STATE ROAD DEPARTMENT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, PLAINTIFF IN ERROR,
v.
A. B. ZETROUER, DEFENDANT IN ERROR

Fla. | 1932-06-08
105 Fla. 650 Florida Supreme Court (1932) Positive Treatment
Also reported at: 142 So. 217
Cited by 22 cases

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Synopsis

The State Road Department sought review of a condemnation judgment awarding $4,725 plus attorney's fees to landowner Zetrouer. The Florida Supreme Court held that a condemnor may appeal a judgment in its favor when challenging its excessiveness, and need not deposit the award into the court registry or post an additional bond as a condition of appeal.


Holding

The State Road Department may appeal a condemnation judgment in its favor when challenging its excessiveness, as it is aggrieved by the portion of the judgment it contests. The condemnor need not deposit the award into the court registry as a condition of appeal, and need not post an additional bond beyond the required supersedeas bond. The judgment was affirmed on the merits as the award was not excessive, encompassing both the value of land taken and damages from depreciation to remaining property.


Key Quotes

“any person aggrieved by the final judgment may have a writ of error as in common law cases.”

Establishes the statutory basis allowing appeal of the condemnation judgment by those aggrieved by its terms.

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Facts & Procedural History

The State Road Department instituted a statutory condemnation proceeding against A. B. Zetrouer and obtained a judgment awarding Zetrouer $4,725 in co…

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Opinion of the Court
Terrell, J.

Terrell, J.

In a statutory proceeding authorized by Section 1503 et seq. Revised General Statutes of 1920 (Section 2281 et seq. Compiled General Laws of 1927) the State Road Department secured a judgment in condemnation against A. B. Zetrouer in which Zetrouer was awarded compensation in the sum of $4,725, plus $200 as attorney’s fees. Prom that judgment this writ of error was prosecuted.

Immediately the record was lodged in this Court defendant in error moved to dismiss the writ of error for the following reasons: (1) Plaintiff in error cannot have reviewed a judgment in its favor; (2) If plaintiff in error is entitled to have its judgment reviewed it must first pay into the registry of the court the amount of the award or verdict of the jury; and, (3) If plaintiff in error, being an arm of the state, is entitled to have its judgment reviewed, it is required to give a bond to secure the amount of the judgment in addition to the usual supersedeas bond.

The statutes, Sections 1513 and 3286 Revised General *652Statutes of 1920 (Sections 2291 and 5094 Compiled General Laws of 1927) both applicable to the cause, provide that in proceedings of this kind ‘ ‘ any person aggrieved by the final judgment may have a writ of error as in common law cases.” While the only challenge to the judgment is grounded on its alleged exeessiveness such a challenge would seem ample to meet the test of the statutes. The mere fact that a litigant secures a judgment in his favor does not necessarily mean that there may not be some aspect of said judgment at which he wohld be aggrieved and which' would present grounds for review by an appellate court.

This Court is committed to the general rule that appeal does not lie to a judgment in one’s favor but this rule is not applicable where prejudicial error was committed in connection with the judgment, or where said judgment was void or otherwise in such condition that it is unjust or injurious to the party securing it. Lovett vs. Lovett, 93 Fla. 611, 112 So. 768; Zigler vs. Erler Corporation, 102 Fla. 981, 136 So. 718.

It is next contended that the writ of error should be dismissed because the plaintiff in error failed to deposit in the registry of the court the amount of compensation found to be due the defendant in error for the lands condemned.

Section 1513 Revised General Statutes of 1920 (Section 2291 Compiled General Laws of 1927) provides that “no writ of error shall be sued out after thirty days from the rendition of the judgment, and such writ of error shall in no case operate as a supersedeas when the county has paid the amount of the compensation into the court as aforesaid, so as to prevent the county’s- appropriation of the property pending the proceedings in error.” See also Section 3286 Revised General Statutes of 1920 (Section 5094 Compiled General Laws of 1927), being the general law on the subject of eminent domain, and Section 2911 *653Revised General Statutes of 1920 (Section 4621 Compiled General Laws of 1927), being the general law regulating writs of error.

Section 1512 Revised General Statutes of 1920 (Section 2290 Compiled General Laws of 1927) requires the county, (the State Road Department in this case, as required by Section 1645 Compiled General Laws of 1927) within ten days after the rendition of the judgment, to pay into the court for the use of the defendant, the compensation ascertained by the' jury, or else the proceedings shall be null and void, unless, for good cause, further time, not exceeding thirty days, be allowed by the court. Upon such payment, and upon the recording of the judgment, with the clerk’s certificate, that the compensation has been paid into the court, in the book of deeds in said clerk’s office, the county shall have full and lawful authority to' enter upon and appropriate the property for the uses aforesaid.

