Court Opinion

ID: 9610490
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 03:42:24.722525+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:03:00.444261
License: Public Domain

*740Hawkins, Justice,
dissenting. I cannot concur in the ruling of the majority on the question of the charge of the court as to consequential benefits, or in the judgment of affirmance. The majority opinion seems to be predicated upon the theory that, in a condemnation proceeding such as this, there must be opinion evidence by some witness as to the value of consequential benefits before the trial judge is authorized to charge with reference thereto. Both this court and the Court of Appeals have repeatedly held that the opinions of witnesses as to value are not binding or conclusive on the jury, but that the jury may fix value from other evidence tending to illustrate that question. Bonds v. Brown, 133 Ga. 451 (66 S. E. 156); Graham v. Graham, 137 Ga. 668 (74 S. E. 426); Southern Ry. Co. v. Lowe, 139 Ga. 362 (77 S. E. 44); Hammock v. Kemp, 146 Ga. 681 (92 S. E. 57); Bailey v. Vitagraph-Lubin-Selig-Essanay, Inc., 147 Ga. 450 (94 S. E. 554); Tyler v. Kemp, 147 Ga. 502 (94 S. E. 1003); Johnson v. Stevens, 19 Ga. App. 192 (91 S. E. 220); Georgia Northern Ry. Co. v. Battle, 22 Ga. App. 665 (97 S. E. 94); Birmingham Paper Co. v. Holder, 24 Ga. App. 630 (101 S. E. 692); Hay v. Carter, 91 Ga. App. 540 (86 S. E. 2d 532). In this case there was evidence as to the value of the land actually taken for right-of-way purposes, and introduced in evidence and before the jury were plats, maps, photographs, and a miniature replica of the property involved, showing the right-of-way taken and its location and relationship to the remainder of the land which it traversed, and the testimony of one witness to the effect that the value of the remaining land was enhanced by the construction of the highway, without expressing any opinion as to the amount of the enhancement, and the jurors were permitted to view the premises. Thus, there was ample evidence from which the jury could have ascertained and fixed the consequential benefits resulting to the land not taken, and the trial judge did not err in charging the jury with reference thereto.
I am authorized to say that Mr. Chief Justice Duckworth concurs in this dissent.