Chicago & Alton Railroad v. Goodwin

Illinois Supreme Court
Chicago & Alton Railroad v. Goodwin, 111 Ill. 273 (Ill. 1884)
Dickey

Chicago & Alton Railroad v. Goodwin

Opinion of the Court

Mr. Justice Dickey

delivered the opinion of the Court:

We think that the instructions given do not properly state the law applicable to the facts of this case. William Goodwin, as tenant for life of this land, might make or allow any use of it he saw fit, during his life, provided no injury was done to the inheritance. Appellees, as remainder-men, dur-. ing the existence of the life estate had the right only to prevent the commission of waste. The evidence showing that the railroad track, as originally constructed, did no injury to the premises, appellees had no lawful power to prevent the construction of the road under the license of the tenant for life. The original entry, as to them, could not have been a trespass, for the reason they then had not even a right to possession. As has been said: “An original entry by the consent of the tenant for life, is lawful, and will not subject the party entering, to an action of ejectment on the part of the remainder-man, although damages have not been paid. Other remedies must be sought. ” Mills on Eminent Domain, sec. 142; Austin v. Rutland R. R. Co. 45 Vt. 142.

By instruction No. 2, the jury are told that if the entry upon the land was made without any license from the defendants, or from one having legal power and authority to give such license or permission, such entry, etc., was a trespass, and that the structures, placed upon the land became a part of the realty, and inseparable from it. By instruction No. 4, the jury were told that the life tenant had no power or authority to give such license. These instructions should not have been given in a ease like the present. It does not necessarily and invariably follow that structures, or even buildings, placed by one person on the land of another become a part of the real estate. When they are trade fixtures, they are regarded as personal property. So a house erectéd upon the land of another, under an agreement that it shall belong to the builder, is personal property. (Matzon v. Griffin, 78 Ill. 477; Curtiss v. Hoyt, 19 Conn. 165; Wells v. Bannister, 4 Mass. 514; 2 Am. Leading Cases, 747.) If a man erects a house upon the land of another with his consent, it will, if "the builder has no title to the land, be the personal property of the builder. 1 Washburn on Real Prop. p. 2, sec. 4; Aldrich v. Parsons, 6 N. H. 555; Dame v. Dame, 38 id. 439; Osgood v. Howard, 6 Greenlf. 452; Ashmun v. Williams, 8 Pick. 462; Doty v. Gorham, 5 id. 487; Rogers v. Woodbury, 15 id. 156; Mott v. Palmer, 1 Conn. 571; Hinckley v. Baxter, 13 Allen, 139. And it will so remain, though the land owner convey the land, and the owner of the building convey that, if to different persons. Ham v. Kendall, 111 Mass. 298.

If a person enters the land of another without permission, and places a building or other structure thereon, permanently attached to the soil, he will be a trespasser, and the building or structure will become part and parcel of the land, and will be the property of the land owner. In such case, the builder acquires no rights by his tortious acts. But here there was no trespass, because the entry upon the land was with the express consent of one having the right to give it, and all the subsequent acts were done without objection, and before any steps were taken to dispossess the plaintiff or the corporation which it succeeded. Even if the entry had been without license or permission of any one authorized to grant the same, so that it was a trespass at the time, the law would not require the railroad company, in seeking a condemnation of the land so entered upon for a right of way, to pay the owner of the land for structures placed upon it at its own expense, with a view of subsequently acquiring the right of ivay. As sustaining these views, see Greve v. First Division St. Paul and Pacific R. R. Co. 26 Minn. 66; Morgan’s Appeal, 89 Mich. 675; Toledo, Ann Arbor and Grand Trunk R. R. Co. v. Dunlap et al. 47 id. 456; Lyon et ux. v. Green Bay Ry. Co. 42 Wis. 538; Justice v. Nesquehoning Valley R. R. Co. 87 Pa. St. 28; California P. R. R. Co. v. Armstrong, 46 Cal. 85.

In a proceeding of this kind, to Condemn land for a right of way, the land owner can not recover damages for a prior trespass by entering upon his premises. Lafayette, Bloomington and Mississippi R. R. Co. v. Winslow, 66 Ill. 219.

