Boardman Township v. Boardman Supply, Unpublished Decision (1-23-2001)
Boardman Township v. Boardman Supply, Unpublished Decision (1-23-2001)
Opinion of the Court
The jury determined that appellee would not be compensated for the easement rights that were appropriated, essentially finding that the easement property was worthless. However, the jury awarded appellee $112,800 for damage to the residue. The trial court entered a judgment upon such verdict. Appellant filed a motion for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict or, in the alternative, a new trial. The trial court overruled appellant's motion. This appeal followed.
"THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW BY REFUSING TO GRANT THE PARK DISTRICT'S MOTION FOR JUDGMENT NOTWITHSTANDING THE VERDICT OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, FOR A NEW TRIAL WHEN THE JURY'S VERDICT WAS INHERENTLY UNSUPPORTABLE."
At the hearing, Handel testified that the easement property had no value to a third party. He did not claim that the land had no value to appellee. Conversely, J. Robert Lyden, a civil engineer, testified that appellee used the easement property for the storage of aggregate. (Tr. 210). McManus testified that in situations where someone owns easement rights in a tract of land adjacent to their own, they can make use of the easement property while others, without abutting land, could not. (Tr. 281). He explained that the easement property could be used for parking, storage and other supporting activities so that the owner of the easement rights could maximize the use of the neighboring land that they owned. (Tr. 281). He concluded that the loss of the easement caused a 5% reduction in the value of appellee's abutting land. That amount was $112,800. Appellant has provided no evidence that appellee's residue land maintained its value after the appropriation of the easement rights. For the easement property, the jury was presented with appellant's contention that the property was worthless and appellee's contention that the property was worth $881,000. They determined that appellant's valuation of the land was better. However, with respect to the damage to the residue, the jury was only presented with appellee's assertion that the loss amounted to $112,800. This figure was uncontroverted by appellee. The jury determined that this amount represented appellee's loss. Given the fact that appellee used the easement property for storage, reasonable minds could conclude that the appropriation of the otherwise worthless property caused a loss to the residue. As such, appellant's first assignment of error is without merit.
"THE TRIAL COURT ERRED AS A MATTER OF LAW BY REFUSING TO GRANT THE PARK DISTRICT'S MOTION FOR JUDGMENT NOTWITHSTANDING THE VERDICT OR, IN ALTERNATIVE (sic), FOR A NEW TRIAL WHEN NO COMPETENT EVIDENCE WAS PRESENTED IN SUPPORT OF THE DEFENDANT-APPELLEE'S CLAIM FOR DAMAGES."
Appellant claims that the testimony concerning damages given by McManus could not support the jury's award. Damages to the residue are calculated by deducting the fair market value of the property after the taking from the fair market value of the property prior to the taking. Bd. of LucasCty. Commrs. v. Mockensturm (1997),
Appellant notes that McManus testified that he determined the fair market value of the property by using a "comparable sales approach." (Tr. 258). It contends that McManus acknowledged that there were no sales comparable to this one. As such, appellant insists that the jury's verdict was against the manifest weight of the evidence. We disagree.
While McManus testified that it would be very difficult to locate property with attributes identical to the property in this case, he explained that he used similar properties and made adjustments for the differences. In determining the value, McManus relied on six similar sales within the vicinity. For each sale, he calculated the price per acre of land. He then made adjustments for differences among the properties such as location, condition and easements. Using this approach, he concluded that the easement property was worth $881,000. He testified that appellee's property was worth $2,256,000 before the appropriation. Adjusting for the lost rights in the easement property, he claimed that appellee's property was worth $2,143,200. The difference between the two numbers is $112,800.
We must affirm the trial court's judgment if it is supported by some competent, credible evidence going to all the material elements of the case. Gerijo, Inc. v. City of Fairfield (1994),
Additionally, appellant argues that McManus improperly calculated the damages. However, appellant failed to object to McManus' testimony. A failure to object to evidence at trial constitutes a waiver of any challenge to its admission. Gollihue v. Consolidated Rail Corp. (1997),
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the trial court is hereby affirmed.
Donofrio, J., concurs, Waite, J., concurs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.