Stone v. Public Service Company of Indiana, Inc.

300 N.E.2d 121, 157 Ind. App. 328, 1973 Ind. App. LEXIS 1013
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 16, 1973
Docket1-473A70
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 300 N.E.2d 121 (Stone v. Public Service Company of Indiana, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stone v. Public Service Company of Indiana, Inc., 300 N.E.2d 121, 157 Ind. App. 328, 1973 Ind. App. LEXIS 1013 (Ind. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

Lowdermilk, J.

Plaintiff-appellee commenced its action in condemnation, seeking to appropriate perpetual easement rights in and to a strip of land 150 feet in width upon a por *329 tion of appellants’ real estate in Pike County, Indiana. The complaint was filed December 14, 1972, the defendants-appellants were duly served with process, and appellants timely filed objections to said complaint. Hearing was had on the objections, and on March 7, 1973, the court, after trial without a jury, entered its order overruling appellants’ objections and appointed appraisers who performed their services and returned their award for appellants’ damages on March 19, 1973.

Appellants, on March 14, 1973, filed with the court their Motion to Suspend Order of Condemning and Appointing Appraisers and for the court to set appeal bond. This motion was overruled by the court and appeal bond was set in the amount of $100.00 and was posted.

Appellants filed assignment of errors and bring this appeal to us as an appeal from an interlocutory order.

ON MOTION TO STRIKE APPELLEE’S BRIEF

There is now pending a motion to strike appellee’s brief, the consideration of which has been postponed until final determination on the merits. The basis of the motion is that the appeal is from an interlocutory order and that appellee’s brief was not filed within ten days after submission, as required by Rule AP. 8.1 (B).

Appellants, following the overruling of objections filed to appellee’s complaint to condemn, filed their motion to strike appellee’s brief on the merits from the files for the following reasons: (1) that this is an appeal from an interlocutory order pursuant to Ind. Ann. Stat. § 3-1705 (Burns 1968 Repl.) ; (2) that on May 14, 1973, appellants filed transcript and assignment of errors with this court and timely filed their brief within ten days after the submission, as required by Rule AP. 8.1(B) ; (3) that appellee did not file its brief within ten days thereafter, but filed it on the 29th day after *330 appellants’ brief was filed with this court, and; (4) all was done without an extension of time having been procured by appellee.

In the case of Indiana Service Corp. v. Town of Flora (1941), 218 Ind. 208, 31 N.E.2d 1015, our Supreme Court passed on the same question that is presented to this court, and at page 211 stated:

“. . . An appeal from an order overruling a defendant’s objections in an eminent domain proceeding is specifically authorized, but, except as to the time when the bond and transcript shall be filed, the procedure is under the general statutes and rules relating to appeals, and not under those pertaining to interlocutory orders. . . .” (Our emphasis.) See, also, Lake Co. Trust Co., etc. v. Ind. Port Comm. (1967), 248 Ind. 362, 229 N.E.2d 457.

Under Rule AP. 8.1(A), appellee had thirty days in which to file its brief.

We necessarily hold that plaintiff-appellee’s brief was timely filed and the motion to strike is, therefore, overruled.

ON THE MERITS

The issues raised by appellants in their assignment of errors have been grouped by appellants, and under Rule AP. 8.3(A) (7), we shall group and treat these issues accordingly.

In the first issue raised by appellants in their assignments of error numbered 1, 2, 3, 5, and 9, appellants contend that there was no evidence presented at the hearing to show that appellee was a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Indiana, contrary to the statutory requirements. Appellants argue that Ind. Ann. Stat. § 3-1713 (Burns 1968 Repl.) requires that a corporation which may condemn property must be incorporated under the laws of this State and that this requirement must be alleged and proved at trial. Appellants do not question the fact that the complaint in *331 this cause by appellee does allege that it is a corporation, organized under the laws of this State. It is appellants’ position that the burden of proof is on the condemnor (ap-pellee) to show by a preponderance of the evidence a clear Legislative authority to appropriate land.

We have examined the complaint in this cause and find that it alleges all of the facts required by the statutes for a condemnation proceeding, including the fact of the corporate existence being on file in Indiana, by appellee. Appellee contends that the power of eminent domain granted by statute (Burns § 3-1713) is statutory in origin and within the coverage of the Indiana Rules of Procedure. Jensen v. Ind. & Mich. Elec. Co. (1972), 257 Ind. 599, 277 N.E.2d 589, 29 Ind. Dec. 1.

Appellee then points out that Rule TR. 9(A) states as follows:

“Capacity. It is not necessary to aver the capacity of a party to sue or be sued, the authority of a party to sue or be sued in a representative capacity, or the legal existence of an organization that is made a party. The burden of proving lack of such capacity, authority, or legal existence shall be upon the person asserting lack of it, and shall be pleaded as an affirmative defense.”

The objections raised by appellants do not specifically challenge or deny the capacity of appellee to bring the suit. Having failed to so challenge or deny, the appellants must be deemed to have waived this issue.

Additionally, it is our opinion that although no specific proof on this matter was offered the trial court had the right and authority to take judicial notice of the appellee’s corporate existence, and appellee’s power of condemnation, appellee having operated as a power company in Pike County and many, many other counties in Southern Indiana, 12 I. L. E. 402, Evidence, § 1; 31A C. J. S. 122, Evidence, § 89.

*332 Thus, it is our opinion that a prima facie case was made by-appellee of its corporate existence and authority to condemn real property, or an easement therein. The court had jurisdiction over the parties herein.

The second issue raised in the assignment of errors, numbered 5 and 6, is whether the rights and privileges in the condemned property were properly established and whether there was uncertainty as to these rights. It is appellants’ position that there must be a meeting of the minds as to what is to be taken and what is to be left by the condemnation. Specifically, appellants point out that at no time was it determined what the exact location would be of the three proposed structures to carry the electrical lines. We note that the statute governing the complaint in a condemnation proceeding (Ind. Ann. Stat. §3-1702 (Burns 1968 Repl.)) requires that the complaint shall state:

“. . . 3rd. The use the plaintiff intends to make of the property or right sought to be appropriated; . .

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Bluebook (online)
300 N.E.2d 121, 157 Ind. App. 328, 1973 Ind. App. LEXIS 1013, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stone-v-public-service-company-of-indiana-inc-indctapp-1973.