That the land owner whose land is condemned can not recover, in addition to the value of the land taken, the value of improvements put upon the same by the party seeking a condemnation, reference has been made to the following other cases: Baker v. Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific R. R. Co. 57 Mo. 265 ; Dietrich v. Murdock, 42 id. 279; Blesch v. Chicago R. R. Co. 43 Wis. 195; Mississippi R. R. Co. v. Devaney, 42 Miss. 602; Robbins v. Milwaukee R. R. Co. 60 Maine, 290; Sema R. and D. R. R. Co. v. Camp, 45 Ga. 180; Harvey v. Lackawanna and B. R. R. Co. 47 Pa. St. 428; East Pennsylvania R. R. Co. v. Hottenstine, id. 28 ; White Water Valley R. R. Co. v. McClure, 29 Ind. 536; Greenville R. R. Co. v. Munnamaker, 4 Rich. L. 107 ; McAuley v. Western Vermont R. R. Co. 33 Vt. 311; State v. Gulf Ry. Co. 3 Rob. (La.) 513. The “just compensation” required to be given, is for that which is taken from the owner, and which is of value to him, and not for something he never owned.

The third instruction given for the defendants is further erroneous in directing the jury to allow the defendants, as compensation for the structures placed upon the land, what such property was reasonably worth for the purpose for which it was intended, although of no practical value to defendants in connection with their farm. The compensation which the law requires to be made is that which is “just.” This means that the sum allowed and paid the owner whose property is taken, shall be equivalent to the value of that of which he has been deprived. It would be unjust to allow him more than will compensate his loss. It would seem, at first blush, to be highly inequitable to allow him for a railroad track over his land, not built by him, including embankments, at its cost or value to a railway company owning a franchise to use the same for railroad purposes, when to him it is of no practical value.

For the reasons indicated, the judgment of the county court of Will county is reversed, and the cause remanded for further proceedings according to law.

Judgment reversed.

Reference

Full Case Name
The Chicago and Alton Railroad Company v. Hiram Goodwin
Cited By
28 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
1. Life estate — power of tenant for life over estate. A person having an estate for life in land may make or allow any use of it he sees fit during his life, provided no injury is done to the inheritance. The remainder-man, during the existence of the life estate, has the right only to prevent the commission of waste. 2. Trespass — entry under license of tenant for life. The entry upon premises by a railway company, and the construction of a railroad over the same, which is no injury to the inheritance, under the verbal license of the tenant for life, is not a trespass or an unlawful entry. Such entry will not subject the party so entering to either an action of trespass or ejectment on the part of the remainder-man. 3. Real and personal estate — buildings and structures — when real and when personal estate. It does not necessarily follow that structures, or even buildings, placed by one person on the land of another, become a part of the real estate. When they are trade fixtures they are regarded as personal property. So a house erected upon the land of another, under an agreement that it shall belong to the builder, is personal property. 4. If, however, a person enters upon the land of another without permission, and places a building or other structure thereon permanently attached to the soil, he will be a trespasser, and the building or structure will become a part and parcel of the land, and will be the property of the land owner. In such case the builder acquires no right by his tortious act. 5. Eminent domain — measure of damages — compensation for structures put on land by railroad company itself. Where a railway company, under license of the life tenant, enters upon land and constructs its road over the same, with costly embankments, and enjoys the use of the same without objection, on an application by the company, after the termination of the life estate, to condemn a strip of land on which such road and structures are built, for a right of way, the law will not require it to pay the owner of the land for the structures so placed upon the same at its own expense. The land owner will have no right to compensation for such structures, they not being his property. 6. A railway company seeking a condemnation of land for a right of way already occupied by it, is not required by law to pay the land owner for structures placed upon the land at its own expense, with a view of subsequently acquiring the right of way, even though its original entry may have been without license, or tortious. 7. So in a proceeding by a railroad company to condemn' a strip of land for right of way then and previously occupied by it, and upon which strip of land the company had before constructed its road, consisting of costly embankments and structures, the court instructed the jury that in estimating the compensation of the owner of the land they should consider the whole property, including all the structures upon it, as well as the soil to which they were affixed, and award such sum as compensation to the defendants as said property was reasonably worih for the purpose for which it was intended, although of no practical value to the defendants in connection with their farm: Held, that the instruction was erroneous, as requiring more than a just compensation.