Court Opinion

ID: 9809695
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 21:21:41.02401+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:57:33.281555
License: Public Domain

Walker, J.
dissenting: This is a proceeding to condemn a water-power for the use of the plaintiff, .a public-service corporation. No question is raised as to its general right to condemn, as the use is a public one, but. defendant avers that the particular property is not the subject of condemnation under the terms of Acts of 1913, ch. 94. Ever since the case of R. R. v. Davis, 19 N. C., 451, was decided in 1837, this Court has held with singular unanimity that all questions involved in the proceeding are for the court to decide without a jury, unless otherwise directed by the Legislature. There is no such provision in this instance. There are many cases to this effect, the latest being Luther v. Comnyissioners, post, 241. Even the assessment of damages is not required to be made by a jury, it not being a controversy respecting property within the meaning of the Con*174stitution. Davis v. R. R., supra, per Ruffin, C. J. In Abernathy v. R. R., 150 N. C., 97, where the question was presented, Justice Connor said for a unanimous Court: “While in other special proceedings, when an issue of fact is raised upon the pleadings, it is transferred to the civil-issue docket for trial, in condemnation proceedings the questions of fact and law are passed upon by the clerk, to whose rulings exceptions are noted, and no appeal lies until the final report of the commissioners comes in, when, upon exceptions filed, the entire record is sent to the-Superior Court, where all of the exceptions are passed upon and questions may be then presented for the first time. R. R. v. Stroud, 132 N. C., 413; R. R. v. Newton, 133 N. C., 132; Porter v. Armstrong, 134 N. C., 447; Durharm v. Riggsbee, 141 N. C., 128. The reason for this practice is discussed in these cases. Pursuant to these decisions, the clerk .should have found whether the plaintiff was the owner of the land before ordering the appraisement. If he had found that he was such owner, he would have dismissed the proceeding, and plaintiff could have appealed. If he had found him to be the owner, the defendant could have excepted, the clerk would have appointed the commissioners, and upon the coming in of the report and exceptions the entire record .would have been open to review. Assuming that the clerk-found that plaintiff was the owner, the case was properly in the Superior Court for all purposes. We have held that in proceedings instituted by the corporation the only issue -of fact to be submitted to the jury was the amount of compensation. R. R. v. R. R., supra,” citing R. R. v. R. R., 148 N. C., 61; R. R. v. Lumber Co., 132 N. C., 644; Durham v. Riggsbee, 141 N. C., 128. He then says that the judge can, at his discretion, call a jury to his aid, but as we know by the settled rule, he is not bound by the verdict; but may accept or reject it.
' There are statutes which provide for a jury trial on the question of compensation, and some, of the decisions proceed upon this ground, when referring to it as an issue for a jury.
This Court has held, contrary to the decisions in some other jurisdictions, that in the absence of legislation, even the matter *175of compensation may be tried without a jury. The order of condemnation, as to facts, is not reviewable’in this Court, we being bound by the finding of the Court below. Luther v. Commissioners, supra, where the cases are cited; Newton v. School Committee, 158 N. C., 186. The question was fully discussed in S. v. Jones, 139 N. C., 613. In that case this Court held that the landowner is not entitled to a jury trial upon the question of compensation, unless given by statute, citing R. R. v. Newton, 133 N. C., 134, and S. v. Lytle, 138 N. C., 738, in both of which the opinions were delivered by the Chief Justice. It was also held that the condemnor was not required even to wait until compensation was made, before The Code, sec. 946, was enacted, requiring payment before entry. The Newton case is a strong and decisive one. The Court, by the “Chief Justice, clearly and emphatically denies the right to a jury, even as to compensation, unless it is conferred by statute, and says that “our decisions are uniform” upon the subject. The object of the law is to expedite the construction of works of internal improvement without interruption, says the Court in that case, and especially in the same case upon an application for a writ of prohibition. R. R. v. Newton, 133 N. C., 136. It cites the case of R. R. v. R. R., 83 N. C., 499, with approval, and that involved the very question we have here,' that it is a question of fact and not an issue of fact, as the defendant sought to condemn a part of plaintiff’s right of way, and the latter denied that it was condemnable. In the Newton case numerous decisions of this Court are cited in support of the conclusion of the Court. I have no time, at- this late hour in the term, to discuss the case more at large, and to demonstrate the similarity between this case and our former decisions. It is sufficient to say that even a cursory examination will show that we are making a wide departure from this settled principle, so important to be preserved for the public good and convenience. The Legislature may give the right of trial by jury; but let us wait for its action.
BeowN, J., concurs in the dissenting opinion.