Wolf v. Commonwealth

170 A.2d 557, 403 Pa. 499, 1961 Pa. LEXIS 492
CourtSupreme Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 2, 1961
DocketAppeal, 288
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 170 A.2d 557 (Wolf v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wolf v. Commonwealth, 170 A.2d 557, 403 Pa. 499, 1961 Pa. LEXIS 492 (Pa. 1961).

Opinions

Opinion by

Mb. Justice Benjamin E. Jones,

On December 26, 1956, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, acting through the Department of Forests and Waters, condemned for state park purposes certain properties located on 5th, 6th, Commerce and Cuthbert Streets in Philadelphia of which Eobert B. Wolf was the record owner.

On January 23, 1957, a board of view was appointed to assess the damages to these properties; after hearing, the board on April 25, 1958 awarded Wolf $415,-800, an amount which included damages as compensation for delay in payment. On May 23, 1958, Wolf appealed to the Court of Common Pleas No. 2 of Philadelphia County alleging that the board’s award was in[501]*501adequate. The matter was then heard de novo before President Judge Sloane and a jury and, at trial, the court submitted to the jury two questions: (1) the value of Wolf’s properties at the time of taking and (2) whether Wolf was entitled to any detention damages. The jury by its verdict fixed the value of these properties at the time of taking at $355,000 and found that Wolf was not entitled to any detention damages.

Wolf then filed motions for a new trial and for judgment n.o.v., the latter motion being premised on the ground that the trial court on the state of the record should have directed the jury to award detention damages at the rate of 6% per annum. The court below refused the motion for a new trial, granted the motion for judgment n.o.v. and entered judgment in favor of Wolf and against the 'Commonwealth in the amount of $421,917.50. The amount of this judgment was composed of the value of the properties as fixed by the jury — $355,000—together with detention damages of $66,917.50. The judgment as entered by the court awarded detention damages from the date of the taking up to the date of the entry of judgment (February 17, 1960) not up to the date of the jury’s verdict '(November 5, 1959) and furthermore, provided for interest at six (6%) percent per annum from the time of its entry to the time of final payment.1 From that judgment the Commonwealth has taken this appeal.

The Commonwealth contends: (1) that Wolf forfeited any right to detention damages by reason of excessive and unreasonable demands on his part; (2) that, even if Wolf were entitled to detention damages, [502]*502lie could not claim such damages beyond the date of the jury’s verdict; (3) that-the Commonwealth is immune from the payment, of any interest upon the judgment.

In Whitcomb v. Philadelphia, 264 Pa. 277, 107 A. 705, we said (p. 284): “When land is taken under the power of eminent domain, the owner thereof acquires the right to its value immediately upon appropriation. Until that value has been definitely ascertained, it -is called-damages, not a debt due; but when ascertained it relates back to the time of taking, and the owner is entitled to compensation for delay in its payment, unless just cause be shown to the contrary. ■ [citing cases]” In Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company v. Commonwealth, 352 Pa. 143, 145, 42 A. 2d 585, Justice (now 'Chief Justice) Jones, speaking for this Court, stated: “Prima facie, an owner of private property which is condemned and appropriated for public use is entitled to damages for delay in payment of the sum due as reasonable compensation for the property taken. [citing cases]. The right to damages for delay in payment in such cases may, of course, be lost if the cause for the delay is the fault of the property owner. Such fault may be evidenced by an unconscionable or excessive claim of damages by the owner of the property or by his refusal, as otherwise indicated,'to negotiate for the amicable settlement of the property damages. ‘But the lam [does] not presume any such conduct on his [the owner’s] part’: Wayne v. Pennsylvania Railroad Company, supra, at p. 515. There is no evidence in this case of any unwillingness or refusal on the part of the plaintiff to arrive at an amicable adjustment of the damages nor of any effort by either party to that end. In that situhtion, the parties presumably being content to have the damages determined by appropriate legal proceedings, the owner’s right to damages for delay in payment remains unimpaired. Cf. Hoffman v. Philadelphia, 250 Pa. 1, 5-6, 95 A. 322.

