykes, 157 Cal. 686; Swift v. Coker, 83 Ga. 789; Schmocle v. Betz, 212 Pa. St. 32.

The principle governing this case is well stated by the Supreme Court of the XJnited States as follows: “As we understand the rule in respect to the conclusiveness of the verdict and judgment in a former trial between the same parties, where the judgment is used in pleading as a technical estoppel or is relied on by way of evidence as conclusive, per se, it must appear, by the record in the prior suit, that the particular controversy sought to be concluded was necessarily tried and determined, that is, if the record of the former trial shows that the verdict could not have been rendered without deciding the particular matter, it will be considered to have settled that matter as to all future actions between the parties; and further, in cases in which the record itself does not show that the matter was necessarily and directly found by the jury, evidence aliunde consistent with the record may be received to prove the fact, but even where it appears from extrinsic evidence that the matter was properly within the issue controverted in the former suit, if it be not shown that the verdict and judgment necessarily involved its consideration and determination it will not be conclusive.” Steam Packet Co. v. Sickles, 72 U. S. 580.

Where a decree in a former suit is pleaded as a bar in a subsequent suit about the same matter, not mere matters of defense, in order to be a bar it must appear that the matter in the last suit was in issue in the first,and that the pleadings in the first suit were such that the court could have passed [374]*374upon such matters. State v. McEldowney, 54 W. Va. 695. Judge PoffeNBArger further illustrates the principle as follows: “Take, for illustration, an executory contract for the sale of land. Circumstances entirely aside from the validity of the contract may constrain a court of equity to refuse specific performance of it,’ without declaring it invalid. Thereafter a court of law may entertain an action on it for damages. Here we have the same contract and the same parties, but the former suit would not conclude the latter. . The causes of action are not the same. One is the assertion of a claim for damages for a breach of the contract, and the other a claim of right for specific performance.” Hudson v. Land & Mining Co., 71 W. Va. 403. See this case for a discussion of the principle involved here and citation of cases where it is applied. “The estoppel of a judgment extends only to the points directly involved in the action and decided, and not to any matter which was only incidentally cognizable or which came collaterally in question, although it may have arisen in the case and have been judicially passed on.” 23 Cyc. 1309. See also Henry v. Davis, 13 W. Va. 230; and Western M. & M. Co. v. Virginia Cannel Coal Co., 10 W. Va. 250, where it is held that to make a fact passed on in a former suit res judicata it must have been directly and not eolaterally in issue in the former suit, and there decided. Further illustrative of the rule and peculiarly applicable to the question certified is the decision in Piro v. Shipley, 33 Penna. Super., Ct. Reports 278, wherein it is held: “Where in'a suit in equity to restrain a trespass of a continuing and permanent character, it appears that neither in the pleadings, nor in the evidence, nor in the decree was any mention made whatever of damages, such suit is not res ádjudicata of a subsequent action of trespass to recover actual and compensatory damages for the trespass, the further continuance of which was enjoined in the equity suit.”

We are cited to Gilbert v.

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

Related

Lane v. Williams
144 S.E.2d 234 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1965)
Cruz v. Ortiz
82 P.R. 802 (Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 1961)
Wischmann v. Raikes
97 N.W.2d 551 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1959)
Mills v. De Wees
93 S.E.2d 484 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1956)
Petrus v. Robbins
80 S.E.2d 543 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1954)
Smith v. Haymond
64 S.E.2d 105 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1951)
Morency v. Plourde
76 A.2d 791 (Supreme Court of New Hampshire, 1950)
Pridemore v. Lucas
47 S.E.2d 839 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1946)
Ford v. Dania Lumber and Supply Co., Inc.
7 So. 2d 594 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1942)
Smith v. Smith
130 S.W.2d 1096 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1939)
Ledingham v. Farmers Irrigation District
281 N.W. 20 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1938)
Norwood v. Eastern Oregon Land Co.
7 P.2d 996 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1931)
Smith v. P. J. McGowan & Sons, Inc.
284 P. 189 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1929)
State Ex Rel. Lambert v. Board of Canvassers
147 S.E. 484 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1929)
Laurenzi v. James E. Pepper Distilling Co.
112 S.E. 177 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1922)
Lawrence v. Kennedy
111 S.E. 142 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1922)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
106 S.E. 874, 88 W. Va. 371, 14 A.L.R. 539, 1921 W. Va. LEXIS 90, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/perdue-v-ward-wva-1921.