State Highway Department v. Robinson

118 S.E.2d 289, 103 Ga. App. 12, 1961 Ga. App. LEXIS 843
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedJanuary 6, 1961
Docket38531
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 118 S.E.2d 289 (State Highway Department v. Robinson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Highway Department v. Robinson, 118 S.E.2d 289, 103 Ga. App. 12, 1961 Ga. App. LEXIS 843 (Ga. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

Nichols, Judge.

Special ground 9 of the amended motion for new trial complains that certain evidence (as to the damage caused to merchandise by the condemnee having to move it), was admitted over objection that such evidence should have been excluded. The condemnee offered such evidence and the condemnor objected because “it was immaterial and irrelevant.”

“An objection that evidence is illegal, immaterial, irrelevant, prejudicial, inadmissible, and a conclusion, without showing wherein such evidence is so characterized is insufficient and will not be considered. See Deen v. Baxley State Bank, 62 Ga. App. 536, 537 (8 S. E. 2d 689), and citations.” Slater v. Russell, 100 Ga. App. 563, 565 (112 S. E. 2d 178). Such objection fails to present any question for decision.

Special ground 4 complains of the following excerpt from the charge to the jury while special ground 5 complains of the italicized portions thereof: “It is your duty in this case to determine the sum of money representing just and adequate compensation for the property actually taken by the State Highway Department. The condemnee is entitled to a sum which may restore the money loss consequent to the taking or injury. This consists generally of the fair market value of the property taken. The Constitution of Georgia provides that the basis of recovery in cases of condemnation is stated to be just and adequate compensation. I charge you that the Constitution does not require in all cases the fair market value of the property taken to be used as a basis of determining just and adequate compensation, although as stated, the measure is governed by determining the fair market value of the property actually taken. I further charge you, that the constitutional provision as to just and adequate compensation does not necessarily restrict the owner’s recovery to *14 market value. The owner or condemnee is entitled to just and adequate compensation for his property, that is, the value of the property to him, not its value to the State Highway Department. The measure of damages for property taken by the right of eminent domain being compensatory in its nature is the pecuniary loss sustained by the owner, taking into consideration all relevant factors that may be disclosed by the evidence. I charge you, however, that generally speaking the measure of damages is the market value of the property actually taken and when this would give just and adequate compensation to the owner, this rule is to be applied by you.” (Italics ours.) Special ground 6 complains of the following excerpt of the charge: “I charge you that the word value as used in the law relating to1 eminent domain or condemnation in Georgia is a relative term, depending upon the circumstances, and in determining such value the measure of damages is not necessarily, as I have stated, the market value but may be the fair and reasonable value of the property taken if you find that the market value would not coincide with the actual value of the property taken. While market value is the general yardstick in a condemnation proceeding, there may be circumstances in which market value and actual value are not the same, and in such event the jury may consider the actual value of the property therein appropriated. In determining just and adequate compensation under the Constitutional provision, market value and actual value will ordinarily be synonymous. If they are not, that value which will give just and adequate compensation is the one to be sought by the jury in rendering its verdict. Of course, your consideration should be solely with pecuniary value, whether market or actual, not with speculative, sentimental, whimsical or any other value not capable of mathematical calculation.”

In the case of Housing Authority of Savannah v. Savannah Iron &c. Works, 91 Ga. App. 881, 885 (87 S. E. 2d 671), it was said, with reference to excerpts of the charge which were very similar to those in the present case: “The excerpts were taken almost verbatim from previous cases before this court, in which it was held that, while market value is the general yardstick in a condemnation proceeding or a suit for compensation in the *15 nature of a condemnation proceeding, there may be circumstances in which market value and actual value are not the same, and in such event the jury may consider the actual value of the land or interest therein appropriated. See Housing Authority of Savannah v. Savannah Iron & Wire Works, [90 Ga. App. 150, 82 S. E. 2d 244]; Elbert County v. Brown, 16 Ga. App 834 (4) (86 S. E. 651); Housing Authority of Augusta v. Holloway, 63 Ga. App. 485 (11 S. E. 2d 418); A. C. L. R. Co. v. Postal Telegraph-Cable Co., 120 Ga. 268, 281 (48 S. E. 15, 1 Ann. Cas. 734); Harrison v. Young, 9 Ga. 359. This court, having examined the three Court of Appeals decisions next above cited in conjunction with the Supreme Court cases above cited, is of the opinion that they state a sound rule of law, and accordingly, the request to overrule the former decisions of this court holding to this effect is denied. The term ‘actual value’ is used in Code § 36-504, providing that, in considering consequential damages and benefits, the section ‘shall not be so construed as to deprive the owner of the actual value of his property so taken or used.’ In determining just and adequate compensation, under the constitutional provision, market value and actual value will ordinarily be synonymous. If they are not, that value which will give ‘just and adequate compensation’ is the one to be sought by the jury in rendering its verdict.” Accordingly, there is no merit is these special grounds of the motion for new trial, since under the evidence in the present case the jury was not bound to find that “fair market value” was synonymous with “just and adequate compensation,” and, for the same reasons above quoted, the request to certify the questions presented by these grounds of the motion for new trial to the Supreme Court is denied.

Special ground 7 complains of an excerpt from the charge wherein the court instructed the jury that the cost of removing merchandise from the building being condemned and the damage caused to such merchandise by such removal could not be considered as separate elements, that is “recoverable items of damages in and of themselves,” but that they could be considered as factors which might illustrate what amount of money would be just and adequate compensation to the condemnee. Evidence *16 was admitted without proper objection as to the damage done to merchandise when it was being moved from the condemnee’s premises and also as to the cost of moving such merchandise.

In the case of Housing Authority of Savannah v. Savannah Iron &c. Works, 90 Ga. App. 150, 162, supra, this court, while dealing with demurrers in an action by a lessor of property taken without just and adequate compensation being first paid, held that allegations as to the cost of removing improvements from the property condemned, while not recoverable as a separate item, are properly alleged as background information to illustrate just and adequate compensation.

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

Related

Gunn v. Department of Transportation
476 S.E.2d 46 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1996)
Department of Transportation v. Willis
299 S.E.2d 82 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1983)
Department of Transportation v. Vest
287 S.E.2d 85 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1981)
Department of Transportation v. El Carlo Motel, Inc.
232 S.E.2d 126 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1976)
Department of Transportation v. Great Southern Enterprises, Inc.
225 S.E.2d 80 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1976)
State Highway Department v. Futch
204 S.E.2d 315 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1974)
Schoolcraft v. DeKalb County
189 S.E.2d 915 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1972)
Hammond v. State
184 S.E.2d 512 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1971)
State Highway Department v. Hodges
182 S.E.2d 485 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1971)
HOUSING &C. CITY OF ATLANTA v. Troncalli
142 S.E.2d 93 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1965)
The PURE OIL COMPANY v. Dukes
130 S.E.2d 234 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1963)
State Highway Department v. Thomas
128 S.E.2d 533 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1962)
State Highway Department v. Whitehurst
127 S.E.2d 501 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1962)
State Highway Department v. Stewart
121 S.E.2d 278 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1961)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
118 S.E.2d 289, 103 Ga. App. 12, 1961 Ga. App. LEXIS 843, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-highway-department-v-robinson-gactapp-1961.