State v. Able

369 S.W.2d 520, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 2160
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 28, 1963
Docket7462
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 369 S.W.2d 520 (State v. Able) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Able, 369 S.W.2d 520, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 2160 (Tex. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinion

DAVIS, Justice.

A condemnation case. The appellant, State of Texas, filed suit against appellees, Conover H. Able, et al., in the County Court at Law of Harris County, Texas, on August 26, 1960, to condemn certain described lands used for business purposes situated in the incorporated City of Bellaire, Harris County, Texas. At the bottom of the petition, there was an “Order Appointing Commissioners”, followed by the notation of “Madison Rayburn, Judge, County Court at Law of Harris County, Texas”.

On August 1, 1960, Judge Madison Rayburn signed an order of exchange of benches, as authorized by Art. 1970-94a, R.C.S.

The petition in condemnation was presented by appellant to William A. Miller, Jr., Judge of the County Civil Court at Law No. 2. In obedience to the exchange of benches, Judge Miller signed the “Order Appointing Commissioners” as follows:

“s/ Wm. A. Miller, Jr., Madison Rayburn, Judge Presiding, (in writing) County Court at Law of Harris County, Texas”

The Special Commissioners took their oaths and set the matter for hearing on September 14, 1960. Nowhere in the petition for condemnation did appellant refer to the County Civil Court at Law No. 2. The order setting the hearing and the award by the Special 'Commissioners was filed with the Judge of the County Court at Law on November 1, 1960. The notices addressed to each of the condemnees by the Special Commissioners show that the appellant filed the petition on August 26, 1960, with the “Judge of the County Court at Law”. The award was accepted, the petition and award were filed with the County Clerk, and was *522 numbered 103,782. The appellees filed their objections to the award in the County Court at Law on November 8, 1960. Appellant filed its objections to the award in the County Court at Law on November 10,1960. On December 19, 1960, appellant deposited the sum of $104,742.50 with the Clerk of the County Court at Law, subject to the orders of the appellees, and filed an application for a writ of possession. On January 3, 1961, at the order of Madison Rayburn, Judge of the County Court at Law, appellees withdrew said funds from the Clerk. Judge Rayburn issued an order giving the appellant the right to possession of the land. Appellant took possession of said land.

By an act of the Legislature, Art. 1970-77, R.C.S., was amended in 1961, changing the name of the County Court at Law to “County Civil Court at Law No. 1”. This case came on for trial on January 29, 1962, in the County Civil Court at Law No. 1. Trial was to a jury, and the special issues were answered in favor of the appellees. Judgment was entered, and the appellant has appealed: It brings forward 15 points of error.

The foregoing statement was made because of the 1st point of error. Appellant takes the position that the County Court at Law, or the County Civil Court at Law No. 1, did not have jurisdiction to try the case because the petition “in the above numbered and entitled cause was filed on August 26, 1960, with the Honorable William A. Miller, Jr., Judge of the County Court at Law No. 2, Harris County, Texas. The award and objections to such an award were filed with the Honorable Madison Rayburn, Judge of the County Court at Law Harris County, Texas, which said court proceeded to try the case * * * ”. The point of error goes on to state that the petition was filed in a different court from that in which the award and objections were filed. The petition in condemnation was filed in the County Court at Law by appellant. Judge William A. Miller, Jr., who appointed the Special Commissioners, in the absence of Judge Madison Rayburn, was merely acting on the exchange of benches under the order signed by Judge Rayburn.

The appellant filed a motion for new trial in which motion it raised the point of error for the first time. At the hearing on the motion, appellant announced to the court that they wished to waive the point of error. Such waiver is set out in the order overruling the motion for new trial. It cites Henderson v. Texas Turnpike Authority (Tex.Civ.App.), 308 S.W.2d 199, err. ref., and Lemmon v. Giles (Tex.Civ.App.), 342 S.W.2d 56, err. dism’d. The cases are not in point. The appellant, in this case, actually filed the petition in condemnation. Judge Miller signed the order appointing the Special Commissioners as “Judge Presiding” by exchange of benches, not as Judge of the County Civil Court at Law No. 2. Actually, there is no irregularity in the condemnation proceedings. If there was any irregularity, the appellant can not take advantage of the irregularity that it has caused. 29 C.J.S. Eminent Domain § 319, page 1355. J. F. Wilcox & Sons v. City of Omaha, 220 Iowa 1131, 264 N.W. 5.

Art. 1970-79, R.C.S., reads in part as follows :

“The jurisdiction of the county court of Harris county for civil cases and of the judge thereof shall extend to all matters of eminent domain on which jurisdiction has been heretofore vested in the county court of Harris county or in the county judge thereof.”

The condemnation proceedings are administrative only until the petition and objections were filed with the clerk. It was held in Jones v. City of Mineola (Tex.Civ.App.), 203 S.W.2d 1020, err. ref., that the jurisdictional prerequisites of an effort by condemnation authority to a lack of notice of commissioners hearing was waived by the owner appearing before the Board of Commissioners and contesting the condemnation on its merits. Such an irregularity *523 was caused by the condemnees. In State v. Carpenter (Tex.Civ.App.), 55 S.W.2d 219, reversed on other grounds, 126 Tex. 604, 89 S.W.2d 194, it was held that the State waived and was estopped to complain of the jurisdictional error in filing the award with the County Clerk instead of the County Judge where it filed its objections with the Clerk and proceeded to trial and did not raise the point until it filed its motion for new trial. It was held in Brazos River Conservation & Reclamation Dist. v. Allen, 141 Tex. 208, 171 S.W.2d 842, that the District, after filing a petition in condemnation, making a deposit in the court, and then taking possession of the land, can not then dismiss the petition and file another suit in condemnation. The taking possession of the property causes the condemning authority to lose right to abandon the project or the purpose of taking. It was held in Crockett v. Housing Authority of the City of Dallas (Tex.Civ.App.), 274 S.W.2d 187

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369 S.W.2d 520, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 2160, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-able-texapp-1963.