State ex rel. Missouri Highway & Transportation Commission v. Our Savior Lutheran Church

922 S.W.2d 816, 1996 Mo. App. LEXIS 550
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 2, 1996
DocketNo. 68325
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 922 S.W.2d 816 (State ex rel. Missouri Highway & Transportation Commission v. Our Savior Lutheran Church) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Missouri Highway & Transportation Commission v. Our Savior Lutheran Church, 922 S.W.2d 816, 1996 Mo. App. LEXIS 550 (Mo. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

HOFF, Judge.

Barbara and David Barton (Bartons), owners of property, appeal from a judgment entered on a jury verdict which awarded them $350,000 damages for land taken by the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission (Commission). We affirm.

By a petition filed on July 2, 1992, the Commission sought to obtain by condemnation approximately 50,857 square feet of the Bartons’ twenty acre tract of land. Condemnation Commissioners were duly appointed, prepared a report and made an award of $450,000. Both parties filed exceptions to the Commissioners’ report and the question was tried by jury.

The property is located between Route 141 and Route 30. It is zoned for multi-family residential use but, as of the date of the taking, was undeveloped. Before the taking, the property had direct access to Route 141 and to an outer service road of Route 30. The Commission condemned the property’s frontage along Route 141 and, as a result, direct access was cut off from the Bartons’ remaining property to Route 141.

The Bartons produced evidence regarding the property’s commercial viability. They called three expert witnesses who testified that prior to the taking the highest and best use of the property was commercial and a reasonable likelihood existed the property could be rezoned to a commercial use. Mr. John King, an attorney practicing in land zoning, estimated the property would be worth $5,000,000 if rezoned commercial. As a result of the taking and the loss of direct access to Route 141, Mr. King testified it was unlikely the property could be rezoned as commercial. Consequently, he opined the property was only worth $1,000,000 after the taking. During cross-examination, Mr. King acknowledged a developer considers development costs when he looks at property.

The Commission presented evidence through two witnesses. Mr. Glenn Borgard, a licensed professional engineer, testified about the costs involved in developing the property for commercial use. He testified that although it was possible to build a commercial development on the property, the total costs of site preparation for the property were approximately $4,533,675. These costs included clearing, demolition, earthwork, storm sewers, sanitary sewers,- roadway improvements, utilities, special allowances for fees, assessment fees, municipal fees, planning and engineering.

Mr. Donald Roach, the Commission’s appraiser, offered similar testimony. He agreed with the Bartons that the property’s location suggested a commercial use and estimated it was worth $5,153,167 as commercial ground. However, because of the property’s topography and the anticipated development costs, Mr. Roach opined the property would only bring $10,000 to $15,000 an acre as [819]*819commercial ground. As residential property, he estimated the property was worth $22,500 an acre, with the exception of the floodplain ground. The floodplain ground was worth approximately $10,000 an acre.

In the Bartons’ first point on appeal, they contend the trial court improperly overruled their objection to a misstatement of law made by the Commission’s counsel. In the course of his closing argument, counsel for the Commission said “[t]he State of Missouri has a duty to pay for the fair market value of the land that was acquired on the Barton property.” The Bartons objected to the statement on the ground it was a misstatement of the proper legal standard for measuring damages in a condemnation case. The court overruled the objection. However, the Commission’s counsel, in continuing the argument after the ruling, accepted the Bar-tons’ view and said: “Back up. We have a duty to pay the difference between the fair market value of the property immediately before and immediately after and we don’t have to pay a penny more or a penny less. We’ve gotta pay what you determine is the appropriate amount.”

The trial court is required to prohibit or promptly correct misstatements of the law which occur during closing argument. Fox v. Ferguson, 765 S.W.2d 689, 691 (Mo.App.E.D.1989). Where a misstatement is contrary to the law as submitted in the court’s instructions, and the court permits the misstatement by overruling an objection to it, “reversible error is almost inevitable.” Halford v. Yandell, 558 S.W.2d 400, 412 (Mo.App.S.D.1977).

Although we acknowledge counsel misstated the law during closing argument, we cannot find the misstatement resulted in prejudice. Counsel for the Commission immediately corrected the misstatement and a close examination of the record reveals the correct measure of damages was presented to the jury sixteen times during the course of the trial. The jury instructions, containing the correct standard, were also made available to the jury throughout deliberations. We further note the Bartons’ counsel did not request a mistrial. By the Bartons’ failure to request a mistrial at the time of the impropriety, they implicitly decided the argument complained of was not so grievous as to require drastic action. Welch v. Burlington Northern Railroad Company, 807 S.W.2d 226, 228 (Mo.App.E.D.1991). Accordingly, under these particular circumstances, we find this case represents an exception allowed by the language “reversible error is almost inevitable.” Point denied.

The three remaining claims of trial court error involve arguments the trial court erred in admitting or excluding evidence. The admission or exclusion of evidence in a condemnation proceeding is soundly vested within the discretion of the trial court. State ex rel. Missouri Hwy. & Transp. Com’n v. Gannon, 898 S.W.2d 141, 143 (Mo.App.E.D.1995). Errors in such a determination by the trial court will not result in reversal unless there is a substantial and glaring injustice. Id.

The Bartons argue the trial court erred in excluding evidence from their expert regarding his reference to an income approach in valuing the property. Such evidence may not be received in a partial taking as proof of damages and an expert should not be allowed to testify that method was utilized by him, along with a proper method, in determining the pre-taking value of the property. State ex rel. Missouri Hwy. & Transp. Com’n v. Wallach, 845 S.W.2d 703, 706 (Mo.App.E.D.1993). Point denied.

The Bartons next argue the trial court erred in admitting into evidence a twenty year old market study. Because the only issue in a condemnation casé is damages, the admissibility of evidence depends on whether it tends to aid the jury in determining value and thus resolving the issue of damages. State ex rel. County of St. Charles v. Latham, 868 S.W.2d 177, 181 (Mo.App. E.D.1994). Therefore, all evidence of value which an ordinarily prudent person would [820]*820consider in reaching a conclusion regarding the fair market value of the condemned property is admissible. Id.

At trial, Mr. Barton testified he successfully applied with the St.

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922 S.W.2d 816, 1996 Mo. App. LEXIS 550, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-missouri-highway-transportation-commission-v-our-savior-moctapp-1996.