Opinion ID: 1893251
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Dean Nelson

Text: Nelson was awarded $8,000 damages for temporary and permanent injury to his quarter-section of land. If there were no permanent injury to the land, as defendants contend, the award of $8,000 would be sustainable in temporary damages standing alone. Nelson's land was covered with brackish, foul, and contaminating debris, water and sedimentation. Out-of-pocket expense in landscaping costs amounted to $2,370. He lost his efforts of summer fallowing and was unable to use his property from October 1979 to May 1980. His uncontradicted testimony was to the effect that he was unable to use the land as winter pasture because of the icy conditions. He was unable to pasture 125 heifers which he had earlier purchased. In fact, he had to keep his cattle in all winter and feed them from his surplus feed supplies. His cattle would and could not walk on ice and the flooded portion, which was icy, isolated other pasture making it unavailable. Although he was not forced to purchase additional feed because of these conditions, he was forced to use feed which would have been available to him in the future. In other words, he was required to diminish feed supplies he otherwise would not have used. Feeding cattle hay, rather than have the cattle forage in the open, requires time, labor, and money. There can be no doubt that Nelson sustained serious weed problems from the feedlot waste and runoff which flooded his property. He testified that his entire farm had been diminished in value by $5 to $10 per acre or, alternatively, the quarter-section actually flooded had been diminished in value by $75 to $80 per acre. Based upon all of this testimony and a personal view of the property, the circuit judge entered a judgment for $8,000 for temporary and permanent injury to Nelson's quarter-section of land. Obviously, the court, which it had the right to do, rejected some of plaintiff Nelson's testimony and accepted other damage testimony. This Court is in no position to second-guess this award of damages for the trial court could well have determined that the noxious weed seeds implanted in the soil, arising from the flooding, was a nettlesome damage and permanent to such degree that it would require attention and toil in the future. This Court observes that there can be a permanent injury to land, which does not totally destroy its value, but diminishes its value. If the value of the real estate was totally permanently injured or destroyed, plaintiffs would recover its actual cash value as of the time of its destruction. 22 Am.Jur.2d Damages § 134, at 194 (1965). This would be represented by the fair value of the property immediately before and immediately after the injury. 25 C.J.S. Damages § 84, at 920 (1966). Here, damages were awarded based upon diminution in value of the property as testified to by plaintiff. This was not a faulty measure of damage. SDCL 21-1-1 provides: Every person who suffers detriment from the unlawful act or omission of another may recover from the person in fault a compensation therefor in money, which is called damages. Detriment is a loss or harm suffered in person or property. SDCL 21-1-3 provides: Damages must in all cases be reasonable, and where an obligation of any kind appears to create a right to unconscionable and grossly oppressive damages, contrary to substantial justice, no more than reasonable damages can be recovered. Nelson's award of damages is reasonable.