Traendly v. State

51 A.D.2d 489, 382 N.Y.S.2d 365, 1976 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 11109
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York·Decided April 15, 1976·No. Claim No. 52303; Claim No. 50821·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

Reynolds, J.

Pursuant to sections 30 and 349-c of the Highway Law, the State appropriated portions of a lot and a building thereon on the northeast corner of Central Park Avenue and Seneca Avenue in the City of Yonkers, New York, [491] for the purpose of eliminating a grade crossing at Tuckahoe Road, to widen the northbound lane of Central Park Avenue for express traffic and to construct a northbound service road for local traffic. The State also appropriated temporary easements for a work area and for removing or razing buildings and improvements.

Vivian M. Traendly, owner of the fee of the subject property, claimant in Action No. 1 (hereinafter landlord), filed her claim in Action No. 1 to recover her damages as fee owner. Mayflower Restaurants of Central Park Avenue, Inc. (hereinafter tenant) filed its claim in Action No. 2 to recover its damages as lessee. The claims were consolidated for trial.

After a consolidated trial, the court in its decision directed that separate judgments be entered, which resulted in the two judgments appealed from. In Action No. 2 the court awarded tenant $112,209.30 for its damages, cost to cure and signs, with appropriate interest, which increased tenant’s judgment to a total of $142,687.75. The court awarded landlord in Action No. 1 $15,080 for all damages direct and consequential. As the State had made a preliminary payment to landlord, substantially in excess of landlord’s award, on stipulation, the judgment in Action No. 1 was entered in favor of the State against landlord for $36,120 and appropriate interest.

The court properly determined first the value of the unencumbered fee of the subject property before condemnation and the value thereof after the taking, thereby determining the value of all the interests taken (Arlen of Nanuet v State of New York, 26 NY2d 346). Thereafter the court apportioned the award between landlord and tenant. On this appeal neither landlord nor tenant contests the amount of the award for permanent and consequential damages to the fee. Landlord claims the apportionment of damages was erroneous because the court disregarded the condemnation clauses in the lease between landlord and the tenant’s assignor. Tenant asserts landlord lacks standing to attack the award to tenant as landlord was not a party to tenant’s action and did not and could not appeal from the judgment entered in Action No. . 2 in favor of tenant. Landlord has standing to contest the inadequacy of the award to her and, consequently, the propriety of the apportionment of the damages (Esso Std. Oil Co. v State of New York, 10 AD2d 760). The State, by its cross appeals in both actions, has brought before the court the question of proper apportionment in both actions, and has thereby [492] avoided, the possibility that the court, in correcting an inadequate award to landlord, might increase the total award for the property because the judgment as to tenant had become final (Esso Std. Oil Co. v State of New York, supra). Contrary to tenant’s claim, the State has not abandoned its cross appeal. The State candidly concedes only that the proper division of damages is essentially a controversy between landlord and tenant.

Tenant, in Action No. 2, limited its appeal to claims that (1) the court’s award of $1,850 per annum for damages for the temporary easements was inadequate, (2) the court’s award of $15,238 for cost to cure was inadequate and (3) the court failed to award compensation for its fixtures. Tenant has not pressed its claim for compensation for fixtures on this appeal. The award for temporary easements and for cost to cure is within the range of testimony and is supported by the record and must be sustained. We find no error in the exclusion of tenant’s evidence proffered apparently to demonstrate the inconvenience caused by the construction in access to the subject property by tenant and its potential customers. Damages are not recoverable for causing inconvenience in access to property abutting on a highway or the diversion of traffic therefrom (Bopp v State of New York, 19 NY2d 368). "Damages resulting merely from circuity of access are considered as damnum absque injuria” (Selig v State of New York, 10 NY2d 34, 39; see 16 Buffalo L Rev 603).

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Traendly v. State, 51 A.D.2d 489, 382 N.Y.S.2d 365, 1976 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 11109 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1976).

51 A.D.2d 489 (Traendly v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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