New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Vicksburg & Memphis Railroad v. Brown
New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Vicksburg & Memphis Railroad v. Brown
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The verdict should have been set aside. There is nothing in the evidence to support it. The appellant did nothing but what it had the right to do, except the trivial and immaterial breaking over the line of its right of wáy at a few points, and for which no more than actual damages are recoverable, and the court should have told the jury so, and should not have submitted the question of punitive damages for its consideration. The plaintiff is not entitled to recover anything from the defendant fordoing what it had the right to do, no matter why it may have done it, and the effort to distort the declaration of O’Brien into evidence of malice should have been defeated by the court. Mr. Brown is not entitled to damages because of the unsightliness of his plantation, or its supposed unhealthiness from standing water, or the inconvenience of crossing over by reason of the pits made in the excavations on. the right of
For anything wrong or improper done by the railroad company to the injury of Mr. Brown he should recover, but for nothing else.
An unintentional, trivial, and insignificant trespass should not be made a pretext for fastening a responsibility for doing lawful acts. Actual damage done by some wrongful act of the railroad company is all that Mr'. Brown can recover for upon the case made by this record.
Without passing on the instructions in detail, some of which are wrong, we reverse the judgment, and remand the case for anew trial.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Vicksburg and Memphis Railroad Company v. J. H. Brown
- Cited By
- 9 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Raimioad Comp any. Right of way. Removal of dirt therefrom. Injury to landowner. Case in judgment. A railroad company caused to be condemned and paid for a right of way through B.’s plantation. In order to get dirt for use on other parts of its road, it caused excavations to be made, which formed pits in its right of way through B.’s premises. Held, that the railroad company had the right to use its right of way for such purpose, and B. cannot recover damages thereby occasioned on account of the unsightliness of his plantation or its supposed unhealthiness from water standing in the field, or the inconvenience of crossing over such right of way. 2. Same. Right of way. Trivial breaking over in making excavations. Measure of damages. And if in such case the railroad company in making the excavations accidentally or to a trivial extent broke over its right of way into B.’s land, B. is not entitled to punitive damages therefor but only to actual damages. 3. Same. Excavation of right of way. Evidence of malice. Case in judgment. And in such case proof that the foreman in the employ of the company who directed the work said that he intended “ to take enough of dirt out of that pit to overpay what had been assessed to B.,” in payment for such right of way over B.’s land, is no evidence of malice on the part of the company in making such excavations.