Opinion ID: 2053335
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: American Oil Company.

Text: Respondent has made claim for time devoted to the condemnation by its house counsel. As far as the record shows, respondent did not incur any out-of-pocket expense beyond its lawyer's regularly paid salary. So viewed the claim is analogous to that of a landowner for his time and is disallowed. 3. The second issue in the case concerns the award of interest. In each case the trial court ordered the payment of interest on the amount allowed as costs and expenses under Minn.St.1969, § 117.16, including fees of counsel to run from January 23, 1970, the date of the state's dismissal of the condemnation proceedings. The state contends that the allowance of interest in an eminent domain proceeding brought by the state is purely statutory and that since Minn.St.1969, § 117.16, made no provision for the payment of interest on costs and expenses payable in a discontinued condemnation proceeding, none is payable here. Respondents argue that the trial court's awards of costs and expenses were in effect judgments with the concomitant requirement that interest be added thereto from January 23, 1970. Clearly, as this court stated in State, by Burnquist, v. Miller Home Development, Inc. supra , the allowance of costs and disbursements is purely statutory and may be awarded only as provided by statute. Minn.St.1969, § 117.16, makes no provision for interest on costs and expenses awarded in a discontinued eminent domain proceeding. None, therefore, may be allowed here on any amount fixed as costs and expenses for any period of time before the date of the trial court's order in each of the five cases. Interest from the date of the court's order in each of the cases, however, presents a different question. Interest upon an award attaches to it as a legal incident, and when an award is confirmed by the district court, it in effect becomes a judgment bearing interest on the same basis as any other judgment. County of Blue Earth v. Williams, 196 Minn. 501, 265 N.W. 329 (1936). This court holds the same to be true of an order awarding costs and expenses made in a discontinued eminent domain proceeding. Thus, the state is obliged to pay interest on the amount of the award in each of these cases as revised by this opinion from the date of the trial court's order. The judgments are reversed and the cases remanded with directions to enter judgment in each case in accordance with this opinion. Reversed and remanded.