Court Opinion

ID: 9750589
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 15:08:58.321035+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:26:13.476703
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion by
Mb. Justice Cohen :
The majority opinion holds that the trial court erred in charging the jury that condemnees had the burden of proving that the amount of damages was greater than that shown by the Commonwealth’s evidence. I see nothing wrong with that charge. The majority do not dispute the principle that the burden is on the condemnee to prove his damages. But that is no different from requiring the condemnee to overcome the Commonwealth’s evidence as to damages. Actually, the lower court’s charge was favorable to the instant con*96demnees because it lessened their burden to proving only that they suffered damages in excess of the amount testified to by the Commonwealth’s expert witnesses. In effect, the charge established a plateau below which the jury could not find, but did not in any way establish a ceiling on damages. Under Ray v. Philadelphia, 344 Pa. 439, 25 A. 2d 145 (1942), this constituted usurpation of the jury’s function, but only the condemnor may complain. In the instant matter, the Commonwealth has not raised the issue, and we should not permit it to be raised by the condemnees.
I would further point out that although a Commonwealth expert witness referred to a legally opened street as a “paper street” he explained that in evaluating plaintiff’s right in the street he gave full consideration to the rights of ingress and egress. Moreover, the court charged that the street should be considered as legally opened, and it was so described by other witnesses. I am satisfied that any error was cured and that we should affirm the judgment of the court below.
I dissent.