Lancaster v. Leaman
Lancaster v. Leaman
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
Article 8, ch. 76, Kentucky Statutes, provides a system for tlie drainage of lands, when the same will be, conducive to the public health, convenience, or welfare, or when the same shall be of public or private benefit or utility. It may be here added that this court, in Duke, &c. v. O’Bryan, &c., 100 Ky., 710, [39 S. W., 444], held the act in violation of the Constitution, in so far as it attempts the authorized drainage or construction because of private benefit solely. The appellants, Miles Lancaster and others, landowners, whose lands would be liable for part of the expense of the proposed ditch, by petition asked the court to appoint viewers, which was done. The viewers met as required by law, surveyed and located the line of the proposed ditch as contemplated by the petition, and filed their report, in which they stated that the construction of the ditch would be conducive to the public health and would be a public benefit. The ditch which they recommended to be constructed was to begin at a point on John Brown’s
Section 2391, Kentucky Statutes, reads as follows: “Such reviewers shall meet at the time and place mentioned in the order issued to them by the clerk, and proceed to review the action and report of the viewers, as well as the entire premises through which the proposed work extends, and shall be vested with all powers granted to the viewers originally, except that if they find the proposed work of public or private benefit or utility, they shall not change the line of the ditch, as located by the viewers, at any other place or places than those complained of in the remonstrance, and then only far enough to do justice to the party remonstrating. . . .”
The power is conferred upon the reviewers to review the action and report of the viewers, as well as the entire premises through which the proposed work extends. If they find the work to be of public benefit, they may change the line of the ditch, as located by the viewers, at the place or places complained of “in the remonstrance, and then only far enough to do justice to the party remonstrating.” The report of the reviewers agreed with that of the viewers as to the necessity of draining the lands through which the proposed ditch was to extend. They agreed with the viewers that it was a public benefit to have the ditch running from the beginning point on the lands of John Brown to Katy Meadows’ ditch, differing only as to where it should be located through the lands of Miles Lancaster.
Under section 2389, Kentucky Statutes, if the viewers re
The reviewers had the right to make the change in the location in accordance with the remonstrance. Therefore it was a compliance with the provisions of the act. When this is the case, under that section, it is made the duty of th.e court to establish the ditch as described in the report of the viewers, as the same is sustained, corrected or changed in the report of the reviewers. The report of the reviewers sustained the report of the viewers as to the location of the ditch from the beginning point to station 79, and changed the report of the viewers from that station to the terminus of the line in accordance with the remonstrance.
WTe are of the opinion that both the viewers and reviewers report that the ditch from the beginning point on John Brown’s land to Katy Meadows’ ditch was of public benefit. This being the case, the petitioners had a standing in court; and we are of the opinion that the court should have permitted the remonstrance to be filed to the report of the reviewers and heard and adjudged the question raised by it, as well as on the whole case. The remonstrance to the reviewers’ report was simply in the nature of an exception to it, and raised a question for the court to determine. When the viewers had reported that the proposed ditch was not a public benefit, the court seemed to be without power to proceed further in the
The circuit court seems to have taken the same view of the law as did the county court, and, from the conclusion we have reached, the court was in error.
The judgment is reversed for proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.