Court Opinion

ID: 9833902
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 23:07:52.839665+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:44:08.802244
License: Public Domain

On Appellant’s Motion for Rehearing.
In its motion,for rehearing the County contends that under the pleading and proof damages were sought and recovered “arising from other causes * * * not within the statute,” Art. 3265; the amount of which was beyond the constitutional jurisdiction of the county court ($1,000); and that as to such damages the court was without jurisdiction. This contention is based upon the assertion that aside from the statutory damages consisting of the value of the land actually taken and the decrease in value of the rest of the tract “by reason of such condemnation,” Akers’ cross-action “sought additional damages based upon allegations that the right-of-way already owned would be used in conjunction with the land condemned, whereby other elements of damages than fixed by the statute were relied upon to recover other and independent damages.” What such additional damages consisted of is not more specifically pointed out than in this quotation from the motion. The county court has exclusive jurisdiction of condemnation proceedings, and is not limited therein by the amount in controversy. Vogel v. State, Tex.Civ.App., 50 S.W.2d 348; 16 Tex.Jur., p. 718, § 107, and note 8. It is, of course, true that only such damages as are authorized by the statute may be recovered in such proceedings; and this regardless of whether such additional damages be within the amount of the court’s general jurisdiction. The damages here sought and recovered were clear*724ly those arising from the condemnation, namely the depreciation in market value of the land (other than that taken) “by reason of the condemnation.” The fact that the new embraced a part of the old right-of-way has nothing to do with whether the damages sought arose from the condemnation, except as regards the issue whether they were embraced in the right-of-way deed of Akers’ predecessor in title. If they were so embraced (as the County contends) then they were not recoverable, for the reason that they had already been compensated for. We endeavored to make it plain in' our original opinion that they were not so embraced, for the reason that under undisputed evidence the new construction contemplated and that which the widened and rerouted right-of-way admitted of as reasonably in contemplation (Brewer and Pieratt cases, above) was not feasible or practicable on the old 100-foot right-of-way. These damages, therefore, resulted exclusively from the additional servitude imposed by the condemnation.
The motion is overruled.
Overruled.