Title: Roesler v. Denton

State: arkansas

Issuer: Arkansas Supreme Court

Document:

390 S.W.2d 98 (1965) Homer . ROESLER et ux., Appellants, v. C. L. DENTON, Jr., et al., Appellees. No. 5-3562. Supreme Court of Arkansas. May 17, 1965. Rehearing Denied June 7, 1965. H. Clay Robinson and Hardin, Barton, Hardin & Jesson, Ft. Smith, for appellants. Don Gillaspie and Mark E. Woolsey, Little Rock, for appellees. JOHNSON, Justice. This suit concerns damage to real property. Appellants Roesler own residential property in Fort Smith, bounded on the north by Park Avenue and on the east by a natural drainage course which ran under Park Avenue through a culvert, and over as well *99 as under Park Avenue during heavy rains. As a part of the local highway program, this section of Park Avenue was included in what is called the Fort Smith Spur. The level of Park Avenue was raised adjacent to appellants' property and after the highway construction was completed, appellants discovered that the new culvert was inadequate to carry off excessive rainfall, resulting in flooding of their land. Appellants filed suit in Sebastian Chancery Court against appellees, members of the State Highway Commission, the Highway Director, the resident highway engineer and the highway contractors, seeking to require rebuilding of this section of the highway so as to restore the natural water courses and surface water drainage to its condition prior to said construction, and then amended their complaint for damages for the permanent injury to their property. We are well aware that "[t]he right of property is before and higher than any constitutional sanction; and private property shall not be taken, appropriated, or damaged by public use, without just compensation therefor" (Ark.Const. Art. II, § 22) and have in the past wrestled with the particular problem here involved. We are perforce equally cognizant of Article 5, § 20, "The State of Arkansas shall never be made defendant in any of her courts." Were it not for the administrative relief available to claimants such as appellants through the State Claims Commission, Article S, § 20 might well be considered to be violative of due process. However, the questions here raised have been thoroughly discussed in Bryant v. Ark. State Highway Commission, 233 Ark. 41, 342 S.W.2d 415, as follows: It follows, therefore, that as to the highway commissioners and employees, the demurrer was properly sustained as a suit against the State, and in the absence of an allegation that the contractors negligently failed to perform in accordance with their contracts with the State Highway Department, the demurrer was properly sustained as to them. See Southeast Construction Co., Inc., v. Ellis, 233 Ark. 72, 342 S.W.2d 485; Ben M. Hogan Co. v. Fletcher, 236 Ark. 951, 370 S.W.2d 801. Affirmed. ROBINSON, J., not participating.