Opinion ID: 1711146
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the court erred in refusing to order the mdot to produce any and all documents requested in the subpoena duces tecum served on donald davis, employee of mississippi department of transportation.

Text: ¶ 25. The Browns argue that they were not furnished the requested documents of Donald Davis specifically, certain appraisals. The Browns cite Hudspeth v. State Highway Comm'n, 534 So.2d 210 (Miss.1988) to support their contention. ¶ 26. MDOT contends that apparently the Browns complain about the court's refusal to require production of prices paid by MDOT for other condemned property. Further, MDOT contends that the trial court was correct in refusing to require the production of such prices inasmuch as sales to an agency with condemning authority are not admissible in evidence and cannot be used as comparable sales by an appraiser. ¶ 27. The Browns filed a Motion to Compel and Motion for Continuance seeking an order compelling MDOT to produce certain documents which were the subject of two subpoenas issued by the Browns in July 1997. After issuing the two subpoenas, the trial was continued on at least five occasions. The issuance of the subpoenas was the only discovery taken in this case by the Browns. ¶ 28. On January 20, 1998 at a hearing on the motion, the trial judge denied the motion for continuance and ordered MDOT to provide information from its appraisal of the subject property, but not prices paid to other landowners in the area for condemned property. ¶ 29. The discovery tools, rules and procedures available in other civil proceedings are available in eminent domain proceedings. State Highway Comm'n v. Jones, 649 So.2d 201, 203 (Miss.1995); Barrett v. State Highway Comm'n., 385 So.2d 627, 628 (Miss.1980). The trial court was correct in denying the production of prices paid for other condemned property. Because they are more in the nature of a compromise and are not, therefore, fair indicators of market value, sales to an agency with condemning authority are not admissible in evidence and cannot be used as comparable sales by an appraiser. State Highway Comm'n, v. Hyman, 592 So.2d 952, 957 (Miss.1991). This issue is without merit. VI. THE COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO ALLOW CROSS EXAMINATION OF PROPERTY PURPORTEDLY USED BY MDOT FOR ITS APPRAISAL, THAT SALE OF 10/16/89, COFIELD TO CAIN IN DEED BOOK 1143, PAGE 501 WHEN IT WAS SENT TO BROWNS AS DISCOVERY AND THE FIGURES OF THAT AND THE OTHER PROPERTY TALLY, BUT THE SUBSTITUTED PROPERTY OF WHICH NO COMPARABLE DATA SHEET WAS EVER FURNISHED DOESN'T TALLY. VII. THE COURT ERRED IN ALLOWING MDOT TO USE THE PROPERTY SOLD BY SAWYER REAL ESTATE TO JOHN FORETICH ON 2/22/96 WHEN THE COMPARABLE DATA OF THIS PROPERTY WAS NEVER FURNISHED UNTIL THE DAY OF TRIAL IN VIOLATION OF THE COURT ORDER TO MDOT TO FURNISH SUCH DATA ON 1/20/98. IX. THE COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO ALLOW APPRAISER FRED LEWIS TO TESTIFY IN REBUTTAL OF MDOT'S COMPARABLE SALES DATA # 1, WHICH WAS SOLD 3/2/95, DEED BOOK 1298 PAGE 580, WHEN LEWIS WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE PROPERTY AND WOULD OFFER PROOF THAT IT WAS NOT A COMPARABLE SALE OF PROPERTY. X. THE COURT ERRED IN ALLOWING INTO EVIDENCE COMPARABLE SALES DATA # 1 AS STATED ABOVE. ¶ 30. In Issue VI, the Browns argue that they were not allowed to cross examine the MDOT appraiser about property used by MDOT for its appraisal, when it was sent to the Browns as discovery. ¶ 31. MDOT contends that one of the comparables sent by counsel for MDOT was the wrong comparable. Further, MDOT contends that the trial court was correct in refusing to allow counsel for the Browns to cross-examine MDOT's appraiser about the comparable which was not used by the appraiser. ¶ 32. Generally, the admission or exclusion of testimony based on relevancy is within the discretion of the trial judge, and this Court will reverse only if it finds that an abuse of discretion has occurred. Mississippi Transportation Comm'n, v. Fires, 693 So.2d 917, 920 (Miss.1997); Terrain Enters. Inc. v. Mockbee, 654 So.2d 1122, 1128 (Miss.1995). ¶ 33. In this case, the trial judge stated that there were only two comparables used and that the subject comparable was not one of them. Further, the judge sustained the objection to the cross examination and limited it to the comparables that were introduced. However, the trial judge did allow counsel to make a proffer on it. ¶ 34. By limiting the cross-examination on comparables to the ones introduced, the trial court did not abuse its discretion. ¶ 35. In Issue VII, the Browns argue that the court erred in allowing MDOT to use the property sold on February 22, 1996, when the comparable data was not furnished until the day of trial in violation of the court order to furnish the data on January 20, 1998. ¶ 36. Although the Browns objected to the comparable of February 22, 1996, counsel later accepted it. Further, the Browns' appraiser used the same comparable. This issue is without merit. ¶ 37. In Issue IX, the Browns argue that the court erred in not allowing Lewis, their appraiser, to testify in rebuttal of MDOT's comparable sales data (1) when he was familiar with the property and would offer proof that it was not comparable. However, during a proffer made by the Browns, the appraiser testified that he would not use the comparable in his appraisal because it is inferior. Counsel for the Browns cross-examined the MDOT appraiser about comparable (1) in front of the jury. It was the jury's province to determine the reliability of the comparable offered by MDOT. It was error to deny the landowner's expert testimony concerning the value of the comparable used by MDOT's expert. It appears that the jury award was quite close to the value of the loss according to the Brown's appraisal. The small difference would indicate that the exclusion of that testimony was harmless. Such an error hardly justifies the expense of a new trial. ¶ 38. In Issue X, the Browns argue that the court erred in allowing into evidence comparable (1) but no evidence was offered other than the testimony of their expert disagreeing with the use of the comparable. This issue is without merit.
¶ 39. The Browns contend that the court erred in refusing to allow evidence of moving expenses. During trial the Browns attempted to present evidence about relocation expenses. However, the trial judge refused but allowed counsel to make a proffer. During the proffer, counsel stated that Mrs. Brown was prepared to testify that there was an estimate for $15,500, that each item in her business had to be wrapped and that she made trips to move the items. The Browns did not produce an actual bill of the cost of moving, nor was there a mover there to testify about the estimate. Actual expenses were not produced by the Browns. However, Mrs. Brown's testimony concerning the value of her efforts should have been allowed. As the whole question of relocation expenses was not before the court, the failure to allow this testimony is harmless error.