Meyer v. Plotner
Meyer v. Plotner
Opinion of the Court
Appellant sought to enjoin appellees from constructing a contemplated tile ditch upon the land of appellee Rosa Plotner, which would drain a portion of the same land that lay on the opposite side of a ridge or water-shed from that naturally drained by a public drain, into which the tile drain would find its outlet.
Briefly, the theory of appellant’s complaint is that a portion of appellee Rosa Plotner’s land intended to be drained by a proposed tile drain did not lie in the drainage area of the Meyer public drain, which had theretofore been constructed,' and that by so draining the portion of her land into the Meyer public drain that would not naturally drain therein, the public drain would be overtaxed, causing it to overflow, and the lands of appellant, which lie along the lower course of such public drain would be greatly injured to appellant’s irreparable damage. The relief sought by appellant was denied and judgment rendered against him from which he seeks relief by review in this court.
Numerous errors are assigned, which, however, can with convenience be disposed of under the errors assigned on the court’s conclusions of law rendered upon the facts specially found.
The special findings disclose, among other things, that the Meyer public drain was petitioned for by three petitioners, who alleged that their lands would be benefited by drainage, and could be best accomplished by a system of drainage designated as a main ditch and three tributaries, and to accomplish the drainage petitioned for, lands other than the petitioners’ would be affected, among which were fifty-three acres of land owned by appellee Rosa Plotner; that numerous highways would
The conclusions of law rendered on the facts found by the court, of which the foregoing is but a brief summary, authorized appellee Rosa Plotner to drain that portion of her land lying north of the water-shed into the Meyer drain, which, as we have seen, has its source south of the water-shed.
Section 2 of the drainage law of 1907 (Acts 1907 p. 508, §6141 Burns 1914), in reference to what the petition for drainage shall contain, provides, among other things, that “the petition shall describe in tracts of 40 acres according to fractions of government surveys, or less tracts when they exist,” etc. This provision of the statute was complied with, in that the real- estate of appellee Rosa Plotner was described in the petition as a
Among the causes for which a landowner may remonstrate, as provided by §4 of the act heretofore referred to (§6143 Burns 1914), are that the damages to a specified tract are exorbitant; that the lands are assessed too much as compared with other lands assessed, specifying the same; that other tracts, specifying the same, are assessed too low according to the benefits received; that the lands will not be benefited to the extent of the assessment. And in the collection of the assessment, §5 of the act heretofore referred to (§6144 Burns 1914) provides that of the assessments of benefits the party charged with the execution of the work shall collect pro rata such sums of money as may be necessary therefor, not exceeding the whole benefit so adjudged against any one tract.
It will be noted that where real estate is mentioned in the statute, in the examination of the lands ’ by the drainage commissioners, in a remonstrance against assessments, or the collection of assessments, that the statute deals with the land described as benefited. And the same is true as to the creation of the lien against
There is nothing in the report of the drainage commissioners, from the facts and circumstances as they existed at the time the report was made and confirmed, to disclose that the entire thirteen-acre tract was not considered as benefited. To the contrary the report of the drainage commissioners affirmatively shows that the thirteen-acre tract was considered as benefited and so assessed.
We are dealing with the drainage of land as a creature of the statute. The approval of the report of the drainage commissioners and the confirmation of the assessments created a lien against the entire tract of real estate assessed as benefited and owned by appellee Rosa Plotner. The fact that a part of her land would naturally drain in an opposite direction from that of the public drain for which she was assessed, or that she might, drain the same in another direction, or that when she completes the private drain in contemplation that the additional water carried into the public drain will crowd the capacity of it so as to cause it to overflow in a certain portion of the season, is not sufficient to deprive, her of the right in common with all other landowners assessed to share in the drainage.
At the time of the location and establishment of the Meyer public drain, the land appellee Rosa Plotner now seeks to drain into the same was, as is disclosed by the special finding of facts aforesaid, in need of better drainage, and which drainage can successfully be accomplished by draining the same to the south, the fall being ample and the elevation or water-shed not such as to require an unusual amount of labor is crossing the same.
This decision was rendered while the drainage law of 1881 was in force, which provides, among other things, as to the description of real estate that the same should be accurately described as it appeared upon the tax duplicate as to each parcel of land to be assessed for the construction of the drain giving the number of acres in each tract assessed, and the estimated number of acres benefited. (Our italics). There is nothing in the statute under consideration in this cause that requires that the estimated number of acres benefited be set forth in the report of the drainage commissioners as distinguished from the number of acres assessed, as the statute provides that the drainage commissioners should “assess the benefits or damage as the case may be to each separate tract of land to be affected thereby”. In this cause, as we have seen, appellee’s separate tract of thirteen acres was assessed as benefited. The language of the statute here under consideration being different from the statute construed in Drake v. Schoenstedt, supra, that case is readily distinguished from the case at bar, and is therefore not controlling. The report of the drainage commissioners discloses that the lands
It was held in Young v. Gentis (1893), 7 Ind. App. 199, 32 N. E. 796, in an action by a landowner whose lands were damaged by an unlawful diversion of a large quantity of water from its natural course into a public drain that: “Water falling or flowing by natural means upon lands assessed for the construction of a public ditch may be conducted into such ditch by means of lateral aqueducts, but this right does not extend to lands not assessed. Nor may one whose land has been assessed collect thereon by artificial means water from lands not assessed and discharge such water in any considerable quantities into the public ditch.”
In Williams v. Osborne (1913), 181 Ind. 670, 104 N. E. 27, it was held that, where a new drain followed in’ part the course of a public drain theretofore established, a failure to assess a part of the land for the construction of the new drain originally assessed for the old drain did not affect the right of such parties to drain their lands therein. It was said: “Here we have a case of lands originally assessed, under which they acquired a right of drainage, and the presumption is, that by not being again assessed, they were not benefited by the increase in the size of the drain, and those which needed a larger drain should be assessed for it, but the drain is there for all such drainage of appellant’s lands as they may require, within the assessed area.” It was further held in this same connection that after a public drain is established and constructed it is impressed with private rights in the nature of a perpetual easement as to the lands assessed.
Appellee’s entire thirteen-acre tract of real estate is within the assessed area and was assessed as benefited for the construction of the Meyer public drain, and under the facts as they come to us in this cause ap
There is no error in the record calling for a reversal. Judgment affirmed.
Note. — Reported in 112 N. E. 901. Drains: lands subject to inclusion in a drainage district, Ann. Cas. 1915C 14. See under (2) 14 Cyc 1045.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.