Court Opinion

ID: 9705595
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 01:13:07.038549+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:12.792351
License: Public Domain

Baldwin, J.
(dissenting). The report of the first committee appointed should have been accepted. The memorandum filed by the committee with its report stated the rule set forth in Gabriel v. Cox, 130 Conn. 165, 170, 32 A.2d 649, cited in the majority opinion. In its report the committee found the difference in the market value of the land before the taking and its market value afterwards to be $196.01 and assessed damages in that amount. It arrived at this figure by adding to the sum of $125, which it could have found was the actual value of the three hundredths of an acre of land taken, an acre being valued at $4000, the sum of $71.01, which it found was the cost of repairing a driveway. See Northeastern Gas Transmission Co. v. Tersana Acres, Inc., 144 Conn. 509, 515, 134 A.2d 253. The plaintiffs’ real estate expert testified that $125 was fair compensation. The committee did not have to accept the value of the land taken as the only element of damage contrib*87nting to a lower market value. Northeastern Gas Transmission Co. v. Tersana Acres, Inc., supra, 512. It was within its discretion to accept the expert’s testimony as to the value of the land actually taken and, at the same time, to find additional elements of damage which depreciated the market value. Morgan v. Hill, 139 Conn. 159, 162, 90 A.2d 641. It could have concluded, as it did, that there was no damage to the residence on the land. The committee also properly rejected a claim for loss of prospective rent stated to be in the amount of $1800. Such a loss is not recoverable as a separate item but can be considered only as affecting the market value. Harvey Textile Co. v. Hill, 135 Conn. 686, 687, 67 A.2d 851; Housing Authority v. Lustig, 139 Conn. 73, 76, 90 A.2d 169. The defendant offered no evidence as to the difference in the market value of the property before the taking and its value afterwards. The burden of establishing substantial damages was upon the property owner. New Milford Water Co. v. Watson, 75 Conn. 237, 246, 52 A. 947, 53 A. 57; 2 Lewis, Eminent Domain (3d Ed.) § 645. Under the circumstances of this case, the method of assessing damages followed by the first committee was proper. Young v. West Hartford, 111 Conn. 27, 34, 149 A. 205; Sorensen v. Cox, 132 Conn. 583, 586, 46 A.2d 125.