Title: Wickwire v. City & Borough of Juneau

State: alaska

Issuer: Alaska Supreme Court

Document:

Wickwire v. City & Borough of Juneau  557 P.2d 783 (1976) Thomas R. WICKWIRE, Appellant, v. CITY AND BOROUGH OF JUNEAU, Appellee. CITY AND BOROUGH OF JUNEAU, Cross-Appellant, v. Thomas R. WICKWIRE, Cross-Appellee. Nos. 2760 and 2772. Supreme Court of Alaska. December 6, 1976. Thomas R. Wickwire, Fairbanks, pro se. Paul M. Hoffman of Robertson, Monagle, Eastaugh & Bradley, Juneau, for appellee and cross-appellant. Before BOOCHEVER, Chief Justice, and RABINOWITZ, CONNOR, ERWIN and BURKE, Justices. OPINION ERWIN, Justice. In November, 1974, appellant Thomas R. Wickwire filed a complaint alleging that in July, 1973, the City and Borough of Juneau (hereinafter the City) had trespassed on his property while constructing a sewer. On July 16, 1975, the City filed a motion for summary judgment. The City argued that Wickwire's execution of a sewer easement in exchange for $100 made the case moot. The sewer line was designed to run in the Dredge Lake Road and River Place rights-of-way. The line was staked in the designed location in 1972 by City survey *784 crews. In early 1973, the project engineer in charge of the sewer installation moved the line to avoid excavating near a high bank and to avoid unnecessarily cutting trees. The move was made necessary because the then-traveled roadway of River Place was outside the right-of-way. The move put the sewer in the traveled roadway, but also on appellant's property. The City did not learn of the mistake until December, 1973. At that time a survey crew went out to verify that the sewer was located partially off the right-of-way. When the snow cleared in April, a better survey was performed and the City prepared an easement agreement for the record owners, Mr. and Mrs. Sibels. The City then learned that appellant Wickwire had purchased the property in June, 1972; his deed was not recorded until July, 1974. On April 18, 1974, Arthur Morrison, Public Works Director for the City, wrote to Wickwire to explain the error and to request that he sign a maintenance easement deed. Wickwire did sign a sewer easement on August 1, 1974. A letter sent to the City along with the signed easement attempted to reserve Wickwire's claim for damages for the City's July, 1973, trespass. Wickwire accepted $100 in consideration for the easement. The sewer line crosses the north boundary of Wickwire's property. It is never more than ten feet within his property line, and it is at all points within the twenty-foot front yard setback required for lots in that area. Wickwire's lot is in its natural state; no improvements had been made prior to the laying of the sewer line. The trial court granted the City's motion for summary judgment. The court construed the easement deed to be a retroactive grant of the right to enter Wickwire's property and construct the sewer. We reverse this decision. Although appellant asserted a claim in trespass, the trial court found the claim to be one of inverse condemnation. Relying on State Department of Highways v. Crosby,[1] we affirm that decision. The landowner's only remedy in a situation such as the one presented is an inverse condemnation action[2] for just compensation for the value of the easement on the date of taking,[3] here when the sewer construction began.[4] An independent action based on the antecedent trespass is not permitted because that trespass, if nonnegligent, "necessarily results from the imposition of the easement;" therefore, the claim for damages from the trespass is "properly ... considered an element of the property owner's damage due to the condemnation."[5] *785 The City correctly points out that the sewer easement follows the form provided in AS 34.15.040[6] for a statutory quitclaim deed. However, the right to recover damages for condemnation is not an interest in real property which passes to the grantee under a quitclaim deed.[7] That right remains with the owner of the property at the time of the taking.[8] The sewer easement granted herein is dated August 1, 1974. It became effective on the date of delivery.[9] By its terms,[10] the easement is prospective. The rights granted by it did not exist in the City until the date of its signing, August 1, 1974. It was error for the Superior Court to conclude that the Sewer Easement embraced all damages arising from the City's acts, since the complaint alleged the commission of acts by the City on appellant's property prior to August 1, 1974. Appellant has been compensated in the sum of $100 for permanent damage to the property. His execution of the quitclaim deed bars any claim for damages after the date of its execution, August 1, *786 1974. However, he still is entitled to damages from the time the sewer construction began in July, 1973, until the time the deed was signed in August, 1974. This case is reversed and remanded for further proceedings.[11] BOOCHEVER, Chief Justice (dissenting). I dissent from the portion of the majority opinion which remands the case for a trial on the issue of damages. From the undisputed record before us, it appears to me that any damages are de minimus. On August 1, 1974, Mr. Wickwire granted a perpetual easement to the City and Borough of Juneau for the sewer line buried within the 20-foot front yard setback portion[1] of his undeveloped property. The agreed compensation was $100.00. Wickwire now seeks damages under inverse condemnation for the use of his property between July 1973 and August 1, 1974. It is undisputed that the sewer line was inadvertently placed on his property and that no improvements have been placed on the land by Mr. Wickwire. Moreover, Mr. Wickwire did not even know that the easement had been placed upon his property until the City ascertained his ownership and advised him of it in April 1974. He makes no contention that he would have made any use of the property prior to granting the easement. The easement provides that upon completion of any work under the easement which requires disturbing the surface area, the City shall restore the surface as nearly as may be possible to the original condition. No contention is made that the property was not returned to its prior condition, and there is further no allegation of damage to trees. Since Mr. Wickwire was unaware of the placement of the easement, his request for damages presents some of the same metaphysical problems raised by the question of the sound made when a tree falls in a forest with no one present. In Scavenius v. City of Anchorage, 539 P.2d 1161 (Alaska 1975), we upheld a jury award of $0.00 in compensation for a sewer easement when there had been a failure to object to instructions permitting the jury to enter an award of no compensation. We held that the difference between an award of $0.00 compensation and a nominal sum is de minimus.[2] Considering that the agreed value of the perpetual easement was $100.00, it appears to me that any damages for the use of that easement during the period prior to August 1, 1974 must be nominal. This case has already resulted in great expenditure of time and effort by counsel and the Court System. Not only were extensive proceedings conducted at trial level, but briefs were filed and full arguments heard before this court. No principle of significance is involved, and it is inconceivable that a substantial sum of money could be awarded. This is of the genre of cases that Dickens must have had in mind when he had Mr. Bumble state, "the law is an ass an idiot".[3] I would not remand the case for further proceedings at the trial level. The law should not be burdened with such trifles.