Title: Cogdill v. NORTH CAROLINA STATE HIGHWAY COM'N

State: north-carolina

Issuer: North Carolina Supreme Court

Document:

182 S.E.2d 373 (1971)
279 N.C. 313
C. M. COGDILL
v.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION.
George G. WESTFELDT, Jr.
v.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION.
No. 100.

Supreme Court of North Carolina.
July 30, 1971.
*376 Atty. Gen. Robert Morgan, Deputy Atty. Gen. R. Bruce White, and Asst. Atty. Gen. Andrew McDaniel, for defendant appellant.
Bennett, Kelly & Long and Van Winkle, Buck, Wall, Starnes & Hyde, Asheville, for plaintiff appellees.
MOORE, Justice.
The parties stipulated that the hearing before Judge Thornburg was for a determination of all issues except damages, under G.S. § 136-108.
G.S. § 136-108 provides:
Defendant contends that the trial court erred in hearing evidence of damages to the quarry and in making findings that the value of Cogdill's lease and the fair market value of the fee simple reversionary interest had been substantially reduced by reason of the flooding and the probability of future flooding.
Much of the testimony concerning damages to plaintiffs' property was introduced without objection. Where there is no objection to the admission of evidence, the competency of the evidence is not presented. State v. McKethan, 269 N.C. 81, 152 S.E.2d 341; Abbitt v. Bartlett, 252 N.C. 40, 112 S.E.2d 751; Stansbury, N.C. Evidence § 27 (2d ed., 1963) [hereinafter cited as Stansbury]. This Court ordinarily will not consider questions not properly presented by objections duly made. State v. Brooks, 275 N.C. 175, 166 S.E.2d 70; Stansbury, supra; 1 Strong, N.C. Index 2d, Appeal and Error §§ 1 and 24. Some evidence as to damages, however, was allowed over defendant's objection. The trial court found that the "taking" in this case resulted from a permanent and continuing nuisance created by the fill for I-26, and allowed the evidence as to damages and made findings of fact based upon such evidence only "for the purpose of this hearing." The trial court's findings as to damages would not be competent at the trial on the issue of damages. The evidence as to damages was competent and necessary for the limited purpose of making a prima facie showing that the plaintiffs had suffered substantial and measurable damages. In Midgett v. Highway Commission, 265 N.C. 373, 144 S.E.2d 121, a case in which the plaintiff claimed damages to his property by flooding caused by a highway fill, the Court said:
This assignment of error is overruled.
Defendant next contends that the findings of fact made by the trial court were in conflict with the stipulated and competent evidence and were based on incompetent testimony of the plaintiffs and plaintiffs' witnesses, in that the testimony of plaintiff Cogdill as to various elevations was in conflict with those shown on the map which were stipulated to be correct, defendant contending that it would appear conclusive that the flood water would have to reach an elevation of 2,067.6 feet to break over the dike at the old quarry, and that before it would do so, it would flood plaintiffs' quarry since the spillway along this quarry is 5 feet below the dike. However, the plaintiffs' witnesses, Cogdill and Lance, testified that the water did back up into the old quarry pond, broke through the dike, and then entered plaintiffs' quarry. Any inconsistency in the testimony between plaintiffs' witnesses, defendant's witness, and the maps was a matter to be resolved by the trial court in its findings of fact. Reynolds Co. v. Highway Commission, 271 N.C. 40, 155 S.E.2d 473. "In a nonjury trial, in the absence of words or conduct indicating otherwise, the presumption is that the judge disregarded incompetent evidence in making his decision." City of Statesville v. Bowles, 278 N.C. 497, 180 S.E.2d 111. And the court's findings of fact will not be reversed unless based only on incompetent evidence. Bizzell v. Bizzell, 247 N.C. 590, 101 S.E.2d 668; Stansbury § 4A; 7 Strong, N.C.Index 2d, Trial § 58. If the findings are supported by competent evidence, they are binding on this Court even though there is evidence to the contrary. Huski-Bilt, Inc. v. First-Citizens Bank and Trust Co., 271 N.C. 662, 157 S.E.2d 352; Chappell v. Winslow, 258 N.C. 617, 129 S.E.2d 101.
Defendant further contends that the court erred in admitting the testimony of Claude Lance, a witness for the plaintiff. Lance testified that he had worked on the Westfeldt property for fifteen years. He further testified:
We hold the opinion testimony of Cogdill and Lance is competent because of their knowledge of the terrain and of the drainage problems involved. An expert witness is one better qualified than the jury to draw appropriate inferences from the facts. Stansbury § 132 states:
This is stated in State v. Brodie, 190 N.C. 554, 130 S.E. 205:
