Western Tie & Timber Co. v. Pulliam

139 S.W. 144, 237 Mo. 1, 1911 Mo. LEXIS 227
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJuly 15, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 139 S.W. 144 (Western Tie & Timber Co. v. Pulliam) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Western Tie & Timber Co. v. Pulliam, 139 S.W. 144, 237 Mo. 1, 1911 Mo. LEXIS 227 (Mo. 1911).

Opinion

FERRISS, J.

Suit by the Western Tie & Timber Company, as plaintiff, to enjoin the defendants, judges of the county court of Eipley county, from proceeding with the construction of a drain or artificial water course in Eipley county, and also to enjoin the issuing of certain bonds for the construction of the same, and to prevent assessments and levies against the lands of the plaintiff to pay for the construction of such drain, or to meet or retire bonds issued to pay for same.

The original petition was filed April 18, 1910, in the circuit court of' Eipley county. An amended petition was filed August 26, 1910. Such amended petition charges that the plaintiff is an Arkansas' corporation and the owner of a large amount of lands in said county; that at the November term, 1902, of the county court of Eipley county, there was presented a petition praying for the establishment of a drain or artificial watercourse, which petition described the proposed location and route of such drain or ditch, having an approximate length of about nine miles, and prayed for the issuing of bonds to pay for same; that on the 29th day of December, 1902, there was filed in said proceeding an amended petition which abandoned the prayer of the original petition for the issuance of bonds; that on the 6th day of February, 1903, on the pretended authority of said petition, the county court ordered the establishment of a drainage district to be known as Naylor Drainage District No. 1, whoso beginning point and terminus were other and different from those mentioned in the original petition, but following the same general course and of the same [8]*8length; that said county court, by its order establishing said drainage district, attempted to provide that bonds should be issued and sold to pay for the construction of said drain; and thereafter, on August 1, ' Í904, the county court entered its pretended judgment, including plaintiff’s lands in said drainage district, and assessing benefits against said lands in sums exceeding in the aggregate $10,000. The petition then proceeds as follows:

“And the plaintiff alleges that said pretended judgments of said county court, establishing said drainage district and providing for the construction of said drain, and making the assessments aforesaid, are void for the reason that the petition filed with the county court did not pray for, or authorize, the establishment of the drain which said county court actually attempted to establish as aforesaid; and also because said county court, when it entered said pretended judgments establishing said drainage district, providing for the construction of said drain, and making said assessment, was without jurisdiction of the land-owners whose lands were to be taken for the location of said drain or watercourse, as well as the land-owners whose lands were to be assessed for said improvements.
“And the plaintiff further avers that the terminus of said drain as ordered and directed to be established by said court by said pretended orders and judgments, is without a natural outlet for the water, and that no artificial outlet is provided; that plaintiff’s lands lie near the terminus, and are of a lower level than other lands through which it is proposed to construct said drain, and, instead of being benefited by said drain, will be overflowed and damaged and rendered of less value by its construction; and the plaintiff alleges that no compensation has been made or provided in behalf of the plaintiff for such damage to its lands.
[9]*9“And plaintiff further avers that other lands included within said drainage district will be greatly-benefited and the value thereof largely enhanced by the construction of said drain, but plaintiff says that plaintiff’s said lands, hereinabove described, although they will be damaged by the construction of said drain and will receive no benefit whatever therefrom, are assessed for benefits under the pretended judgment of August 1, 1904, in the same amount per acre as are assessed against said other lands so included in said drainage district, and which will be benefited and greatly enhanced in value by the construction of said drain.
“The plaintiffs alleges that the defendants now propose to execute said void judgments, to let contracts for the construction of said drain or watercourse, and to cause the same to be constructed, to issue and sell bonds to secure funds to pay for the same, and to make levies and assessments against the lands of the plaintiff to pay for the construction of said drain and to pay and redeem said bonds, and will proceed to do all this unless restrained and enjoined from so doing.
‘ ‘ The plaintiff alleges that under the statutes regulating appeals from the county court in drainage matters it is without remedy by appeal from these pretended orders and judgments of the county court aforesaid, and has no remedy with reference thereto save only by the interposition of a court of equity.
“Wherefore the plaintiff prays that the defendants herein, as judges of the county court aforesaid, and their successors in office, be restrained and enjoined from executing, or attempting to execute, said pretended orders and judgments; from contracting or attempting to contract for the construction of said drain or artificial watercourse; for making, issuing, or disposing of, or attempting to make, issue or dispose of bonds for the construction of the same; and [10]*10from making or attempting to make, any assessments or levies against the land of the plaintiff to pay for the construction of said drain or watercourse, or to meet or retire bonds issued to pay for the same; and for such other and further relief as to the court may seem meet and proper in the premises.”

The answer of defendants, filed December 14, 1910, sets out at great length, and specifically, all the proceedings in the county court, the circuit court and this court, concerning the establishment of the drainage district, together with a general denial of every allegation in plaintiff’s petition not specifically admitted.

The facts set up in the answer substantially appear in the opinion of the court in the case of Tie & Timber Company v. Drainage Co., 226 Mo. 420. Owing to-their great length, the facts will not be repeated here in detail, but reference can be had to the above mentioned opinion for the detailed facts. It is sufficient to say that the facts set up in defendants’ answer show that proceedings were had, under the statute, in the county court to establish this drainage district. A petition was filed by property-owners, as provided by law; viewers were appointed, whose report recommended a change in the beginning and terminus of the proposed ditch, and also a change in its route, whereupon an amended petition was filed by the property-owners conforming to the route as changed by the viewers. New notice was given as upon an original proceeding. An order was made by the court confirming the report of the viewers; notice by publication given to certain non-resident landowners ; summonses issued to resident landowners, as the law aU that time required to be done. The cause was continued from time to time until the first day of, August, 1904, when the plaintiff, Western Tie & Timber Company, appeared in the county court, and filed exceptions, which were heard and overruled; an [11]*11appeal was taken by plaintiff to tbe circuit court, where the cause was heard de novo,

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

Related

Cherry v. City of Hayti Heights
563 S.W.2d 72 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1978)
Loveland v. Davenport
201 S.W.2d 518 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1947)
Mulanix v. Reeves
112 S.W.2d 100 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1937)
State Ex Rel. Conran v. Duncan
63 S.W.2d 135 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1933)
State Ex Rel. State Highway Commission v. Moore
18 S.W.2d 892 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1929)
Case v. Sipes
217 S.W. 306 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1919)
State v. Koontz
204 S.W. 1086 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1918)
Shanklin v. Boyce
204 S.W. 187 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1918)
Wilson v. King's Lake Drainage & Levee District
165 S.W. 734 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1914)
Hines v. Hines
147 S.W. 774 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1912)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
139 S.W. 144, 237 Mo. 1, 1911 Mo. LEXIS 227, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/western-tie-timber-co-v-pulliam-mo-1911.