Snyder v. Platte Valley Public Power & Irrigation District

13 N.W.2d 160, 144 Neb. 308, 160 A.L.R. 1154, 1944 Neb. LEXIS 32
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 25, 1944
DocketNo. 31667
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 13 N.W.2d 160 (Snyder v. Platte Valley Public Power & Irrigation District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Snyder v. Platte Valley Public Power & Irrigation District, 13 N.W.2d 160, 144 Neb. 308, 160 A.L.R. 1154, 1944 Neb. LEXIS 32 (Neb. 1944).

Opinion

Yeager, J.

This is an action for damages in two causes of action, instituted by Rachael I. Snyder, plaintiff and appellee, against the Platte Valley Public Power and Irrigation District, a corporation, defendant and appellant. From a .verdict in favor of plaintiff and against the defendant in the amount of $820 and judgment for $998.07 on the first cause,, and from a verdict in the amount of $818.33 and judgment in [310]*310the amount of $996.03 in favor of plaintiff and against the said defendant on the second cause, the defendant has appealed. The difference between the respective verdicts and judgments is represented by interest computed by the court rather than the jury.

These two causes of action were before this court previously but because they were so combined with other causes of action on which a recovery was denied to plaintiff they were remanded to the district court with directions to permit amendment of pleading for separate presentment. The former case is reported as Snyder v. Platte Valley Public Power and Irrigation District, 140 Neb. 897, 2 N. W. 2d 327. The direction was complied with and an amended petition was filed setting forth the causes of action now before the court.

The first cause of action is for damages to land on account of claimed negligence in the construction and maintenance of a flume for the passage of waters over the right of way of defendant and onto lands of plaintiff. The second cause of action is for damages to crops upon these lands for the years 1936 to 1942, inclusive. Two sons of plaintiff were tenants on the lands and were owners of the crops, but they have assigned their cause of action to plaintiff.

The plaintiff is the owner of section twenty-one (21), township fourteen (14), north, range thirty-six (36), west of the sixth P. M. in Keith county, Nebraska, and other adjoining lands. This land is south of the North Platte river,. Elizabeth Bassett is the owner of the east half of the northeast quarter of section twenty-eight (28), township fourteen (14), north, range thirty-six (36), west of the sixth P. M. in Keith county, Nebraska. The Bassett land adjoins the east half of the southeast quarter of section 21 along its south line. The defendant is a public power and irrigation district organized under chapter 86, Laws 1933, sections 70-701 to 70-715, Comp. St. Supp. 1941, commonly referred to as Senate File No. 310. By deeds dated January 28, 1935, and April 26, 1935, defendant obtained a right of way across the Elizabeth Bassett land on which to construct and [311]*311erect a canal for the passage and transportation of water generally from west to east. A canal was constructed on the right of way. The right of way and canal in so far as the Bassett land was concerned started from a point on the south line of section 21 about a quarter of a mile west of the southeast corner of said section 21 and extended across the Bassett land in a southeasterly direction. To the south of the right of way was a canyon having a drainage area of about 581 acres. The outlet for drainage from this canyon was to the northward and across the right of way and onto 120 acres of land in the southeast corner of section 21. To provide for drainage across the right of way and canal the defendant constructed thereover an overpass or flume of concrete, the inside height and width of which were, respectively, 5.5 feet and 15.6 feet. The length was 97 feet. The flume extended from south to north.

As a basis of claim for damages plaintiff • alleges that prior to the construction of the flume the water came down from the canyon and spread out over her lands north of the right of way, and irrigated large areas beneficially. Further she says that by reason of what was done the water was concentrated in a narrow channel, in which the velocity in passage was so great that channels were cut in her lands, which channels interfered with farming operations, the spread of waters for irrigation purposes was prevented, crops were destroyed by flood waters and other crops failed in part on account of lack of previous manner of irrigation, since the waters flowed across instead of spreading out over the lands.

In its brief the defendant sets forth numerous assignments of error. The first assignment to be discussed will be the one charging that the court erred in overruling defendant’s motion for a directed verdict made at the conclusion of plaintiff’s case and renewed at the conclusion of the evidence. In this motion defendant contends that there was an absence of proof of the negligence alleged in the petition. A disposition of this question will dispose of a number of other assignments of error.

[312]*312The defendant as a public power and irrigation district had the right to exercise the power of eminent domain in the acquisition of property and rights of way necessary to carry into effect the purposes for which it was organized. Comp. St. Supp. 1941, sec. 70-707 and sec. 70-609. The portion of right of way here over which the 'flume was constructed was one which the defendant could have obtained by condemnation under its power of eminent domain. Snyder v. Platte Valley Public Power and Irrigation District, supra. It did not so obtain it but obtained it by purchase. This purchase carried with it all of the incidents of taking by eminent domain or condemnation in so far as- the question of damages by reason of construction is concerned. Snyder v. Platte Valley Public Power and Irrigation District, supra.

One of the incidents of taking property by eminent domain is that not only is the condemnor liable to compensate for the taking but also is liable in this jurisdiction, by virtue of section 21, art. I of the Constitution of the state, for consequential damage to other property in excess of the damage sustained by the public at large. City of Omaha v. Kramer, 25 Neb. 489, 41 N. W. 295; Mason City & Ft. D. R. Co. v. Wolf, 148 Fed. 961, 78 C. C. A. 589; Omaha Horse Ry. Co. v. Cable Tramway Co. of Omaha, 32 Fed. 727, 140 U. S. 692, 11 S. Ct. 1025; Cable Tramway Co. of Omaha v. Omaha Horse Ry. Co., 140 U. S. 674, 11 S. Ct. 1018. In City of Omaha v. Kramer, supra, the following significant statement is found: “Section 21, article I. of the constitution of this state provides that, ‘The property of no person shall be taken or damaged for public use without just compensation therefor.’ The section above taken, except the words ‘or damaged,’ was in the constitution of 1867. Under that constitution, if any portion of a person’s real estate was taken for public use, he could recover all the damages sustained by the taking; but if none of his real estate was taken for public use he could recover nothing, although his property had been greatly damaged by such use. The provision, therefore, is remedial in its nature, and the well known rule [313]*313that, in the construction of remedial statutes three points are to be considered, viz., the old law, the mischief, and the remedy, and so to construe the act as to suppress the mischief and advance the remedy, is to be applied. 1 Blackstone Com., 87. Applying- this rule to the provision in question, and it embraces all damages which affect the value of a person’s property, and includes cases like that under consideration. .In other words, the words, ‘or damaged,’ in Sec. 21, Art. I. of the constitution, include all actual damages resulting from the exercise of the right of eminent domain which diminish the market value of private property.”

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Bluebook (online)
13 N.W.2d 160, 144 Neb. 308, 160 A.L.R. 1154, 1944 Neb. LEXIS 32, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/snyder-v-platte-valley-public-power-irrigation-district-neb-1944.