Or, as said in Chappell v. Winslow, supra, a case involving the sufficiency of a drainage system (headnote 6):
Accord, Stansbury § 125. This assignment is overruled.
A more serious question is presented by the exclusion of the opinion evidence offered by the defendant from the witness, C. R. Edgerton. Edgerton was an admitted expert in the field of hydraulic engineering and design, who approved the plans for the drainage in this area and who went over the area on the grounds prior to construction and also after the flooding on the dates in question. A statement by Judge Sanborn in Builders Steel Co. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 179 F.2d 377 (8th Cir., 1950), is pertinent:
The witness Edgerton was asked: "Based upon your analysis and the investigation and your qualifications as an expert witness and an expert engineer, hydrographic engineer, do you have an opinion satisfactory to yourself as to the effects of the interstate highway and culverts built for the same in the vicinity of the West-feldt *379 and Cogdill property with respect to the flood waters of October fourth, or fifth, 1964?" The witness answered, "Yes," but was not allowed to give his opinion. For the record, he stated: "From a study of the information obtained, it is my opinion that while some minor back water was created by the construction of the I-26 fill across the floodplain of Cane and Kimsey Creeks, it was not physically possible for it to have caused the break of the dike at the upper end of the quarry."
Mr. Edgerton also testified for the record after objection was sustained:
Another question was then asked Edgerton:
Edgerton was then asked the following hypothetical question:
The witness was allowed to answer for the record:
The witness was allowed to answer for the record:
Some of Edgerton's testimony was properly excluded because it was based upon hearsay as to the height of the flood marks on the highway fill. An engineer for defendant measured these flood marks but for some reason was not called as a witness. However, the questions set out above were based upon facts known to Edgerton, or, as in the hypothetical questions, based upon facts known to Edgerton and testimony of the plaintiffs' witness Allison. From Allison's testimony the judge could have found that the dike at the old quarry broke allowing the water to pour into the new quarry before the box culverts at the fill were fullin fact, while these culverts lacked some 12 inches being full.
Where an expert witness testifies as to facts based upon his personal knowledge, he may testify directly as to his opinion. Apex Tire and Rubber Co. v. Merritt Tire Co., 270 N.C. 50, 153 S.E.2d 737; Perfecting Service Co. v. Product Development and Sales Co., 259 N.C. 400, 131 S.E.2d 9; Stansbury § 136; 31 Am.Jur.2d, Expert and Opinion Evidence § 37 (1967); 3 Strong, N.C.Index 2d, Evidence § 49. Generally, however, an expert witness cannot base his opinion on hearsay evidence. Todd v. Watts, 269 N.C. 417, 152 S.E.2d 448; Stansbury §§ 136 and 143; 2 Jones on Evidence § 421 (5th ed., 1958); 32 C.J.S. Evidence § 546(63) (1964). And when the facts are not within the knowledge of the witness himself, the opinion of an expert must be upon facts supported by evidence, stated in a proper hypothetical question. Todd v. Watts, supra. If the expert witness has personal knowledge of some of the facts, but not all, a combination of these two methods may be employed. State v. David, 222 N.C. 242, 22 S.E.2d 633; Stansbury §§ 136 and 137. The questions set out above contained facts within the personal knowledge of the witness Edgerton or facts which had been testified to by other witnesses. The trial court erred in sustaining objections to these questions.
Plaintiffs' witnesses, Cogdill and Lance, not engineers, were permitted by the court to give their opinion as to the sufficiency of the drainage provided for the fill in question and as to the cause of the flooding and the resulting damage to the Cogdill quarry. Edgerton, an admitted expert in the field of hydraulic engineering and design and head of the hydrographic department of the Highway Commission, who was familiar with the design of this highway project, who had been over the grounds foot by foot prior to construction, who described the drainage pattern in detail, and who after the flood went upon the grounds personally and made studies as to the effect of the fill on the flooding of plaintiffs' quarry, was prevented from expressing his opinion as to the sufficiency of the drainage or as to the cause of the flooding. By so doing the court did not permit "the witnesses for both parties to testify upon equal terms." Apex Tire and Rubber Co. v. Merritt Tire Co., supra. This was error.
For the reasons stated, the cases are remanded to the Superior Court of Henderson County for a new G.S. § 136-108 hearing.
Error and remanded.
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