In this case thirty days additional time was allowed for paying the amount of the verdict into the court but before the expiration of that time writ of error was taken to' the judgment. If the county is required to deposit the amount of the compensation found for the defendant in the registry of the court pending appeal then the right of the county to have a judgment such as that brought here reviewed is virtually cut off. We do' not think the law so intended. The statute (Section 1513 Revised General Statutes of 1920 Sec. 2291 C. G. L., supra) enumerates but one case in which the writ of error shall not operate as a supersedeas and that is when taken by the defendant when the county has paid the compensation into court. In all other cases it would seem to follow that writ of error would operate as a supersedeas as provided in Section 2911 Revised General Statutes, Sec. 4621 C. G. L. supra. In other words to determine this question Sections *6541513 and 2911 Revised General Statutes, supra, should be construed together.

We have examined Florida Cent. & P. R. Co. vs. Bear, 43 Fla. 319, 31 So. 268, relied on by plaintiff in error, but we do not think that case rules the ease at bar. It is true a similar statute was involved in that ease to the one involved in the instant case but in Florida Cent. & P. R. Co. vs. Bear the money was not paid into court, nor was a writ of error sued out and bond given within the time limit named in the statute. Neither of these prerequisites having been performed the court could do nothing but dismiss the writ of error.

In further support of this view we do not think that the “persons aggrieved by the final judgment” who may take writ of error as provided in Section 1513 Revised General Statutes, supra, comprehends the appellant in this case. In other words, if the state is required to pay the money into the registry of the court as a condition precedent to taking a writ of error the money so paid may be withdrawn by the defendant, in which event any review of the judgment would be futile, even though it should be decided that it was excessive, as the county or the state would have no means by which to enforce restoration of the funds withdrawn.

We are also of the view that it is not necessary for the state or one of its departments in addition to the required supersedeas bond to give an additional bond to secure the payment of the award by the jury, as a prerequisite to taking a writ of error. State vs. Rushing, 17 Fla. 223. Appellant is within the protection of this rule. Hampton vs. State Board of Education, 90 Fla. 88, 105 So. 323. Even if this were not the case under the law (Section 1511 Revised General Statutes of 1920, Section 2289 Compiled General Laws of 1927) the lands condemned are appropriated to the county or state only on condition of pay*655ment of the award found by the jury and in lieu of such payment the county may abandon and withdraw from the cause at any time before payment. Florida Cent. & P. R. Co. vs. Bear, supra.

On the merits the sole ground of complaint is the ex-cessiveness of the verdict and judgment. Plaintiff in error contends that the amount of recovery is limited to the value of the land taken or appropriated and that since only eleven acres were taken the award of the jury was unreasonable.

We do not think this contention is well supported. Section 29 of Article Sixteen of our Constitution provides for the taking of private property for public use, the value of such property to be ascertained by a jury of twelve men and to be exclusive of any benefit proposed by the condemnor. While the record discloses that only eleven acres were appropriated it is also shown that the right of way as appropriated was located in such a way as to materially depreciate the value of all of defendant’s lands for the purposes used. The jury was authorized in awarding damages for such depreciation and we cannot say that the amount awarded was excessive. Orange Belt Ry. Co. vs. Craver, 32 Fla. 28, 13 So. 444. The award of the jury was also supported by the statute, Section 1508 Revised General Statutes of 1920 (Section 2286 Compiled General Laws of 1927).

The motion to dismiss the writ of error is, therefore, denied, and the judgment below is affirmed.

Affirmed.

Whitfield, P.J., and Davis, J., concur.

Buford, C.J., and Brown, J., concur in the opinion and and judgment.


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Citator

Cited By (11 total)

  • …determining what constitutes just or full compensation in a particular case. We have allowed compensation for damage to remaining lands. Orange Belt Ry. Co. v. Craver, 1893, 32 Fla. 28, 13 So. 444; State Road Department of Florida v. Zetrouer, 1932, 105 Fla. 650, 142 So. 217. Also, this court has required the taker to reimburse the owner for appraiser’s fees incurred in establishing the extent of his damage. Dade County v. Brigham, supra. Although the contention that moving costs have no bearing on the fai…
  • City OF Tampa v. The Tex. Co., 107 So. 2d 216 (Fla. 2d DCA 1958)
    …ury of 12 men in a court of competent jurisdiction as shall be prescribed by law.” In condemnation proceedings, the jury is authorized to award damages for depreciation of value of land not taken. State Road Department of Florida v. Zetrouer, 1932, 105 Fla. 650, 142 So. 217; Worth v. City of West Palm Beach, 1931, 101 Fla. 868, 132 So. 689; Doty v. City of Jacksonville, 1932, 106 Fla. 1, 142 So. 599. In Orgel, Valuation under Eminent Domain, Vol. 1, page 253 (2d ed. 1953), the following appears: “Section…
  • Wolfe v. City of Miami, 114 Fla. 238 (Fla. 1934)
    …in the first instance. Consequently what was said in Ward & May v. Bull, 1 Fla. 271; Hale v. Crowell, 2 Fla. 534; Lovett v. Lovett, 93 Fla. 611, 112 Sou. Rep. 768; Zigler v. Eiler Corp., 102 Fla. 981, 136 Sou. Rep. 718; State Road Dept. v. Zetrouer, 105 Fla. 650, 142 Sou. Rep. 217, concerning the right of a litigant to appeal from a judgment in his favor to correct a prejudicial error committed in connection with that judgment, is not in point on the proposition we are now called on to decide. In this case…

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