Staubes v. City of Folly Beach

500 S.E.2d 160, 331 S.C. 192, 1998 S.C. App. LEXIS 87
CourtCourt of Appeals of South Carolina
DecidedApril 27, 1998
Docket2834
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 500 S.E.2d 160 (Staubes v. City of Folly Beach) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Staubes v. City of Folly Beach, 500 S.E.2d 160, 331 S.C. 192, 1998 S.C. App. LEXIS 87 (S.C. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

ANDERSON, Judge:

Vernon Staubes brought this action to recover damages he allegedly sustained due to the City of Folly Beach’s refusal to grant him a permit to repair his- duplex. The trial court granted the City’s motion for summary judgment holding the City’s actions did not (1) result in a taking of Staubes’s property; (2) violate Staubes’s right to due process; or (3) violate 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Additionally, the court found Staubes’s negligence action was barred by the South Carolina Tort Claims Act. 1 We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand. 2

*195 FACTS/PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The background of this case is reported in Staubes v. City of Folly Beach, Op. No. 94-UP-138 (S.C. Ct.App. filed April 27, 1994), as follows:

Vernon Staubes owns a two-story rental apartment building on Folly Beach. The building was damaged by Hurricane Hugo. Prior to being damaged, the building had a fair market value of $45,772.00.
After Hugo, Staubes secured a building permit from the City of Folly Beach to repair the building. The record reveals that, on Folly Beach, if the cost of repairing a damaged building equals or exceeds 50 per cent of the building’s market value before it sustained damage, then the owner is prohibited from making repairs unless the existing building meets the requirements for new construction.
Harris Crowley, a licensed engineer, inspected the building and found its structural damage to be “in excess of fifty (50) per cent of the original design.” Thereafter, the City of Folly Beach issued a condemnation order requiring Staubes to meet the City of Folly Beach’s new construction standards.
Later, the County of Charleston took over the duties of building inspector for the City of Folly Beach. Staubes subsequently applied to the County of Charleston for another permit, and the County of Charleston granted it. Two months later, however, the County of Charleston revoked Staubes’s permit after it learned the City of Folly Beach had revoked Staubes’s first permit.
Staubes appealed to the City of Folly Beach Zoning Board of Adjustment. The Board upheld the revocation of the building permit, and Staubes appealed to the circuit court. The circuit court affirmed the Board’s decision.

On appeal, Staubes contended the trial court erred in affirming the Board’s decision to uphold the revocation of his building permit. This Court agreed and reversed, finding the evidence did not support the Board’s finding the cost of repairs exceeded fifty percent of the building’s market value. *196 Staubes, supra. The Court noted only Staubes submitted evidence of the cost of repairs. He submitted three bids, which were all less than fifty percent of the building’s preHugo market value. The Supreme Court dismissed the writ of certiorari as improvidently granted. Staubes v. City of Folly Beach, Op. No. 95-MO-209 (S.C. Sup.Ct. filed June 14, 1995).

After the Supreme Court dismissed the petition for certiorari, Staubes brought the present action against the City alleging the City’s actions prevented him from performing any repairs on the property, leaving the property uninhabitable and unrentable during the appeal process. He averred the City’s conduct deprived him of all beneficial use of the property without just compensation. In addition, Staubes claimed the City’s action left the budding open to the elements causing further damage to the structure. The trial court granted summary judgment to the City.

ISSUES

I. Did the trial court err in granting summary judgment to the City as to the temporary taking issue?

II. Did the trial court err in granting summary judgment to the City as to the claim for deprivation of Staubes’s due process rights pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Supp.1997)?

III. Did the trial court err in granting summary judgment to the City as to the negligence cause of action?

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment is appropriate when it is clear there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Summer v. Carpenter, 328 S.C. 36, 492 S.E.2d 55 (1997); Rule 56(c), SCRCP. See also Standard Fire Ins. Co. v. Marine Contracting and Towing Co., 301 S.C. 418, 392 S.E.2d 460 (1990)(motion for summary judgment shall be granted if pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with affidavits, if any, show there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and moving party is entitled to judgment as matter of law). In determining whether any triable issue of fact exists, as will preclude summary judgment, the evidence *197 and all inferences which can be reasonably drawn therefrom must be viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Koester v. Carolina Rental Ctr., Inc., 313 S.C. 490, 443 S.E.2d 392 (1994). See also Bates v. City of Columbia, 301 S.C. 320, 391 S.E.2d 733 (Ct.App.1990)(in determining whether to grant summary judgment, pleadings and documents on file must be liberally construed in favor of nonmoving party who must be given benefit of all favorable inferences that might reasonably be drawn from record). If triable issues exist; those issues must go to the jury. Rothrock v. Copeland, 305 S.C. 402, 409 S.E.2d 366 (1991).

Summary judgment is not appropriate where further inquiry into the facts of the case is desirable to clarify the application of the law. Tupper v. Dorchester County, 326 S.C. 318, 487 S.E.2d 187 (1997); Baugus v. Wessinger, 303 S.C. 412, 401 S.E.2d 169 (1991). Even when there is no dispute as to evidentiary facts, but only as to the conclusions or inferences to be drawn from them, summary judgment should be denied. Tupper, supra; Koester, supra. However, when plain, palpable, and indisputable facts exist on which reasonable minds cannot differ, summary judgment should be granted. Trico Surveying, Inc. v. Godley Auction Co., 314 S.C. 542, 431 S.E.2d 565 (1993). All ambiguities, conclusions, and inferences arising from the evidence must be construed most strongly against the movant. Tupper, supra; Baugus, supra.

LAW/ANALYSIS

I. Temporary Taking

Staubes argues the trial court erred in granting the City’s motion for summary judgment because the actions of the City resulted in an unconstitutional temporary taking. We disagree.

The City asserts the South Carolina Supreme Court’s decision in Gasque v. Town of Conway, 194 S.C. 15, 8 S.E.2d 871 (1940), overruled on other grounds by McCall v. Batson, 285 S.C.

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

Related

Montgomery v. Richland County
Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 2021
Jenkins v. SCDEW
Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 2017
Magwood v. Cannon
Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 2017
Proctor v. Department of Health & Environmental Control
628 S.E.2d 496 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 2006)
Hawkins v. City of Greenville
594 S.E.2d 557 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 2004)
Sea Cabins on the Ocean IV Homeowners Ass'n v. City of North Myrtle Beach
548 S.E.2d 595 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 2001)
Abraham v. Palmetto Unified School District No. 1
538 S.E.2d 656 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 2000)
Abraham v. PALMETTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DIST.
538 S.E.2d 656 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 2000)
Staubes v. City of Folly Beach
529 S.E.2d 543 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 2000)
Worsley Companies v. Town of Mount Pleasant
528 S.E.2d 657 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 2000)
Sea Cabins on the Ocean IV Homeowners Ass'n v. City of North Myrtle Beach
523 S.E.2d 193 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 1999)
Marietta Garage, Inc. v. South Carolina Department of Public Safety
522 S.E.2d 605 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 1999)
Gist v. Berkeley County Sheriff's Department
521 S.E.2d 163 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 1999)
Restaurant Row Associates v. Horry County
516 S.E.2d 442 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 1999)
Young v. South Carolina Department of Corrections
511 S.E.2d 413 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 1999)
Moriarty v. Garden Sanctuary Church of God
511 S.E.2d 699 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 1999)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
500 S.E.2d 160, 331 S.C. 192, 1998 S.C. App. LEXIS 87, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/staubes-v-city-of-folly-beach-scctapp-1998.