Luisa Arcelay v. Sánchez Martínez
Luisa Arcelay v. Sánchez Martínez
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
This litigation was commenced by virtue of a complaint which alleged, briefly, that plaintiff is the owner of a house situated in a residential district of the city of Mayagüez, and that adjacent thereto defendant has installed a plant for the pasteurization and sale of milk, where industrial and commercial activities are carried on which are seriously
Defendant contends in the first assignment that the lower court erred “in sustaining the complaint without sufficient evidence.” We cannot agree with such contention. .According to the findings of fact, which are the basis for ithe judgment, plaintiff’s house was erected in 1940 “and .from that time until June 1950, with the exception of 1944 and early part of 1945, when she leased it to several Coast Guard officers, she has occupied and lived in it with her old mother and a foster child. The property has a value ranging from $25,000 to $30,000. At the time plaintiff constructed her house.. .the place was almost exclusively residential. However, several businesses have been established in the vicinity since 1939: an establishment for the sale of radios and electrical appliances, a woman’s beauty parlor, a jewelry shop, an embroidery shop, a grocery store. The .market place of the city is located at a distance of 65 meters. Notwithstanding the existence of these commercial establishments, the neighborhood is predominantly residential. The
In finding of fact No. 4, the trial court describes the manner in which the activities are conducted in defendant’s plant, as well as the disturbance, inconveniences, and damages caused to plaintiff by reason thereof,
The evidence introduced and believed by the lower court fully warrants the pronouncement made in the judgment, in the sense “that the manner in which defendant’s plant for the pasteurization of milk and sale of that product... is operated, is a disturbance or nuisance which interferes with plaintiff’s free enjoyment of her property...; that she has the right to have such nuisance abated and permanently removed,” and that therefore there is no reason for reversing the judgment on the ground adduced. Higgins v. Decorah Produce Co. et al., 242 N. W. 109 (Iowa); Mitchel v. Flynn Dairy Co., 151 N. W. 434 (Iowa); Kobielski v. Belle Isle East Side Creamery Co., 193 N. W. 214 (Mich.); Danberman v. Grant, 246 Pae. 319 (Cal.); Judson v. Los Angeles Suburban Gas Co., 106 Pac. 581 (Cal.); Stevens v. Rockport Granite Co., 104 N. E. 371 (Mass.). We have given careful consideration to defendant’s arguments in support of his assignment of error allegedly committed by the lower court, and find that they are without merit.
Defendant alleges that plaintiff’s house is not located in a residential district, relying mainly on the fact that the market place of the city of Mayagüez is located there. The court expressed the view, as has been seen, that, notwithstanding this and the fact that several businesses have
The findings of the lower court show beyond question that defendant’s venture, legal in itself, has become a nuisance because of the way it is carried on, bearing in mind the right which plaintiff also has to the free and comfortable enjoyment of her property, thereby causing damages greater than she ought to be required to bear by reason of the vicinity where she resides.
In situations such as this, the decision of whether or not the use of his property is reasonable, bearing in mind the right of the other person to enjoy his, is always a fundamental question. The judicial decisions state with clarity the principle that there are no fixed rules'or norms for making, a determination, and that the solution of the problem necessarily depends on the factors present in each case, as for example, the locality, nature, usefulness, and value of the use involved in the controversy, and the extent and nature of. the damage, the nature, usefulness, and social value of the damaged use. If we take all such factors at their face value, we reiterate that the defendant maintains a nuisance which impairs the rights of plaintiff; and this is so whether we consider the district where the former’s business is located as predominantly residential, as decided by the trial court, or as a hybrid, commercial, and residential district, which is at the most the conclusion that can be reached, viewing the situation in the light most favorable to him.
