Ripkey v. Binns

175 S.W. 206, 264 Mo. 505, 1915 Mo. LEXIS 89
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedMarch 30, 1915
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 175 S.W. 206 (Ripkey v. Binns) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ripkey v. Binns, 175 S.W. 206, 264 Mo. 505, 1915 Mo. LEXIS 89 (Mo. 1915).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, C.

This proceeding was begun, by petition filed in the circuit court of St. Clair county, to establish a public road. The petition was filed August 3,1908, and was signed by about 60 freeholders of the municipal township in which the proposed road was to be located. Three of the petitioners -resided in the immediate- neighborhood of the proposed road.

The petition was accompanied by a list purporting to contain the names of all resident persons owning land through which said proposed road would run, together with a statement of those damaged and those who were willing to give land for the right of way. J. G-. Ripkey, appellant herein, was not one of the petitioners, but his name was in the list of resident landowners owning land through which the proposed road was to run. The .name of Thomas M. Johnson was also listed as one of the resident landowners owning land through which the proposed road would run.

Due and proper notice was given, as required by law, and, upon hearing, the county court ordered the county road commissioner to view, survey and mark out said land. Said commissioner made report to the county court and the court appointed a board of commissioners to assess the damages to the property owners who refused to relinquish the right of way. Said [510]*510board of commissioners made report finding that J. Gr. Ripkey would not be damaged by tbe establishment of said road. Thereafter, and in due time, said Ripkey filed written exceptions to the report of the board of commissioners and a jury was appointed to assess his damages. Upon a hearing before the jury in the county court the jury found that he was not damaged by the proposed road. Thereafter, and in due time, said Rip-key took an appeal to the circuit court of St. Clair county.

Trial was had in the circuit court, before a jury, the jury finding that said Ripkey suffered no damage by reason of the establishment of the road. Upon the trial in the circuit court, said Ripkey filed a motion asking the circuit court to dismiss the petition for want of jurisdiction. The substantial allegations of the motion were (1) that the original petition was not accompanied by the names of all the resident, persons owning land through which the proposed road would run, in that Thomas M. Johnson, the owner of a portion of the land through which the proposed road would run, was not named as the owner of that specific tract; and that one William C. Lucas, trustee, and the St. Clair Investment Company, a corporation, beneficiary, were the owners of an interest in a portion of the land sought to be taken, but were not named as such in the list filed with the original petition; (2) the record of the county court appointing commissioners to assess damages failed to show that the three disinterested petitioners were not of kin to any of the parties asking damages on account of the location of said road and that the report of said commissioners failed to show that they were sworn, prior to viewing the premises and passing upon the assessment of damages.

The evidence tends to show that the name of Thomas M. Johnson did accompany the original petition. filed but he was not named as the owner of a cer[511]*511tain tract of land, which it is claimed he then owned. The evidence further showed that William C. Lucas was the trustee and the St. Clair Investment Company the beneficiary in a certain deed of trust executed by said J. Gi. Ripkey and wife, prior to the institution of these proceedings, said deed of trust having been given on a portion of the land sought to be taken for the right of way and given to secure a note of said Ripkey. Said Ripkey, the mortgagor, was in possession of the premises and his name accompanied the petition. The evidence further showed that said Lucas and the St. Clair Investment Company had no further interest in said land except such interest as they might have under said deed of trust. The evidence further showed that said Lucas and the St. Clair Investment Company were not named as resident landowners in the list of such names accompanying the original petition.

The evidence on the question of benefits and damages is disclosed by the following stipulation which is copied into the abstract in lieu of a full transcript:

“It is stipulated and agreed by and between appellant and respondents that there is evidence sufficient to support the verdict of the jury that the benefits accruing tó Ripkey, appellant, from the establishment of the road will amount to more than the damages sustained, if such benefits should be offset against damages (appellant contending that such benefits are not peculiar and should not be offset). It is agreed that appellant J. Gr. Ripkey and H. P. Binns, Z. T. Croy and J. H. Curnutte, three of petitioners, are without a public road to their farms; that the proposed public road will cross the farm of Ripkey, cutting it in two, and will take approximately two acres of his land; that it will run along the side of Croy’s land and take approximately one-half acre of his land; that it will touch the corner of Binn’s land and take approximately 225 [512]*512square feet of Ms land; and that it will cross the -farm of Curnutte and take approximately one acre of his land. That the benefits of the road will be the same to each of these four', i. e., an outlet on a public road.

“As to the question of damages the issue between appellant and respondents is whether the benefits above described, accruing to Ripkey, should be offset against damages caused by opening of the road, respondents contending that such benefits should be offset and appellant contending that they should not.

* “It- is further agreed that all of the remaining petitioners, save and except H. P. Binns, Z. T. Croy-and J. H. Curnutte, are on a public road and that the opening of the proposed road is not absolutely necessary to put them on a public road but the opening of this road is necessary to put H. P. Binns, Z. T. Croy and J. H. Curnutte and remonstrator J. G. Ripkey on a public road.

“It is agreed that this stipulation may be printed and considered by the court in lieu of an abstract of the testimony and evidence concermng the damages and benefits of the road.”

Said Ripkey duly perfected an appeal to this court. Statément of such other facts as may be necessary to an understanding of the legal questions involved will be made in the course of the opinion.

Proceeding to Establish Road: Description of Holding of Resident Owners: Jurisdiction.

I. The court did not err in overruling appellant’s motion to dismiss the petition for want of jurisdiction. . The petition presented to the county court was “accompanied by the names of the resident- persons owMng land through which said proposed road” was to run, as required by section 9414, Revised Statutes 18991 (now section 10435, Revised Statutes 1909). The name of Thomas M. Johnson was in the list of names. It is true that the statement accompanying' the petition did not state that [513]*513said Johnson was the owner of a certain tract through which the proposed road was to run. But a reading of the above statute will disclose that it is the names of the owners, not the description of their respective holdings affected, that is required. It is no doubt a matter of convenience and good practice to describe the land owned by each person named, but this is not made a jurisdictional requirement by the statute.

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

Related

Osburn v. Supreme Express & Transfer Co.
590 S.W.2d 360 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1979)
Morris v. Karr
114 S.W.2d 962 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1938)
State Ex Rel. Tummons v. Cox
282 S.W. 694 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1926)
Dillard v. Sanderson
227 S.W. 658 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1921)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
175 S.W. 206, 264 Mo. 505, 1915 Mo. LEXIS 89, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ripkey-v-binns-mo-1915.