Texas Department of Transportation v. City of Sunset Valley

92 S.W.3d 540, 2002 Tex. App. LEXIS 8533, 2002 WL 1991160
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 5, 2002
Docket03-00-00744-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 92 S.W.3d 540 (Texas Department of Transportation v. City of Sunset Valley) 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
Texas Department of Transportation v. City of Sunset Valley, 92 S.W.3d 540, 2002 Tex. App. LEXIS 8533, 2002 WL 1991160 (Tex. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING

MARILYN ABOUSSIE, Chief Justice.

Our opinion and judgment issued on June 13, 2002, are withdrawn, and the following opinion is substituted.

In this inverse condemnation proceeding, the Texas Department of Transportation (“TxDOT”) and its named officials appeal the district court’s final judgment in favor of the City of Sunset Valley and intervenors Terrance Cowan and Donald Hurwitz. In five issues, TxDOT contends that (1) Sunset Valley is not a “person,” and is therefore not entitled to the protections of article 1, section 17 of the Texas Constitution; (2) the district court erred by excluding evidence of a settlement agreement between Sunset Valley and third parties; (3) the district court erred by rendering a declaratory judgment that TxDOT failed to comply with certain sections of the administrative code; (4) Co-[545]*545wan and Hurwitz do not have standing to assert equal protection claims against the state; and (5) Cowan’s nuisance claim is barred by sovereign immunity. In light of our disposition of TxDOT’s first issue, we will reverse the damage award as to the amount necessary to compensate appellees adequately for the reasonable cost of a substitute road facility and remand the case for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion. We will also reverse the district court’s judgment as to TxDOT’s third issue and render judgment denying Sunset Valley’s claim for declaratory relief regarding TxDOT’s compliance with the administrative code. The district court’s judgment in all other respects will be affirmed.

BACKGROUND

In 1991 and 1992, TxDOT occupied and destroyed a section of Jones Road, one of Sunset Valley’s major municipal arteries, in the process of expanding U.S. Highway 290. As a result of this highway expansion, transportation in and around Sunset Valley was significantly hindered, and the city found it necessary to construct a substitute street at its own expense. In addition, Sunset Valley complained that TxDOT’s expansion of Highway 290 violated state pollution regulations. Further, the city objected to TxDOT’s use of high mast floodlights for highway fighting and alleged that they were a nuisance to motorists and area home owners. Finally, Sunset Valley was dissatisfied with the expansion project because TxDOT failed to provide city limit and exit signs on the portion of Highway 290 in the city limits.

In May 1998, Sunset Valley filed suit against TxDOT. Cowan, the City’s mayor, and Hurwitz, a city council member, intervened in the suit. TxDOT filed a plea to the jurisdiction which the district court denied. TxDOT brought an interlocutory appeal to this Court, arguing

(1) that Sunset Valley lacks standing to sue for inverse condemnation, (2) that Sunset Valley lacks standing to bring its claims for damages resulting from increased circuity of travel and noise and fight pollution, and (3) that TxDOT is immune from suit for declaratory relief by virtue of the doctrine of sovereign immunity.

Texas Dep’t of Tramp, v. City of Sunset Valley, 8 S.W.3d 727, 733 (Tex.App.-Austin 1999, no pet.). We affirmed the district court’s denial of TxDOT’s plea, and the cause proceeded to trial.

Following a jury trial, the district court awarded Sunset Valley the following relief: (1) $836,192.80 for the cost of a substitute road through Sunset Valley; (2) $810,978.60 in prejudgment interest; (3) a declaratory judgment that TxDOT violated administrative regulations relating to noise and lighting; (4) an injunction to abate the private nuisance caused by fighting on Highway 290; and (5) $34,075 in attorney’s fees. The district court also awarded Co-wan and Hurwitz the following relief: (1) $3,648 in damages and an injunction to abate private nuisance; (2) a declaratory judgment that TxDOT violated administrative regulations relating to noise and fighting; (3) a declaratory judgment and injunction for equal protection violations arising from the use of floodlights and failure to erect city limit signs; and (4) $7,000 in attorney’s fees. TxDOT appeals the judgment.

DISCUSSION

Inverse Condemnation

In its first issue, TxDOT contends that Sunset Valley is not a “person” under article 1, section 17 of the Texas Constitution, and therefore is not entitled [546]*546to the protections of that provision.1 However, the judgment recites two additional grounds for the district court’s ruling on Sunset Valley’s inverse condemnation claim:

Having considered the claim of inverse condemnation, the Court finds that:

a. Defendants occupied and appropriated a portion of Jones Road from the Plaintiff City of Sunset Valley, and destroyed Jones Road where it intersects with Brodie Lane;
b. This occupation, appropriation and destruction was uncompensated and in violation of the Texas Transportation Code, the Texas common law of trespass and nuisance and Art. I, § 17 of the Texas Constitution....

When a separate and independent ground that supports a judgment is not challenged on appeal, the appellate court must affirm the lower court’s judgment. San Antonio Press v. Custom Bitt Mach., 852 S.W.2d 64, 65 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 1993, no writ); Herndon v. First Nat’l Bank of Tulia, 802 S.W.2d 396, 400 (Tex.App.Amarillo 1991, writ denied); see also Nobility Homes of Tex., Inc. v. Shivers, 557 S.W.2d 77, 83 (Tex.1977). Because TxDOT does not challenge the district court’s ruling that TxDOT’s occupation, appropriation and destruction of Jones Road was in violation of the transportation code2 and the common law of trespass and nuisance, we must affirm the district court’s judgment on these unchallenged, separate, and independent grounds.

Even if TxDOT had challenged all three grounds for the district court’s ruling on appeal, Conclusion of Law No. 6 states “The occupation, appropriation and destruction of Jones Road without compensation to the City of Sunset Valley violated the Texas Transportation Code.” Conclusions of law will be upheld on appeal if the judgment can be sustained on any legal theory supported by the evidence. Westech Eng’g, Inc. v. Clearwater Constructors, Inc., 835 S.W.2d 190, 196 (Tex.App.-Austin 1992, no writ). Incorrect conclusions of law will not require reversal, however, if the controlling findings of fact will support a correct legal theory. Id.; Valencia v. Garza, 765 S.W.2d 893, 898 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 1989, no writ). Moreover, conclusions of law may not be reversed unless they are erroneous as a matter of law. Westech, 835 S.W.2d at 196.

Section 203.058(a) of the transportation code requires TxDOT to pay adequate compensation to a state agency for the acquisition of that agency’s property:

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Bluebook (online)
92 S.W.3d 540, 2002 Tex. App. LEXIS 8533, 2002 WL 1991160, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-department-of-transportation-v-city-of-sunset-valley-texapp-2002.