Defendant’s evident purpose is that we take into consideration, as an element adverse to the moving party, the fact that the latter is an “outstanding industrial business woman,” owner of an “impressive modern structure” devoted to residence. The provisions of § 277 of the Code of Civil Procedure exist for the benefit of rich and poor, both of whom are equally entitled to the protection of the- law. The circumstances mentioned by the defendant do not warrant the exclusion of plaintiff from the ambit and sphere of justice, compelling her to bear and tolerate, without any protection, the injury caused by the former in making exceptional and' undue use of his plant and business. It would be tragic indeed if the right to the comfortable use and enjoyment of the property was made to depend on the economic situation of the parties. We know of no principle which may be invoked to sanction a nuisance because of the fact that the person bearing its injurious effects is well-to-do, or is wealthier than the responsible party. The law does not favor absurdity. The principles with which we are familiar, which are absolutely indispensable for living in a community and for the coexistence of mutual rights and interests, are those set forth in this opinion, summarized in the following doctrine, frequently and repeatedly sanctioned in judicial precedents: “The owner of a property has the right to devote it to any licit purpose which does not constitute a nuisance per
It is admitted that plaintiff '‘has the right to the comfortable enjoyment of life, as provided in the statute” — the defendant undoubtedly refers to § 277, supra — but he next argues “that the spirit underlying that legal precept has been repealed by the reality in which this country is living.” The “reality” is that our legislation grants that right, which defendant acknowledges to the moving party on the one hand and denies it on the other, and that it affords remedies to prevent its unlawful injury or infringement, without which such right would have no practical value. The principle consecrated in the provisions of that section, by its nature and purpose, cannot be obsolete, as erroneously contended, and it certainly is not hostile to industrial progress and development.
It is contended in the second assignment that it was error not to give credit to the defense of laches, one of the defenses adduced in the answer.
In the findings of fact the court found as proved that, “upon expiration of the lease contract with the National Guard, plaintiff reoccupied her house early in 1945 and began to notice the noises coming from defendant’s business,” and that plaintiff,” who is a friend of the defendant and his family, spoke to him about them and he promised to abate them through improvements in the business and change in the hours for commencing and terminating his activities. As stated above, the defendant did improve and enlarge greatly his establishment. He converted it from a small milk stand
The question of laches raised by the defendant was to be determined by the sound discretion of the trial court. Brown v. County of Buena Vista, 95 U. S. 157; Laursen v. O’Brien, 90 F. 2d 792. There was no abuse of discretion in concluding that it was without merit. In view of the findings, it would have been manifestly unfair to recognize any. Furthermore, since the action sought to abate a nuisance continuing and gradual in character, the defense is not a good one. Coll v. Biascoechea, 52 P.R.R. 729; E. W. Face & Son v. Cherry et at., 84 S. E. 10 (Va.); Smith v. City of Jefferson et al., 142 N. W. 220 (Iowa).
Defendant contends in the third assignment that the court erred in overruling the defense of estoppel. This was bound to fail for the same reasons which justified the overruling of the defense of laches.
It is contended in the fourth assignment that it was error “not to apply the rule of prescription...”
In Colls v. Municipality of Lares, 23 P.R.R. 805, we held,' quoting from the headnote, that “Under sections 1869 and 1803 of the Revised Civil Code an action against a municipality for damages arising from the construction of an alleged nuisance, consisting of a sewer, retaining wall and embankment built in order to open and grade a street, prescribes in one year in the absence of proof of damages resulting from the continuing nuisance.” (Italics ours.)
. Defendant’s contention is that the principle announced in Capella v. Carreras, supra, in overruling the defense of
We are fully aware that the judicial decisions bearing on the question raised in the assignment are at variance, but we have subscribed to the doctrine announced in Capella v. Carreras, supra, which is indorsed by respectworthy precedents.-Werger v. St. Louis & N.O.R. Co., 35 La. Ann. 645; Di Carlo v. Laundry & Dry Cleaning Service, 152 So. 327 (La.); McCoy v. Arkansas Natural Gas Co., 165 So. 632 (La.); Devoke v. Yazoo & M. V. R. Co., supra; Rowe v. Gatke Corporation, 126 F. 2d 61. Unless it is shown that that doctrine is erroneous, there is no reason to repudiate it, and it has not been shown that it is.
In view of our conclusion on the fourth assignment, we need not consider the error alleged in the fifth assignment as committed by the trial court, in awarding the sum of $2,500 for damages.
Appellant is wrong in maintaining, as he does in the sixth assignment, that he should not have been ordered to pay attorney’s fees.
In the seventh and last assignment he assails the denial of the motion for reconsideration. In the judgment, as already stated, it was held that plaintiff had a right to have the nuisance abated and removed, and to that end the defendant was ordered to cease all activities in his pasteurization plant and milk business “at 6 p.m. every day of the week, and not to resume them until 6 a.m. of the following morning,” and to perform the construction and adopt the
Defendant contended that the measures ordered to be taken for the purpose of abating the nuisance were impracticable, oppressive, and onerous, praying for leave to produce ■ evidence to prove it. He adduced several grounds in support of that assertion. We will refer briefly to some of them.
