Opinion ID: 2630606
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: lovendahls' claim for inverse condemnation

Text: ¶ 48 The Lovendahls also claim that the installation of the vent pipe so interfered with the use and enjoyment of their property that they are entitled to damages for inverse condemnation. The trial court granted the District's motion for summary judgment on this issue, holding there was no inverse condemnation because the actual value of the plaintiffs property did not decline, but increased. We agree with the trial court's ruling on this issue. ¶ 49 Under Utah law, an action for inverse condemnation requires: (1) property, (2) a taking or damaging, and (3) a public use. Farmers New World Life Ins. Co. v. Bountiful City, 803 P.2d 1241, 1243-44 (Utah 1990). The Lovendahls argue that the act of pumping hazardous waste into the air next to their home amounted to a taking or damaging of their property for the benefit of the District. [14] On appeal, the Lovendahls refer to pre-trial affidavits and interrogatories to show that they lost the use and enjoyment of their property for a period of time and that their property value has declined. They claim their land was damaged from exposure to the sewer gas, the family home was filled with obnoxious odors, and that the Lovendahls themselves suffered injury (including Sue Lovendahl's asthma condition). ¶ 50 The District argues that the Lovendahls' inverse condemnation claim must fail because the Lovendahls never offered evidence of loss of use, of physical damage, or an actual diminution in value of their property. In its motion for summary judgment before the trial court, and again on appeal, the District refers to Sue Lovendahl's deposition testimony that the value of the Lovendahls' property had not declined, but had actually increased, since the installation of the sewer pipe. In its opposition to the District's motion for summary judgment, the Lovendahls never discuss the District's argument based on this testimony. Under Rule 4-501(2)(B) of the Utah Rules of Judicial Administration, all facts set forth in the movant's statement of facts are deemed admitted for the purpose of summary judgment unless specifically controverted by the opposing party's statement. Utah R. Judicial Admin. 4-501(2)(B)(2002). The Lovendahls are thus estopped from now arguing that there was insufficient evidence on this point. ¶ 51 The District argues that any additional facts included in the Lovendahls' brief to show a taking or damaging of their property (including damage to their land, home, and other personal injuries) are not properly before this court. Indeed, none of the evidence of damage the Lovendahls discuss on appeal was ever put before the trial court at the summary judgment stage. That is, the Lovendahls never drew the trial court's attention to any specific record evidence showing damage to their land, home, or any injuries related to the inverse condemnation claim. [15] The only record evidence before the trial court was the Lovendahls' admission that the value of their property had actually increased since the time the sewer vent pipe was installed. This court will not consider evidence not made part of the record on appeal. See Robinson v. Tripco Inv., Inc., 2000 UT App 200, ¶ 2 n. 1, 21 P.3d 219 (granting motion to strike portions of appellate brief referring to deposition testimony not made part of record on appeal) (citing Russell v. Thomson Newspapers, Inc., 842 P.2d 896, 899 n. 3 (Utah 1992)) (stating that appellate court will consider deposition material that was actually before the trial court). ¶ 52 In spite of the evidence the Lovendahls would have us consider now, they failed to present sufficient evidence to the trial court at the summary judgment stage to create a triable issue of material fact on the inverse condemnation issue. The trial court was therefore correct in granting summary judgment on this claim.