Title: Woodco v. Lindahl

State: colorado

Issuer: Colorado Supreme Court

Document:

380 P.2d 234 (1963) WOODCO, a partnership and John D. Wood, Jr., and Floyd R. Wood, Plaintiffs in Error, v. E. W. LINDAHL and June Lindahl, Defendants in Error. No. 20156. Supreme Court of Colorado. En Banc. April 1, 1963. *235 Martin P. Miller, Patricia W. Wotkyns, Denver, for plaintiffs in error. Perricone & Perricone, Gaspar F. Perricone, Denver, for defendants in error. McWILLIAMS, Justice. In their complaint the Lindahls alleged inter alia, that: The Lindahls asked for damages from Woodco in the amount of $3,000 for its allegedly tortious misconduct and also sought an order that Woodco "repair and replace the damaged ditch." Woodco initially filed a motion to dismiss "for failure to join an indispensable party". This motion did not explain why said party was "indispensable", and in fact did not even identify the missing party. This motion was denied, whereupon Woodco filed its answer. In this answer Woodco denied each and every allegation in the Lindahl complaint, and then affirmatively pled the statute of frauds, the statute of limitations, laches, and the doctrines of equitable estoppel and adverse possession. Upon trial various deeds, or certified copies of deeds, were introduced which established the following: The evidence also established that on February 24, 1960 Woodco by warranty deed received title from the Lantows to certain described realty which was covered and included in the earlier warranty deed from Garmans to McDonald, executed and delivered on May 16, 1949, although the deed to Woodco, unlike the deed from Garmans to McDonald, did not except "all existing and granted ditch rights of way". *237 Woodco apparently acquired this property for the purpose of development and resale. In any event some time in the fall of 1960 Woodco caused this land so acquired to be graded and cut for roads, and in so doing it "tore up and covered the ditch" through which the Lindahls carried water from the aforementioned pond to their land. Upon trial it became evident that Woodco had since sold to a church known as "Living Waters" a parcel of their land lying immediately to the west of the Lindahl property and immediately to the east of property still owned by Woodco. So, as of the date of trial, the physical facts were that the pond was still at least partially on the land owned by Woodco, that the ditch from the pond to the Lindahl property led from the pond across the Woodco property and then onto and across the land conveyed by Woodco to Living Waters, and then onto the Lindahl property, and that the ditch was cut in two places by a county road, once on Woodco's property and once on that now owned by Living Waters. The trial court held that Woodco intentionally destroyed this ditch through which the Lindahls carried water from the pond to their land and awarded damages in the amount of $200. Also the trial court ordered Woodco "to renew the ditch up to the property line of the Living Waters". By the present writ of error Woodco seeks reversal of this judgment. Woodco contends that the judgment must be reversed because the trial court erred in two particulars: It is deemed to be of at least passing interest to note that Woodco does not assign as error the finding of the trial court that the Lindahls had a right to use the ditch leading from the pond to the Lindahl property. Nor does it challenge the finding that it (Woodco) had intentionally destroyed the ditch with resultant damage to the Lindahls in the amount of $200. That such findings go unchallenged is really not too surprising, as the Lindahls demonstrated by certain deeds which were a matter of public record that they clearly had the record right to use the ditch to carry such water as they were entitled to from the pond to their property, nor was there much doubt but that Woodco through its agents "tore up and covered up" this ditch in readying the land for building purposes. Woodco argues that Living Waters and Jefferson County were indispensable parties to this proceeding, and that the complaint should have been dismissed for the failure of the Lindahls to join Living Waters and Jefferson County as defendants. Rule 19, R.C.P.Colo. provides in part as follows: Do Living Waters and Jefferson County have such a "joint interest" that they are "indispensable parties"? Or, if they are not "indispensable parties", ought they to be parties "if complete relief is to be accorded between those already parties"? We conclude that in each instance the answer is in the negative. "Indispensable parties" have been repeatedly defined in language similar to *238 that used in Ford v. Adkins, D.C., 39 F. Supp. 472, where it was said: Applying the foregoing to the instant case, we conclude that Jefferson County and Living Waters were no doubt "proper parties", but that under the circumstances neither is an "indispensable party". The Lindahls proved to the satisfaction of the trial court that Woodco trespassed on their right to use an existing ditch, all with resultant damage in the amount of $200. How can it be seriously argued that because the Lindahls declined to name Living Waters and Jefferson County as parties-defendant the trial court was powerless to proceed and dispose of the Lindahls' claim for damages allegedly resulting from Woodco's tortious misconduct? Or that the trial court could not afford "complete relief" between the Lindahls and Woodco because of the absence of Jefferson County and Living Waters? Even if Living Waters and Jefferson County could be classified as joint tort-feasors, which in fact they are not, neither would be an indispensable party. It is well established that where two persons commit a wrong and only one is sued, the wrongdoer who is sued can not complain because the other wrongdoer is not made a party to the law suit. See, for example, Thomas v. Meyer, 345 Ill.App. 84, 101 N.E.2d 626. The trial court in its decree also ordered Woodco "to renew the ditch up to the property line of the Living Waters", in other words to "renew the ditch" as it had theretofore existed, but only on property still owned by Woodco. Because such may involve the placing by Woodco of a culvert under a so-called county road, Woodco claims Jefferson County is an indispensable party. It should be remembered that Woodco bought the tract in question for development and re-sale. To further this plan Woodco built the road in question and in so doing cut the ditch. The fact that said road was later dedicated to the county by Woodco in no manner absolves Woodco nor does it render Jefferson County an "indispensable party" when Woodco is simply being asked to remedy its mistake. Woodco also contends that the Lindahls in their complaint alleged a right to use water in connection with their ownership of a particular tract of land called Parcel No. B and that the evidence clearly showed that in connection with this parcel they did not have any such water right. *239 This may well be true, in fact is virtually conceded by the Lindahls, but by the same token the Lindahls quite clearly did establish their right to use water from the pond on certain of their acreage other than so-called parcel B. It should be remembered that this was not an action to determine how much water the Lindahls were entitled to divert from this pond for their use, but rather one seeking damages for the unlawful interference with their right to carry water through the ditch and to then compel the trespasser to undo his mischief. In support of the general proposition that the Lindahls had a "vested right in the ditch * * * to have their water flow across the [Woodco] land * * *", see Valley Development Co. v. Weeks, 147 Colo. 591, 364 P.2d 730. The judgment is affirmed. MOORE and HALL, JJ., not participating.