[503]*503“Such being the law in general;- is damage for delay in payment compensable when the Commonwealth is the condemnor? We think it is. Loss of-use of the property or its proceeds because of delay in payment is an element of damage the same as is the value of the appropriated property. The law so recognizes: see cases cited supra. •• The Constitution of .the State requires that just compensation be first made or secured for the taking of: private property for public use. Where that is not first done, i.e., at the time of the taking, the integrity of the constitutional reqiiirement can be respected only by including in the award for the value of the property taken such damage as there may have been (within legally.prescribed limits) due to the delay in payment for the property.”

The Commonwealth takes the position that Wolf, by reason of his excessive and unreasonable demands, has forfeited any right to detention damages. Of course, if there was proof of such excessive and unreasonable demands, it would work a forfeiture of Wolf’s right to detention damages: Springer v. Allegheny County, 401 Pa. 557, 567, 165 A. 2d 383 and cases therein cited.

The Commonwealth argues that it proved that Wolf’s demands were unreasonable and excessive in two ways: (1) that the valuations placed upon the property by Wolf’s real estate experts were unreasonable and excessive and that Wolf was bound by such valuations2 and, (2) as stated in the Commonwealth’s brief, the “[cjondemnee refused to accept less than $750,000 in settlement of his claim. Immediately prior to trial, it was indicated that hé [the condeinnee] might consider accepting an unnamed sum exceeding $600,000. [504]*504During trial, attempts by the trial judge to effect settlement for a lesser sum were rejected by [Wolf]”.

As to the Commonwealth’s first argument the record does not disclose any testimony whatsoever as to what Wolf had demanded from the Commonwealth for these properties. If Wolf did make a demand or demands of any representative of the Commonwealth, why did the Commonwealth not call such representative to prove the nature of such demand or demands? The Commonwealth elected not to present such proof. In lieu thereof, the Commonwealth takes the position that, because the valuations placed by Wolf’s real estate experts were approximately $400,000 greater than the valuations placed by the Commonwealth’s experts, Wolf was bound by such valuations of his experts and the jury could have found that his demand or demands equated the valuations placed by the real estate experts and, therefore, were unreasonable and excessive. Springer, supra, completely and effectively shatters this argument (p. 569) : “Obviously, he [the owner] could not be found to have been exorbitant or unreasonable in his demands because of the valuations placed upon it [his properly] by the expert witnesses he produced at trial”. This phase of the Commonwealth’s argument is without merit.

The Commonwealth’s second argument is not only without merit but somewhat amazing. It is axiomatic that on appeal only that which appears of record is subject to argument by counsel or to consideration by the appellate court.

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

Related

Lang v. Commonwealth, Department of Transportation
135 A.3d 225 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2016)
In Re De Facto Condemnation & Taking of Lands of WBF Associates
903 A.2d 1192 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2006)
McCormick v. Allegheny General Hospital
527 A.2d 1028 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1987)
Commonwealth v. 21.1 Acres of Land
433 A.2d 915 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1981)
In Re Investigating Grand Jury, Etc.
433 A.2d 5 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1981)
Hay v. Commonwealth
21 Pa. D. & C.3d 567 (Somerset County Court of Common Pleas, 1980)
City of Erie v. Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
398 A.2d 1084 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1979)
Commonwealth v. Thomas
350 A.2d 847 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1976)
Specter v. Commonwealth
341 A.2d 481 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1975)
Rochester Carting Co. v. Levitt
326 N.E.2d 808 (New York Court of Appeals, 1975)
Commonwealth v. Young
317 A.2d 258 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)
Commonwealth v. BERGER
312 A.2d 100 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1973)
Township of Lower Allen v. Commonwealth
310 A.2d 90 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1973)
Tennessee Carolina Transportation, Inc. v. Strick Corp.
196 S.E.2d 711 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1973)
Hampden Township v. Brackbill
301 A.2d 420 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1973)
Smith v. Commissioner
59 T.C. 107 (U.S. Tax Court, 1972)
E. & F. CONSTRUCTION CO. v. Ives
242 A.2d 768 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1968)
Coyer v. Pennsylvania Department of Highways
43 Pa. D. & C.2d 317 (Mercer County Court of Common Pleas, 1967)
Interstate Cemetery Co. Appeal
222 A.2d 906 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1966)
Hammond v. State Roads Commission
217 A.2d 258 (Court of Appeals of Maryland, 1966)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
170 A.2d 557, 403 Pa. 499, 1961 Pa. LEXIS 492, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wolf-v-commonwealth-pa-1961.