Objection was raised to the order prohibiting all industrial or business activities after 6 p.m., on the ground that it included “all kinds of transactions, such as simple operations involving the sale of milk which are carried on without
Regarding the works to be constructed in the pasteurization plant, defendant’s contention is that they could not be carried out “without the advice or intervention of the Department of Health officers and the plans required to be submitted to the Plannning Board and the Permit Board, which in no case could be done within the period of 30 days” fixed in the judgment for compliance therewith. He maintains that the measures regarding the smoke stacks were unnecessary, and that the other works could not be carried out.
After making the exception that he was not waiving “any right which he may have to assert against the judgment,” and “only for the purpose of imparting justice in the instant case,” the defendant urged that the judgment be amended as follows: “Striking out the prohibition to transact mercantile operations in defendant’s plant between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.”; “Extending the period for carrying on industrial operations until 9 p.m.”; “In lieu of the alterations required to be made within the plant premises .. ., to permit . . . the construction of a wall of a height to be determined by the court and provided with insulating material,” in order to prevent “the alleged noise coming from defend
The lower court denied reconsideration refusing to grant the leave requested by defendant to introduce the evidence. It made clear, however, that the judgment did not bar “the adoption of measures for the conservation of the product and cleaning of the plant during the hours in which it is forbidden to engage in any industrial and/or commercial activity .. .,” indicating that “among the measures for the conservation of the product is clearly included the operation of the cold storage and refrigerators for the preservation of the milk before or after it is pasteurized.” Regarding other measures comprised in the judgment, it indicated that “they are the minimum measures that the defendant is required to fulfill and observe according to the evidence submitted.” Referring to the argument that the works could not be carried out without the approval of third parties or entities, it decided correctly that that circumstance should not prejudice plaintiff’s right, citing the decision in Kobielski v. Belle Isle West Side Creamery Co., supra; and, regarding the period to effectuate them, it decided that, on motion of the defendant and previous justification of the need, “a reasonable period of time would be granted to effectuate the works which cannot be performed during the thirty-day period fixed in the judgment.”
In the findings of fact the court stated that “the evidence shows beyond any doubt that defendant’s business —pasteurization and sale of milk— can be operated and exploited only in the hours of the day, namely, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., without impairment or prejudice thereto. The noise and other annoyances to plaintiff and other neighbors in the use and enjoyment of their respective homes would thus be abated. Defendant himself admitted in his statement that with the equipment he now has the pasteurization work can be performed between 12 noon and 6 p.m., that is, during
Our action would be arbitrary if we were to disturb, without any basis or justification, the conclusion of the trier respecting the measures to be taken and works to be performed, for the purpose of remedying the wrong rightly complained of by the moving party. To hold that it made undue use of its discretion in denying reconsideration, thereby upholding the pronouncements in the judgment, would also be arbitrary.
While defendant-appellant, feeling aggrieved by the judgment, maintains that the same should be reversed or modified in its entirety, plaintiff-appellant contends in the first of the three assignments on which her appeal is grounded that the court erred “in concluding that in view of the findings, an order entirely suppressing and eliminating defendant’s pasteurization business and other subsidiaries, did not lie ... ” That court held that it was not a question of a nuisance per se, and that the nuisance exists because of the manner in which defendant’s industrial and commercial activities are conducted, and that plaintiff has a right to demand that the nuisance “cease and be removed permanently” by the means set forth in the judgment, which in the opinion of the court will eliminate in part and abate in any event the disturbances, annoyances, and inconveniences which defendant is causing to plaintiff. Plaintiff believes that it is absurd, on the one hand, to recognize her right to demand the abatement and removal of such nuisance, and, on the other hand, to hold “that the pasteurization
We find no inconsistency in the holding that appellant has the right to demand the abatement of the nuisance, and yet that the absolute termination of the venture is not in order. We believe the court’s action was wise and correct, thereby applying and recognizing juridical rules and norms which have been and are sanctioned by a great majority of judicial precedents, refusing to adopt a drastic measure wholly eliminating a venture licit by itself, both by its nature and by its situs, granting, however, to the plaintiff adequate relief to put an end to the nuisance by the suppression of its causes.
