Silver Springs, Ocala & Gulf Railroad v. Van Ness

45 Fla. 559
Supreme Court of Florida·Decided January 15, 1903·Published·Cited by 14 cases

Opinions

Carter, J.

This cause was duly considered by Division B of the court, and a difference of opinion among its members having arisen as to certain questions involved, the cause was referred to the court in banc for decision, and in the early part of the present term the court in banc disposed of the case by a judgment of affirmance without written opinion. A petition for a rehearing was filed in due course, which has been duly considered, and in view of the importance of some of the questions involved, the court deems it proper. in disposing of the petition, to file this written opinion expressing its views upon the questions embraced in Hie assignment of errors.

On February 1st, 1895, defendants in error began an action against plaintiff in error in the Circuit Court of Citrus county, claiming damages for failure of defendant to remove its track, build a side track and construct a depot. At the trial plaintiffs waived their claim for dama'•ges for failure to construct side track and depot, and ob[565]*565tained judgment for $15,000 damages on account of failure to remove track.

The summons was served upon a business agent of defendant resident in Citrus county, the sheriff stating in his return that the president, vice-president, treasurer, cashier, secretary, general manager and directors were absent from and could not be found in Citrus county. Defendant entered its special appearance for the purpose, as stated, of contesting the service and the jurisdiction of the court, and in pursuance thereof filed a paper stating that it contests the jurisdiction'of the court upon five specified grounds relating to the sufficiency of the sheriff’s return of service, and concluding as follows: “Wherefore defendant, in pursuance of its special appearance and. its objections to jurisdiction and the service of process as above set forth, here moves the court to quash the writ in said cause and abate the action.” The court denied the motion, and such ruling'constitutes ^the basis of the first assignment of error. The court ruled correctly upon this motion. The motion was to quash the writ and abate the action — not to quash the service or return of service. A defect in the service or sheriff’s return constitutes no ground for quashing the writ or abating the suit. Tidwell v. Witherspoon, 18 Fla. 282, text 286.

The declaration, filed March 4th,' 1895, so far as it claims damages for failure to remove track, alleged that on May 26th, 1891, and prior thereto, plaintiffs were in possession and absolute owners in fee simple of certain lands therein described containing one hundred and twenty acres, more or less, situated in said county; that on said day and at several times prior thereto defendant made application to and requested plaintiffs to grant and convey to it a certain parcel of said described land one [566]*566hundred feet in width and runing across same for a right of way for the railroad defendant was then building and constructing; that on said day at the frequent solicitations and requests of defendant, and for the consideration thereinafter set out, plaintiffs made and delivered to defendant a certain deed in writing conveying to it a strip or parallelogram of land one hundred feet in width over and upon the above described land for the right of way of its railroad and upon which strip on parallelogram of land defendant constructed and builtits railroad and upon which it maintains and keeps a railroad track upon which it runs and operates engines and cars daily; that the consideration moving plaintiffs to make and deliver to defendant said deed conveying said right of way was the promises, agreements, undertakings and covenants made in writing at the time aforesaid and before taking possession of said strip of land to and with plaintiffs as follows :■ that at the time of making and delivering said deed defendant liad notice and knowledge that in and upon said strip there wese deposits of valuable phosphate rock and defendant then and there promised, agreed, undertook, engaged and covenanted to and with plaintiffs that when the latter desired to mine and remove the phosphate rock from said strip of land that defendant upon sixty days’ notice in writing given by plaintiffs’ to defendant that the former desired to mine said land, .the defendnat corporation should remove its railroad track to adjacent or adjoining lands, defendant reserving the right to move said railroad track to original line after plaintiffs had removed the phosphate rock; that said promise, agreement, undertaking, engagement and covenant made by defendant with plaintiffs and as the consideration for granting said right of way are in writing and incorporated ip the deed granting and conveying said right of way;. [567]*567that on March 11, 1894, plaintiffs gave defendant the sixty days’ notice in writing, stating therein that plaintiffs desired to commence mining at the expiration of said time on said strip of land and lands adjacent; that defendant acknowledged receipt and service of said notice; that plaintiffs at the expenditure of much time and money made preparations to commence mining the phosphate rock on said strip of land and lands adjacent, and were proceeding to mine said rock and were procuring material for mining and making negotiations for machinery, such as engines and washers, to commence mining on said strip of land'and lands adjacent; that notwithstanding such notice given by plaintiffs defendant neglected and refused at the expiration of the sixty days stated in the notice and still neglects and refuses to remove its railroad or any part of same from .said strip or any part of the land; that defendant had broken its aforesaid promise, agreement, undertaking, engagement and covenant made as aforesaid, whereby plaintiffs had been hindered, obstructed and deprived of the use, enjoyment and profits of the land aforesaid^and hindered, delayed and obstructed in mining and removing from said land the valuable phosphate rock deposited in and upon the same, and from such misfeasance, nonfeasance and breaking of promise, agreement, undertaking, engagement and covenant on the part of defendant and other wrongs and injuries done plaintiffs by defendant in manner and form aforesaid plaintiffs have suffered sustained and claim damages in the sum of $75,000.

The defendant demurred to the declaration, noting many points of law to be argued. The demurrer was overruled, and the ruling is made the basis for the second assignment of erros. Under'this assignment it is .argued that the declaration does not sufficiently allege the man[568]*568ner in which plaintiffs were damaged, the elements that fix the amount of damage, or the amount of phosphate 'to be mined, nor that it was possible for defendant to comply with the notice,to remove tracks, nor that the notice Avas in accordance with the terms of the deed, nor that a place Avas designated, to which defendant should niOA-e the track. It is also argued under this assignment of error that plaintiffs had mistaken their remedy, it being contended that the proper remedy Avas a proceeding to haire the deed set aside or to compel fulfillment of the conditions upon Avllich it was made.

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

Silver Springs, Ocala & Gulf Railroad v. Van Ness, 45 Fla. 559 (Fla. 1903).

45 Fla. 559 (Silver Springs, Ocala & Gulf Railroad v. Van Ness) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Stephen J. Rogers v. United States
184 So. 3d 1087 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2015)
Rogers v. United States
90 Fed. Cl. 418 (Federal Claims, 2009)
Petitt v. Celebrity Cruises, Inc.
153 F. Supp. 2d 240 (S.D. New York, 2001)
Rosen v. Needelman
83 So. 2d 113 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1955)
Frierson v. Frierson
149 So. 18 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1933)
Evans Fuel Co. v. Leyda
236 P. 1023 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1925)
Armstrong v. Seaboard Air Line Railway Co.
95 So. 506 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1922)
VanNess v. Royal Phosphate Co.
60 Fla. 284 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1910)
Taylor v. Florida East Coast Railway Co.
54 Fla. 635 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1907)
Royal Phosphate Co. v. VanNess
53 Fla. 135 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1907)
Williams v. Jones
50 Fla. 485 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1905)
Muller v. Ocala Foundry & Machine Works
49 Fla. 189 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1905)