McDaniel v. City of Cherryvale
McDaniel v. City of Cherryvale
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This was an action to recover for permanent injuries to the plaintiff’s land caused- by the pollution of Drum creek which ran through the land. Drum creek, in its natural state, it was alleged, was a stream of good wholesome water, suitable for live stock and also for culinary and domestic purposes, and was used for such purposes by the plaintiff, James McDaniel, until it became polluted. It was alleged that in 1905 the city of Cherryvale constructed a system of sewers through which sewage was discharged into Drum creek, thus polluting the water and rendering plaintiff’s home unhealthful and an unfit place in which to live. It was also alleged that in the same year the Uncle Sam Oil Company constructed an oil refinery near the creek and discharged into it waste water,- refuse, oils, acids and other impurities, which contributed to pollute the stream. It was-further alleged that the defendants concurrently discharged sewage, refuse and filth, and that by the concurrent and chemical action of the impurities the creek was polluted and its usefulness to plaintiff destroyed; that it contaminated his premises and damaged and depreciated the market value of his land to the extent of $6000. It was also averred that because of rains the stream was swollen a great part of the time from the construction of the sewer system and the erection of the refinery until 1909, and that so long as the volume of water was large the impurities thrown by the defendants in the stream did not settle or accumu
It is first contended that there was an improper joinder of causes of action against the defendants and that the plaintiff failed to set forth a joint liability against both defendants. The petition charged both defendants with wrongfully polluting the stream and that it was done by their concurrent action. This averment brings the case within the rule which has been applied in this state, that if two or more persons by their concurrent wrongdoing cause injury to a third they are jointly, and severaly liable and the injured party may, at his option, institute an action and recover against one or all of those contributing to the injury. (Kansas City v. Slangstrom, 53 Kan. 431, 36
The principal question presented in this appeal is whether or not the cause of action on which a recovery was had was barred by the statute of limitations. The plaintiff, as we have seen, did not sue for a temporary injury or for any special damage or loss which he had sustained immediately before the bringing of the action, but he treated the injury as a permanent one and as a sort of an appropriation of an interest in his property and asked for all damages already sustained and which he might sustain in the future. He could have elected to have sued for temporary damages sustained within the statutory period preceding the bringing of the action, and for any subsequent injury or loss an additional action might have been brought. He chose, however, to treat the injury as permanent in character and brought a single action to recover for all present and prospective damages to his land. As the sewer system constructed by the city and the refinery constructed by the oil company were permanent in their nature and as the flow of the sewage and refuse from them was designed to continue indefinitely in the future a cause of action for permanent damages arose when the sewage and other impurities were first emptied into the stream. As the effect of the discharge of the sewage and the refuse in the stream could have been ascertained with reasonable certainty and as the stream was polluted to a certain extent when the discharges were thrown into the stream plaintiff could have brought an action for permanent damages at the beginning, and it is settled that “whenever one person may sue another a cause of action has accrued and the statute begins to rim.’’ (25 Cyc. 1066.) The plaintiff chose a remedy for permanent injury and is bound by the limitations which
“The plaintiff has chosen to consider the obstruction of the alley as a permanent injury to his lots, as a quasi condemnation and permanent taking and appropriation of a certain interest in his property; and he can therefore recover merely for the consequent' depreciation in value of his property by reason of such permanent injury, by reason of such permanent taking and appropriation, by reason of such quasi condemnation. He had the privilege to consider the obstruction of the alley as only a temporary injury, and to have sued for any special or temporary damage which might have occurred at any time by reason of the obstruction.” (p. 710.)
So here, the plaintiff elected to ask for damages for a permanent injury or an appropriation of a certain interest in his land, and such an action he was entitled to bring when the impurities were thrown into the stream in 1905. In W. & W. Rld. Co. v. Fechheimer, 36 Kan. 45, 12 Pac. 362, the railroad company trespassed upon the lands and rights of an owner by building thereon a structure of a permanent character without, the consent of the owner or the making of compensation, and it was held that the owner was at liberty to pursue any one of several remedies, and that when the structure was permanent in its nature, as in that case, he might elect to bring an action for a permanent appropriation and injury. In Hubbard v. Power Co., 89 Kan. 446, 131 Pac. 1182, the land of an owner was. flooded and injured by the erection of a dam which was permanent in its character, and it was held that the owner who had not been compensated for the injury might, if he saw fit, maintain an action to recover all damages, present and prospective, and that such a cause of action accrued .when the appropriation was first made. (See, also, L. N. & S. Rly. Co. v. Curtan, 51 Kan. 432, 33 Pac. 297; Brock v. Francis, 89 Kan. 463, 131 Pac. 1179.)
It follows that the judgment must be reversed, and the cause remanded with directions to enter judgment in favor of the appellants.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- James McDaniel v. The City of Cherryvale
- Cited By
- 56 cases
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- Published
- Syllabus
- SYLLABUS BY THE COURT. 1. Pollution op Stream — Concurrent Wrongdoers — Liability— Joint and Several. When two or more persons, by their concurrent action, pollute a stream to the injury of another through whose land the stream flows, they are jointly and severally liable for the wrongdoing, and the injured party may, at his eption, institute an action and recover against one or all of those contributing to his injury. 2. Pollution of Stream — City Sewer — Refuse from Oil Refinery — Limitation of Actions. A city built a sewer system and discharged sewage into a creek, and about the same time another party built an oil refinery and drained waste water, acids, oils and other impurities into the same stream. The impurities deposited in the stream from these sources polluted the water to some extent at the beginning and injuriously affected an owner’s land through which the stream flowed. There was little injury to the land when the rains were abundant and the volume of water in the stream was large, but when the rains diminished and there was little water in the stream the injurious effect’ of the sewage and impurities cast into the stream was greatly increased. More than two years after the sewer system and refinery were built and in operation the landowner brought an action for permanent damages resulting from the pollution of the stream. Held, that as the sewer system and refinery were, in their, nature, design and use, permanent structures and their operation was necessarily a constant and continuous injury to the owner’s land his cause of action for permanent damages accrued when the sewage and impurities were first deposited in the stream, and not having been brought within two years from that time his action was barred.