In holding that plaintiff has the right to have the nuisance abated, rendering judgment with the pronouncements necessary to achieve it, the court did in fact decide that, once the measures are taken and the works performed, such objective will have been achieved, and that the disturbances, inconveniences, and annoyances which plaintiff may have to accept will not arise from a nuisance, within the judicial meaning of the term, but from the normal use of the property, which she is compelled to tolerate. Prosser on Torts, p. 582. In other words, the ruling is grounded on the principle that in a situation like the one in the case at bar, taking all present and relevant factors for their worth, neither party may deprive the other of the normal use of its property, both being under the duty to make concessions in order
In the second assignment plaintiff complains that no compensation was awarded for the damages caused “to her real or patrimonial rights” as a result of the nuisance. In the first place, she maintains that defendant should have been ordered to compensate her for the depreciation in the market value of the house. The lower court refused to award compensation on that account on the ground that “the nuisance is of a temporary character and will be abated.” In the estimation of the court, the value of the house was reduced by 25 percent, while plaintiff maintains that it is 30 per cent. The latter contends that if defendant were wholly forbidden to carry on his business of pasteurization and sale of milk, the house “will not have sustained any permanent damage, since it will recover its market value depreciated” by reason thereof as soon as the nuisance is .abated, while if the nuisance is not completely abated —as has been seen, her opinion is that this will not be accomplished by the pronouncements in the judgment— “and the defendant is allowed to continue to cause the nuisance (even during the daytime), then the market value would suffer irreparable depreciation,” in which case she has a right to recover compensation for that account, namely, damages of a permanent character.
In view of the fact that the nuisance is created by the manner in which the activities of defendant’s venture are carried on, and that such nuisance will be removed upon compliance with the judgment, appellant’s house, in that event, will recover its value, Kentucky West Virgina Gas Co. v. Lafferty, 174 F. 2d 848, except perhaps the diminution by reason of the proximity of the plant and activities which will continue to be carried on therein, but appellant cannot nor will she be able to complain of such consequence for the aforesaid reason. Recoverable depreciation is not compensable, for it is evident that that is a temporary and not an
Plaintiff further contends that if the nuisance were completely removed by entirely eliminating the business, she would be entitled to compensation, first, for the damages sustained up to the date of the trial; second, for damages to the property consisting in the depreciation in value of the use of her residence, estimated on the basis of diminution of the rental value; and, third, for such damages and for damages to her person, namely, annoyances, inconveniences, physical suffering, etc., both separately and independently estimated.
We will discuss the question raised assuming that the nuisance will be. abated and that the damages are temporary.
Plaintiff presented evidence, which was not controverted by the defendant, tending to prove that the nuisance persisted after the complaint was filed and existed at the time of the trial, and also on the damages suffered by her from the inception of the nuisance until such date. After offering her evidence, she requested leave to amend the complaint for the purpose of conforming the pleadings to the evidence, so as to include in the claim the damages occasioned up to the time of the trial. The defendant objected and the court stated that it would decide in its “conclusions” whether or not compensation shoud be awarded “for the damages sustained after the complaint was filed...”
In view of the fact that evidence was introduced on those particulars, without objection on the part of the defendant, as already stated, the pleadings of the complaint were on
In a case such as this, involving temporary damages, the majority rule permits recovery up to the commencement of the action —Development in the Law— Damages — , 61 Harv. L. Rev. 123; Aldworthv. Lynn, 26 N. E. 229 (Mass.); Wharton v. Empire Mfg. Co., 146 S. E. 867 (N.C.)— however, we prefer the minority rule which allows recovery up to the time of the trial so as to reduce the volume of litigation, if the wrong is a continuing one so that the subsequent wrongs are similar to those on which the original claim was founded. Development in the Law, supra, p. 123; Schrank v. Andres, 22 N. W. 2d 548 (Minn.); Kerr & Elliot v. Green Mountain Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 18 A. 2d 164 (Vt.); City of Harrisonville, Mo. v. W. S. Dickey Clary Mfg. Co., 61 F. 2d 210; Joyce on Damages, Vol. Ill, p. 2199.
