Opinion ID: 848629
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: this evidence of posttaking rezoning was unfairly prejudicial

Text: The highly prejudicial tendency of posttaking evidence to confuse and mislead substantially outweighed its minimal probative value in this case. Plaintiff estimated that the land was worth $2,758,200. Defendants set their damages at $18,586,000. The jury substantially agreed with defendants and awarded them $14,877,000. The award suggests a high likelihood that the jury was overwhelmed with the evidence of the posttaking rezoning. The jury appears to have ignored significant evidence that rezoning was not foreseeable. Novi's chief planning consultant testified that, in 1993, the planning commission recommended that the land not be rezoned commercial. He revealed that the city had no plan to rezone the land because there was a demand for large-lot, million-dollar homes. He told the jury that the intention of the city council and the planning commission was to maintain the property for residential purposes. As of the date of the taking, he would not have recommended a change in zoning. Also, defendants had no pending petition for a zoning change, unlike the defendant in Eilender. The evidence of posttaking rezoning was not harmless, as defendants argue. Plaintiff presented sufficient evidence to the jury that it could have concluded that there was little reasonable possibility of rezoning at the time of the taking. But defendants' damages award, which was substantially in agreement with their claim, demonstrates that the jury likely gave the posttaking evidence far more weight than it merited. Therefore, its admission here violated MRE 403 and was an abuse of discretion. [15] I agree with Justice Young that the trial court exacerbated the error. The court admitted the evidence of rezoning but precluded plaintiff from presenting evidence that the rezoning occurred as a result of the taking. Plaintiff should have been allowed to counter the effect of the evidence once it was admitted. See ante at 393. Michigan takings law has long recognized that a condemnation award may be disturbed on appeal where erroneously admitted evidence caused substantial injustice in the result. Michigan Air Line Ry. v. Barnes, 44 Mich. 222, 227, 6 N.W. 651 (1880); MCR 2.613(A). I find that because of the erroneous admission of evidence, a substantial injustice occurred here.