Court Opinion

ID: 9444605
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-03 21:06:04.44185+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:29:55.827309
License: Public Domain

CHAMBERS, Circuit Judge
(dissenting).
I dissent. First, I state that were the Schwellenbach formula described here-inabove and more fully outlined in United States v. Priest Rapids Irrigation District, 9 Cir., 175 F.2d 524, before us for the first time, I might concur in Judge Denman’s dissent in that case.
The so-called Schwellenbach formula is worthy of Merlin, the magician. The formula works this way: the cases of the individual farmers who are suffering condemnation are brought on for trial. These owners attempt to show the nature and value of the irrigation system which serves them. This they are refused, and they are permitted only to show the value of the land with “an adequate water supply.” They are told the value of the assets of the irrigation district will be determined in a separate suit — Priest Rapids facilities will be valued in 128-99 and Richland in 128-100.1 Then 128-99 and 128-100 come on for trial. The farmers who owned the districts are told (by the court telling their districts) that these cases against the districts take not valuable rights but only “bare bones”; that all the value in irrigation assets was taken when the farm land was taken from the individual landowners. The effect of this is that everything is taken from the district and the landowners and no witness is permitted to tell and no jury is permitted to hear whether the dams owned by the district are good for one more year or for two hundred years. It remains a shrouded secret whether the districts' ditches are infested with rodents and leak badly or whether they are cement lined. The districts had roadways. Were they paved or were they in horrible shape ? Possibly a dam, a ditch, a roadway or a pump has no second hand value. But how are we to know without evidence?
Nevertheless, no one sought certiorari in Priest Rapids, supra. So, wondrous as the Schwellenbach formula is to me, I would apply it all of the way through this Hanford condemnation. I cannot see one rule for one fork of the river and another rule for another fork in two cases started at the same time.
But still accepting the Schwellenbach formula for Richland, I have trouble with the trial court’s handling of the case. It is I who thinks Richland was maneuvered out of a jury where it was entitled to one. We may grant that Washington water law holds that water is appurtenant to the land. Ordinarily, a taking of land would take with it the land’s water. But it is my belief that under the pleadings and declarations of the United States herein the defendants were entitled to think that the government had chosen artificial ground to stand on, that it had chosen to have the water *119belonging to the “foreclosed lands” described in 128-98 valued in 128-100. (And I believe Richland had a right to accept this artificial division.) I find credence for this in the fact that while the declaration in 128-100 mentions water rights, the declaration in 128-99 filed the same day, to clean up the job of taking all of Priest Rapids’ assets not already taken from the farmers, does not mention water rights. When the 128-98 and 128-100 (Richland) and 128-99 (Priest Rapids) declarations were filed the government had completed taking by condemnation or purchase all lands in the Priest Rapids district. It seems to me Richland was entitled to meet the government on battle lines the government had drawn — land alone in 128-98 and water for 128-98 lands in 128-100.2 Richland waived a jury in 128-98 and asked for one in 128-100. It is to be recalled that the trial in 128-98 began first while Priest Rapids was on appeal. The trial had run for less than a day when all further proceedings were suspended as to Richland pending determination of the appeal in Priest Rapids.3 Months later, after the Priest Rapids decision came down from this court, a pretrial conference (in the middle of 128-98) was held. At the conclusion thereof, the parties were informed clearly that the water on the foreclosed lands would be valued in 128-98 and that the trail court would direct a verdict for one dollar in 128-100, the jury case, when it came up for trial. This one dollar verdict would be somewhat less than the amount of $48,300 deposited by the government in 128-100 with its declaration of taking.
It would seem that the trial court was acting wisely in moving the appurtenance — water—over to 128-98 for valuation along with the foreclosed land to which it belonged, provided Richland lost no substantial rights. But then and there the effect was to deprive Richland of a trial of the value of its water before a jury. Richland did not complain then and has not complained expressly here that it was denied a jury trial in 128-98 for its water. But it has lustily complained all of the way that water was valued in 128-98 when it should have been valued in 128-100. I think I know why they complain — no jury in 128-98. It is easy to say, “If Richland was dissatisfied with not having a jury when the trial resumed in 128-98, it should have asked to be relieved of its waiver of jury.” Maybe lawyers can be found who, after the start of a trial without a jury, would rise and tell a trial court, because of an unanticipated turn, they now wanted a jury trial. But I wonder, if we asked those who would do so to form a line, how many would stand in the line. *120Wouldn’t there be a little reluctance to test human frailty, judicial though it may be? When the shift came, when for the first time the issues were clearly delineated (midway in the trial), I say that Richland was entitled to a mistrial on the court’s own motion.
Two weeks ago in Bloch v. United States, 9 Cir., 221 F.2d 786, this very court picked out an instruction on wilfulness, with which the defendant seems to have been satisfied, and used the instruction as ground for reversal. Is it a less fundamental matter when a defendant midway in trial loses the jury to which he was entitled under the original framing of the issues? Is it an answer to say to the defendant, “Yes, you complained that the issues were not being tried where you thought they were going to be tried, but you haven’t had the nerve to tell the trial judge after he ‘shifted the field’ that you no longer wanted him; therefore, no harm has been done” ?
I would reverse the judgment in 128-98.

. At one point in the 128 series of condemnation proceedings, it was necessary for the trial judge to force the United States to file the notices of taking in the 128-98, 128-99 and 128-100 cases on the district interests under threat of granting new trials in all of the individual farmers’ cases.

. It is true that the amended petition in 128-100 which describes water rights of Richland, canals, ditches, laterals, easements, appurtenances and some small tracts of land apparently part of the irrigation system (but not the foreclosed lands described in 128-98) does say that the government claims that by reason of its ownership of all the real property lying within the Richland Irrigation District it was the equitable owner of everything described in 128-100. Maybe full beneficial title to the water on 128-98 lands was taken with the land when the declaration of taking was filed, rather than when final judgment was entered. (128-1 to 128-100 were all a part of the overall condemnation begun originally as “128” without subdivision numbers, which came later.) But it still seems Richland justifiably relied on the value of the water for the lands of 128-98 being in 128-100. For -what was $48,300 deposited in 128-100? Bare legal titles?

. In the one day abortive session the plaintiff offered only one valuation witness, who gave testimony as to the land with and without a water right. The defendant presented two witnesses. The testimony of both of defendant’s witnesses seems to be as to the value of the land, nonirrigated but irrigable. One positively excluded the value of water from Ms figure and, as I read the testimony of the other, I believe he did likewise.
During this first session the defendant district was at all times stoutly insisting that the water should be valued in 128-100. The trial court was inclining to a view that the appurtenant water should be valued in 128-98, but also freely received testimony of the value of the land without water.