As a general rule, where the injury to real property caused by a nuisance is of a permanent character, compensa-tation is awarded for depreciation in the market value of the property, and where it is of a temporary character, for the diminution in the usable or rental value and such other special damages as may be proved. Generally, the diminution in the usable value is determined on the basis of the diminution in the rental value, although not blindly. In the case at bar, it was held that plaintiff had no right to
In support of the contention that no compensation was awarded for the loss in the usable value and that she should have been compensated on that account and for personal damages, plaintiff-appellant argues that the action of the lower court is untenable since it stated that the sum of $2,500 awarded as compensation for personal damages sustained by plaintiff also included depreciation in the usable value. This contention is predicated on the assertion previously made by that court to the effect that “the findings in this case support only personal damages, properly speaking, to plaintiff and no damages to her property.” If we would consider separately the foregoing pronouncement contained in conclusion 2 of its conclusions of law, perhaps plaintiff might be right. However, it clearly appears from the facts, according to the findings of the court, that as a result of the nuisance “the bedroom nearest defendant’s plan was rendered useless and plaintiff was forced to abandon the use thereof”; “defendant’s trucks park occasionally in front of plaintiff’s house obstructing the free ingress and egress of her automobile to and from the garage” —conclusion No. 4; also, that by reason of the nuisance maintained by defendant, “in June 1950 plaintiff moved to another house owned by her in Cerro de las Mesas, near Mayagüez, where she is residing at present” —conclusion No. 5. As part of the latter conclusion, the court stated as follows: “Plaintiff
In view of the foregoing, it is evident that the lower court, in stating in the second of its conclusions of law that the evidence supported only personal damages, properly speaking, “and not damages to her property,” expressed, not a limitation to the extent of the damages sustained by plaintiff in relation to the loss of. the use of her residence, but denied wrongful consequences of a physical nature, according to the findings, to plaintiff’s property.
In view of the foregoing, we cannot agree with appellant as to the meaning or scope given to the statement of the trial court, in the sense that “the findings ... support only personal damages, properly speaking, to plaintiff and not damages to her property.” The reality is that, although the court did not adjudicate, out of the compensation awarded, separate amounts for both damages, such damages were in fact compensated, and appellant does not convince us that she suffered any injury by reason of the former.
She complains in the last assignment that she was not duly compensated for personal damages. The determination of the necessary and just amount to compensate plaintiff in a case such as the one at bar, must rest with the sound judgment, experience, and discretion of the trial court. It has not been shown that the amount awarded to appellant as compensation for all damages sustained by reason of the nuisance, including those indirectly arising from her mother’s illness, was erroneous. Plaintiff had no right to compensation for direct personal injury to her mother. United States Smelting Co. v. Sisan, 191 Fed. 293; City of Altus v. Tinsley, 95 P. 2d 635 (Qkl.). Apparently, the trial court attached no importance to the alleged anguish and suffering inflicted upon the adopted child, for it did not mention him specifically in finding No. 5. Considering the evidence which that court had under consideration, the failure to do so does not warrant reversal of the judgment.
The judgment appealed from will be affirmed.
Finding of fact No. 4 reads as follows:
“4. — Defendant’s plant for the pasteurization and sale of milk is installed and operated in such a manner that it causes noise and disturbance. The noise is of such an intensity and persistence and the disturbance is such that they interfere with the quiet and peaceful enjoyment by plaintiff of the described property, thereby affecting and impairing her personal welfare. The continuous noise and disturbance start early in the morning between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. every day, Sundays and rest days included, and are caused by the unloading of milk cans from the trucks in which the milk is brought to the plant; by the sudden opening and closing of the truck doors; and by the loud conversations of the drivers and their assistants as well as of the persons in charge of receiving the milk. The process of pasteurization begins between 6:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. and continues, ■except for short intervals, until midnight and occasionally even later. 'During all that time great noise is made by the boilers which generate the steam necessary for pasteurizing and heating the water used to sterilize
Section 277 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1933 ed., provides:
“Anything which is injurious to health, or indecent, or offensive to the senses, or an obstruction to the free use of property, so as to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property, is a nuisance, and the subject of an action. Such action may be brought by any person whose property is injuriously affected or whose personal enjoyment is lessened by the nuisance, and by the judgment the nuisance may be enjoined or abated, as well as damages recovered.”
Rule 15 provides in subd. (6), m part, that “when issues not raised by the pleadings are tried by express or implied consent of the parties or by order of the court, they shall be treated in all respects as if they had been raised in the pleadings.”
Plaintiff did not seek to recover material damages to property, nor for expenses incurred in moving to her house in Cerro de las Mesas.
It is unnecessary, in our judgment, to consider in the case at bar the reasons which produce the confusion noted by the trial court on a question on which there is irreconcilable conflict in the judicial precedents.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.