Case Title: System Fuels, Inc. v. Barnes

Citation: 363 So. 2d 747

Docket Number: 

State: mississippi

Court: Mississippi Supreme Court

Date: 1978-10-18T00:00:00Z

Document:
363 So. 2d 747 (1978) SYSTEM FUELS, INC., et al., Defendants-Appellants, v. Ado BARNES, Plaintiff-Appellee. No. 50599. Supreme Court of Mississippi. October 18, 1978. Rehearing Denied November 15, 1978. Green, Cheney, Hughes & McKibben, Dale H. McKibben, Jackson, Donald G. Kruger, Prentiss, for defendants-appellants. William E. Hathorn, Prentiss, for plaintiff-appellee. Before PATTERSON, C.J., and BROOM and LEE, JJ. PATTERSON, Chief Justice, for the Court: System Fuels, Inc., Triad Oil & Gas Company, and Clarkco Contractors, Inc. appeal from a judgment of $10,000 against them for damaging the property of Ado Barnes. The trial was conducted in the Circuit Court of Jefferson Davis County. In the early part of 1977 the appellants constructed two small (gathering) pipelines across a 60-acre tract of land, the surface of which was owned by Ado Barnes. It was stipulated that System Fuels, Inc. held valid leases to the minerals beneath the tract which provided: *748 In addition, the deed conveying the property to Ado Barnes retained the mineral interest together with specific rights of exploration and development. It stated in part: Witnesses for the parties testified to various distances in width necessary to a normal right-of-way required for a 4-inch pipeline as placed on Barnes' property. The distances given varied between 32 and 50 feet and it was admitted by an engineer introduced by the defendants that the right-of-way varied from 30 to 185 feet in width. The witnesses of Barnes also testified the right-of-way was not cleared in the customary manner, was poorly done and the space needed for the right-of-way was grossly exceeded. An expert in forestry testified for Barnes. He estimated the timber damaged and destroyed by the defendants had a reasonable value of $755.50. The defendants' expert testified the timber damage was $176.20. Bill Harvey, a pipeline contractor, estimated eight to ten acres were affected by the pipeline construction and the total cost to restore the property to its former state would be $13,500. William T. Banks, a civil engineer, surveyed and platted the right-of-way. He testified two tracts were involved (the 60 acres was composed of two tracts connected into an L-shape), one in Section 7, the other in Section 8. The right-of-way in Section 7 comprised 1.06 acres and that in Section 8, 2.67 acres. The acreage in Section 7 was timbered and that in Section 8 was timbered except for 0.29 acre which was an open field. Marshall Forrester, President of defendant Triad and Vice-President of defendant Clarkco, testified Triad supervised the drilling, completion and operation of System's wells in the area. The pipelines on Barnes' property were constructed under his supervision and in his opinion were laid in agreement with prudence and common practice in the industry. According to him, the terrain was hilly and moderately timbered. On cross-examination he candidly admitted that Barnes was entitled to damages. The dispute concerns the amount. The court granted a peremptory instruction for the plaintiff and instructed the jury somewhat as to the measure of damages. It returned a verdict of $10,000 for Barnes. The appellants assign as error the granting of the peremptory instruction, several mistakes concerning the instructions on damages and contend the award was excessive. The rule in determining whether the trial court properly granted a peremptory instruction is that all evidence favorable to the party against whom the instruction is granted is accepted as true together with all inferences that may be reasonably drawn therefrom and evidence conflicting with that favorable to the party opposing the instruction is not considered. First National Bank of Vicksburg v. Cutrer, 214 So. 2d 465 (Miss. 1968). In applying this rule *749 we find no evidence in the record from which it can be said that the defendants' use of their right to construct a pipeline upon plaintiff's land was reasonable except the entry for that purpose. Indeed, it portrays without contradiction their use of the vested right to construct the pipeline upon the land was unreasonable and excessive. This was recognized by Forrester, President of Triad and Vice-President of Clarco, the operator of System's oil and gas-producing property in Mississippi. He supervised the laying of these lines and acknowledged that Barnes was entitled to damages. We conclude there was no error in granting the peremptory instruction. We are of the opinion the instructions to the jury concerning the measure of damages were not as specific as they should have been. Broadhead v. Gatlin, 243 Miss. 386, 137 So. 2d 909 (1962). However, we do not delve further into this assignment because it merges with the next which necessitates reversal so that a proper award of damages might be made. The measure of damages proved by the plaintiff and which the jury by its verdict necessarily accepted, was the cost of restoration of the damaged area. However, this measure, although resulting in an unusually large verdict, would not include damages for the timber cut nor the saplings destroyed and the deprivation of timber growth due to the right-of-way easement to maintain the lines during the productivity of the wells. We think the statement in Chevron Oil Company v. Snellgrove, 253 Miss. 356, 364, 175 So. 2d 471, 474 (1965), "It is sometimes a perplexing question as to the method to be used in proving damages to real property" not to be an understatement. The present pipelines traverse land which is open, that covered with saplings and that with merchantable timber. In this circumstance the announcement in Sun Oil Company v. Nunnery, 251 Miss. 631, 170 So. 2d 24 (1964), upon which the appellee relies, does not have application because it is directed to damages to realty temporary in nature. Although it is apparent that part of the open land damaged by the appellants is temporary and subject to being restored, as probably are the timbered lands necessary to the construction of the pipeline but not necessary for the right-of-way for maintenance, there remain damages for destroyed saplings and merchantable timber. We think the appellee's reliance upon Sun Oil, supra, was misplaced since the measure of damages stated there does not reach the factual situation now presented. The better rule, consistent with Sun Oil, supra, is that of Chevron Oil Company v. Snellgrove, 253 Miss. 356, 175 So. 2d 471 (1965), in which we held in an unintentional trespass case that damages to the timbered lands injured in geophysical activity should have been measured by the before and after rule although we noted other exceptions to the rule. We stated: As mentioned, we are considering damages to several categories of real property, more particularly merchantable trees, small natural growth, the ruts of heavy equipment and use in excess of reasonable need. After considering the evidence, and study concerning the proper measure of damages, we have reached the conclusion the measure more likely to be correct, though not exact, is the before and after rule because all damages may be considered within it which would not be true under the restoration rule. The plaintiff is not entitled to both methods. Chevron, supra. The cause is reversed and remanded for a new trial upon damages only. It is affirmed upon liability. AFFIRMED AS TO LIABILITY; REVERSED FOR ASCERTAINMENT OF DAMAGES ONLY. SMITH and ROBERTSON, P. JJ., and WALKER, BROOM, LEE, BOWLING and COFER, JJ., concur. SUGG, J., took no part.