Sittler v. Board of Supervisors

135 N.W. 441, 91 Neb. 111, 1912 Neb. LEXIS 193
Nebraska Supreme Court·Decided March 26, 1912·No. No. 16,615·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

Fawcett, J.

Plaintiff brought suit in the district court for Custer county, to restrain the board of supervisors and other [112] officials from going upon bis land for tbe purpose of laying out a public road, and, from a judgment of the district court of that county dismissing his suit, he prosecutes tliis appeal.

The petition shows that a petition for the laying out of the road in controversy was filed April 19, 1909; that the proposed road runs through the land of plaintiff; that after such petition had been filed plaintiff procured and filed a remonstrance against the establishment of the road, signed by 200 electors of the county; that, when the matter came on regularly to be heard by the board, the remonstrance was overruled; that the board and the county clerk are about to direct the surveyor to go upon his land, to survey the same; that the board made an order allowing plaintiff certain damages, but directed that the same' be paid by road district No. 4 of Custer county, through which it is proposed to run the road, and refused to allow such damages against the county. The petition contains certain other allegations which we deem it unnecessary to recite.

The stipulation of facts shows that the petition for the road was filed April 19, 1909; that personal notice was given to the owners of the various tracts of land, including plaintiff; that on June 25, 1909, the remonstrance, hereinbefore referred to, Avas filed; that on the 11th day of August, 1909, the board met in regular session, all members being present, and the parties interested in the road controversy were also present; that testimony was submitted for and against the establishment of the road; after which the committee made the following report: “We, your committee, recommend that the petition be granted as recommended by the commissioners, and the remonstrance be rejected and damages allowed against road district No. 2 Kilfoil township as follows: * * * Joseph Sittler for land, 6.04 acres, $302; for fences, $108;” that the report of the committee was accepted and adopted as read and the road established as recommended by the committee. It is further stipulated that it is the inten[113] tion of the defendants, or those authorized so to do, to go forward and take possession of plaintiffs land, for tin; purpose of the road as charged in the petition, and that Ouster county is under township organization. It is also stipulated that plaintiff filed a claim for damages with the hoard in the following language: “Comes now the undersigned, Joseph Sittler, who with others signed and filed a remonstrance against the said proposed road, in which they set out fully their objection to said road, and without waiving any of his objections to said proposed road and all the while insisting upon the same, alleges that in the event the. said road is laid out he will be damaged in tlie following items and amounts, to wit:” For land taken $700; for fencing $320; “for maintaining gates, inconvenience, and for damages to the value of the remainder of said farm by reason of said road $1,000.” “The undersigned alleges that he is the owner of the west half of section 9, township 17, range 21, across which said proposed road runs and the aforesaid damages will accrue to said premises, and while the undersigned still objects to the laying out of said road, subject to the official action of said board on said remonstrance, he prays that in the event said remonstrance and his said objection to said road are overruled and said road is laid out he may be allowed damages as by the items set forth in the aggregate sum of $2,020.” It is further stipulated that on August 16, 1909, the county clerk duly notified plaintiff of the action taken by the board on August 11, and that plaintiff took no appeal from such action of the board and prosecuted no error proceedings therefrom.

It is contended by the defendants that, by failing to appeal or prosecute error proceedings from the action of the county board in laying out the road, and by filing with the board his claim for damages, he waived the right to question the regularity in any of the proceedings by the board. As to everything done by the board, except the allowance of the damages against the road district instead of providing for their payment by warrants on the [114] general fund of the county, we think the contention of defendants is sound and must be sustained. The rule must be considered as settled in this jurisdiction, that by filing a claim for damages in such a case the claimant waives all objections to the location of the road. As said in Davis v. Commissioners of Boone County, 28 Neb. 837: “He, in effect, says to the defendants, ‘You have taken my land for a public road and I demand damages therefor.’ These he is entitled to recover, but the filing of the claim is.a waiver of irregularities in locating the roads.” But, plaintiff says, that rule should not be applied to him, for the reason that he at all times stood objecting-to and resisting the establishment of the road; that it was not inconsistent for him to say to the board, “While I remonstrate against, object to and resist the establishment of the road, yet if you are determined to lay out the road, and if in spite of my objection the road is laid out, my damages are so much.” We cannot agree with counsel that this language Avas sufficient to avoid the waiver.

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Sittler v. Board of Supervisors, 135 N.W. 441, 91 Neb. 111, 1912 Neb. LEXIS 193 (Neb. 1912).

135 N.W. 441 (Sittler v. Board of Supervisors) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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