State Ex Rel. Agan v. HENDRICKS SUP. CT., GIBBS, JUDGE

235 N.E.2d 458, 250 Ind. 675, 1968 Ind. LEXIS 706
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedApril 8, 1968
Docket268S18
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 235 N.E.2d 458 (State Ex Rel. Agan v. HENDRICKS SUP. CT., GIBBS, JUDGE) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Agan v. HENDRICKS SUP. CT., GIBBS, JUDGE, 235 N.E.2d 458, 250 Ind. 675, 1968 Ind. LEXIS 706 (Ind. 1968).

Opinions

Per Curiam.

This matter arose from a verified petition for a writ of mandate by the relator, in a condemnation matter which was begun by the State in the Hendricks Superior Court. After oral argument, an alternate writ of mandate was granted by this court on the 5th day of February, 1968, commanding the respondents to expunge from the record their order entered December 27, 1967, overruling defendant’s motion to strike plaintiff’s exception to the court appointed appraisers’ report. It further ordered that said motion should be granted and to expunge from the record the plaintiff’s exception to the appraisers’ report and a demand for a jury trial.

Following are the facts leading to the petition: the summons was served by the sheriff of Hendricks County on the relator, and the return made on the 10th of October, 1967; the return date of the complaint was fixed for the 27th day of October, 1967, at 9 A.M.; the court entered an order of appropriation of the real estate on October 80, 1967, and on the same day appointed three appraisers directing them to appear before the court on November 8, 1967, at 3 P.M. for instructions.and to receive and take their oath; the court on the same day, October 30, 1967, directed the said appraisers to file their report on or before the 27th of November, 1967, at 1 P.M.; on November 9, 1967, the appraisers received their instructions which were prepared by a deputy attorney general, including thereon Instruction #7 as to -the return date for the filing of the report which was left blank; on November 22, 1967, the appraisers’ report was duly filed in open court; on November 29, 1967, relator filed her exceptions to the appraisers’ report ; on December 4, 1967, relator moved to withdraw her exceptions to the same report; later on the same day, [677]*677December 4, 1967, the Attorney General’s office filed its exception to the appraisers’ report.

Respondents cite Bums’ §3-1707 (a) which reads as follows:

“In all proceedings by the state highway department of Indiana, or any state board, agency or commission which has succeeded said department in respect to the duties duly charged by law to locate, relocate, construct, reconstruct, repair and/or maintain the public highways of the State of Indiana, having the right to exercise the power of eminent domain for such public use, the said department in its action for condemnation shall not be required to prove that an offer of purchase was made to the land owner and the court or judge in vacation shall on the return day fixed at the time of the filing of the complaint appoint appraisers as provided by law and fix a day certain within ten days thereof for said appraisers to appear, qualify and file their report of appraisal.
“If said appraisers so appointed by the court or judge in vacation shall fail to appear, qualify and file their report of appraisal within said ten day period, the court or judge in vacation shall discharge said appraisers and appoint new appraisers therein in the same manner as above provided.
“All laws or parts of laws in conflict herewith as they pertain to condemnation proceedings by said department are hereby repealed.”

This section provides that the court shall on the return date of the complaint appoint appraisers and fix a day certain within ten days thereof for the appraisers to not only appear and qualify, but to file their report. In the case on appeal this was not done, nor could the Judge fix a day certain after the ten days from the return date fixed at the time of the filing of the complaint.

It is significant that the court in this matter did not appoint appraisers within ten (10) days of the return date of the filing of the complaint, namely the 27-th day of October, 1967, nor did the State raise any question in this regard. As a matter of fact, the order of appropriation by the respondents was entered on the 30th of October, 1967, directing the ap[678]*678praisers to meet at the office of the Clerk of Hendricks County on the 8th of November, 1967, at 3 P.M. which was twelve (12) days after the return date of the complaint. At that time the Deputy Attorney General who had prepared the order of appropriation for the court was present and had personal knowledge thereof. It is difficult, therefore, to reconcile the State’s contention and argument that the provisions of Burns’ § 3-1707(a), supra, should have been followed.

The record further indicates that the appointed appraisers were instructed by the court on the following day, namely the 9th of November, 1967, and took their oath before the clerk of the respondent court. The order book entry, on November 9, 1967, indicates that the State of Indiana again appeared by David Moore, Deputy Attorney General. The court on that date gave the State’s tendered instructions to the appraisers. Instruction #1 as to the filing of the appraisers’ report, is blank as to any time or day to file said report.

The record and docket sheet likewise indicate that on the 30th day of October, 1967, the court directed the appointed appraisers to file their report on or before the 27th day of November, at 1 P.M. A notice to this effect was sent to the attorneys of record and to the appraisers, which notice reads: “On or before November 27, 1967, at 1 P.M.”

Whereas, the docket sheet shows that the State was present by the Deputy Attorney General on November 9, 1967, neither the relator-defendant was present in person nor by her attorney.

Under these peculiar and particular facts and circumstances, the doctrine of estoppel or waiver may rightly be applied. As indicated in 31 Corpus Jurus Secundum, § 138 (a) equitable estoppel ordinarily may not be evoked against the government, but where the public is represented by the State or municipal government or other agencies subject to equitable estoppel, it may be estopped where the necessary elements or grounds were present as where an inconsistent [679]*679position has been assumed. The case of City of Michigan et al. v. State ex rel. Seidler (1937), 211 Ind. 586 at page 590, 5 N. E. 2d 968 was cited in support of this proposition. Likewise, in State ex rel. Randall et al. v. Long (1957), 237 Ind. 389, at page 392, 146 N. E. 2d 243, the court stated in effect that where parties consent or agree to a method or procedure for settling their rights, they may not be heard on appeal to complain of error because the agreed procedure was not in technical conformity with orthodox or usually approved methods.

In the case before this court, the State, accepting in effect all of the benefits, should now, therefore, be estopped from objecting to the procedural steps that the relator herein followed. The relator, having withdrawn her exception to the appraisers’ report prior to the State’s filing their exceptions to the appraisers’ report, no longer could have the benefit of said exception; having done so, relying on the termination of the ten (10) day period from the filing of the appraisers’ report during which the State had not filed its exceptions, had changed her position.

Burns’ § 3-1707 which, among other things, provides for exceptions to appraisment procedure on trial, appeal, etc., in the first paragraph thereof states:

“. . . Any party to such action, aggrieved by the assessments of benefits or damages, may file written exceptions thereto in the office of the clerk of such court in vacation, or in open court if in session,

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Bluebook (online)
235 N.E.2d 458, 250 Ind. 675, 1968 Ind. LEXIS 706, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-agan-v-hendricks-sup-ct-gibbs-judge-ind-1968.