Miami Conservancy District v. Bowers
Miami Conservancy District v. Bowers
Opinion of the Court
This is a proceeding in appropriation under the conservancy act. Upon the trial of the case in the common pleas court it was held that (1) a verdict could be rendered upon a concurrence of three-fourths of the members of the jury; (2) jury fees may be taxed as part of the costs in the case; and (3) the market value of the land to be taken should be determined as of the time of trial and not as of the date of the confirmation of the appraisement by the conservancy court. The court of appeals affirmed the common pleas.
1. The verdict in this case was rendered upon the concurrence of all the jurors, hence there was no prejudice to the plaintiff in error by reason of the instruction with reference thereto. This ques
2. By the provisions of- Section 6828-34, General Code, being a portion of the conservancy act, condemnation proceedings instituted as therein authorized, are required to conform to the provisions of the statute regulating appropriation by other than municipal corporations, and in such appropriation proceedings Section 11089, General Code, authorizes the taxing of costs, including jury fees, against the corporation. Detroit Southern Rd. Co. v. Commissioners, 71 Ohio St., 454.
The general provisions of Section 11091, General Code, do not overcome or modify the specific terms of Section 6828-34, General Code. Therefore, in such case jury fees were properly taxable as costs against the plaintiff in error.
3. Section 19, Article I of the Ohio Constitution, provides that “Private property shall ever be held inviolate, but subservient to the public welfare. * * * Where private property shall be taken for -public use, a compensation therefor shall first be made in money, or first secured by a deposit of money; and such compensation shall be assessed by a jury, without deduction for benefits to any property of the owner.”
Under such provision, before private property can be “taken,” compensation must “first” be-made or secured and such compensation shall be assessed by a jury. Any act of the legislature inconsistent with such constitutional provision would, of course,
It is clear, therefore, that the action of the trial court, holding that the “taking” of said property did not occur on July 30, 1917, the date of the confirmation of the appraisement by the conservancy court, was correct, and, hence, the court properly excluded evidence of market value of the property as of that date and permitted evidence of market value only as of the time of the trial.
The judgment of the court of appeals affirming the court of common pleas is affirmed.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The Miami Conservancy District v. Bowers
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Conservancy act — Condemnation proceedings — Verdict by three-fourths of jury — Jury fees taxed, how — Market value of land determined, how — Sections 6828-34, 11046, 11089 and 11091, General Code — Section 19, Article I, Constitution.