State v. MONNINGER

182 N.E.2d 426, 243 Ind. 174, 1962 Ind. LEXIS 148
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 17, 1962
Docket30,039
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 182 N.E.2d 426 (State v. MONNINGER) 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 v. MONNINGER, 182 N.E.2d 426, 243 Ind. 174, 1962 Ind. LEXIS 148 (Ind. 1962).

Opinion

Landis, J.

— The State of Indiana brought an eminent domain proceeding to condemn certain parcels of appellees’ land for right of way use by the State Highway Department of Indiana for the construction of a limited access highway. The report of appraisers *176 appointed by the court fixed damages of appellees-defendants at $165,058.00, and on exceptions being filed to the report, a trial was had by jury on the issue of damages resulting in a verdict for appellees-defendants in the amount of $185,000.00. Appeal is taken by the State from judgment rendered on the verdict, the error assigned being the overruling of appellant’s motion for new trial. .

Appellant first contends the admission into evidence of a carbon copy of appellees’ income tax return for 1955 and evidence from witness John Miller as to their income for subsequent years constituted hearsay and violated the best evidence rule, and that the court erred in admitting the same into evidence and in overruling certain objections made by appellant with reference to it.

Appellees in reply thereto argue that any error that may have been committed by the court in admitting this evidence was waived by the State (appellant) when it introduced similar testimony from its witness Carl Miller.

The record shows the State interrogated Carl Miller as to whether he had considered any other approach to the question of damages other than market value on the basis of sales. The following answers were given as appear from the record:

"A. Well, I’ve considered somewhat — I might add, you asked me if I was related to John Miller. I’m not, but he’s been a friend a long time. I asked him about the income, and he informed me it was from thirty to thirty-one thousand net every year.
“Q. That’s what Mr. Miller told you?
“A. Yes.

*177 *176 It is our considered opinion that the position of appellee is correct for it is well settled that error in *177 admitting evidence at the trial is not available on appeal where the complaining party submits evidence to substantially the same effect. Guenther v. Jackson (1920), 73 Ind. App. 162, 166, 126 N. E. 873, 875; See: Polk v. Haworth (1911), 48 Ind. App. 32, 36, 95 N. E. 332, 333.

We have no quarrel with the statement by appellant that where a sufficient and specific objection ' has been made to testimony, it is not neces- . sary to repeat the objéction whenever testimony of the same class is offered, citing: Jones on Evidence, 2d ed., §894, and Eisenshank v. State (1926), 197 Ind. 463, 467, 150 N. E. 365, 366.

However, that has no application here where it appears that the State did more than fail to object continuously. The State subsequently through its witness Carl Miller introduced evidence to the same effect as the State had earlier contended was incompetent when it came from the adverse party. The subsequent introduction by the State of substantially the same evidence as it had previously objected to, waived such error as may have been committed.

Appellant’s second contention is that the court erred in overruling its objection to a hypothetical question propounded by appellee, the pertinent questions, objections and answers being as follows:

“Q. Now, Mr. Cahill, assuming that we have a business which has existed in the same city, in the same location for some twenty-five or thirty-five years, that has maintained a business bank account of. around fifty thousand dollars for a period of at least five years; that has earned net profits in the past' five years as follows: 1955^— thirty-eight thousand, three hundred ten dollars and fifty-eight cents;. 1956 — forty thousand, eight *178 hundred two dollars and thirty-one cents; 1957— twenty-five thousand, three hundred eighty-three dollars and thirty-one cents; 1958 — twenty-eight thousand, two hundred forty-eight dollars and thirty-one cents; 1959 — twenty-six thousand, four hundred ninety-six dollars and seventy-eight cents; or a total net earnings for those five .years amounting to one hundred fifty-nine thoúsand, two hundred forty-one dollars and twenty-nine cents; and averaging for each of those years thirty-one thousand, eight hundred forty-eight dollars ' and twenty-six cents'; and assuming further that there has been no substantial owner-participation in said .business during the. five years mentioned, do you have an opinion as to the value of that business, based upon earnings ? '
“A. Yes, sir, I do.
“Q. What is that opinion ? .
“Mr. Spencer: If the Court.please, I object to the question asked for the reason that it is directed to an opinion of the witness based upon facts not shown in this cause. A number of the facts enumerated in the hypothetical have not been shown here. First, there has been no competent evidence or anything concerning net income other than self-serving statements, unsigned by the Defendants, containing such a statement, with no background on the part of the witness who presented it. Secondly, the evidence has been exactly to the contrary in regard to the matter of owner-participation, that being that the owner has, in fact, participated, but it was merely that he was not regularly physically present at the office during periods óf time; and thirdly, the witness has already stated that a determination, in his opinion, must be based in part upon the facilities present to continue such earnings; and the hypothetical question has left that out entirely.
“Court': Overruled. You may answer.
“A. My estimate of the value of the business would be based on a figure of twelve times the average net earnings for the pást five years, which I figure is somewhere around three hundred eighty-two thousand, one hundred seventy-nine dólíárs'. I have — that would be less any inventory *179 or any assets that they might have on hand after the liquidation, of the business.”

The first ground of objection that there was no competent evidence of appellees’ net income introduced has been heretofore disposed of in the prior part of this opinion. Also, any question concerning it is waived by appellant’s failure to discuss it in its brief in support of said objection.

The second ground of objection to the effect that the evidence showed owner participation rather than a lack thereof, as assumed by the question, is untenable. Appellant concedes the evidence showed a lack of Mr. Monninger’s physical presence at the office but states that alone was insufficient.

We believe appellant’s construction of the evidence is entirely too narrow for although it did show Mr. Monninger would stop in the office at times and that he and the manager would discuss the business in the evening, the evidence was further to the effect that Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
182 N.E.2d 426, 243 Ind. 174, 1962 Ind. LEXIS 148, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-monninger-ind-1962.