Case Information
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2 v--- OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
?:0cia becorze 2OO~SZ!?t~~ t!Xt COXlfliirZXCtlO~i >;?rOCCXX?- inf:s '0s institutoci t3 zx?;uSicate ti:?iF intamsts, 32 any, ill the lnr?c? tr? be C'XdWXi&, a:ld S~OOU~C a VrtliC title to tha ';tstc upcn WlllCh said :;i&my is to be constructa8.
*?ou ail1 fWI a brief attached ~!lich I trust Will be of so:?e assistance to you in nrzivin~ at a deliiilte conclu sioo in ttlin xlttor." Article 667.&a, Vmon*s hmointod Civil Statutes, authorizes any domiseione ,x-~ court to acquira any land for tkber, earth, stma, flmrel rotd, riC;irt-of-?iay purposes; or other mteriais, nccwssnry or convenient to +iuy rql to be constructed, rccomtructed, maintaimZ, zi8oned, strai&toned or~ler@iemC, or laud rot exceediy; one hun- dred (100) foot in width for stream bed diversion in oon- neotioa with tho locating,, relooatkg, or cxxtructioa of a deoi@atod ItGe hi$;I??i,sy by the Sate !;f@.:ag Comisoiofi, the sam -my be acquired by purahase or cocdemation by the oounty com5saion~rs. This statute furthor provides that tho county in which the state hi&my Is located nay payFor the aame,out.of,the county road enA brl&e fun&, or any available oounty,fuud. This stktute further pro- vidcs that in the event of condemation by the county the prooedure shall be the sase as set out in Title 52, ktloles 3264 to 3271; inclusive, Reviseti Civil Statutes of Tex5s, 1925.Q
The oase of O*Teofe v. XuIuaspwth County, 25 S. :'!.
(26) 625, among other things, holaa that the oormlseioners~~ mwct. condemin& land for the mate Ei#may Cominsion uader 6674i1, supra, .dobs not act L? its o-m bahalf for Article county road purposss. In the aaso of Cornooh vs. Colorrldo County, .I$? s. :.i. (2~1) 470, It was bolt?! that the above ncn- tioned statutes fully autLorizoU the comlsslonem' oourt to aot for the Stcte in a can~ezuatlon procwedings for state hi&Tag purposes.
3.rtiole Vwnonln Annotated Civil Smtutes, a General statute, provides that the Intorest or ri&t In land, either public or pAvat%, that is obtained by condem-
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atioa procoedin~s shall not be so construed as to include the foe siq~le estate, except ::heve Gh~~.d.~e provided by 13X?. It is stated in Tex. Zur., Vol. 16, p. 02, (refer- rinc to thin statute, .Artiole 3271) that this ennctzeat:is for the enmeration of the General rule, obtalnlhg evon'in * the absence O? statute, that ooadrjrJnatio;l of property for a public usa'dives~a its omer of no rirht further than is neowssarp for the puxpose for v<hlch l&e condexxotion '. uas authorizca. IhMer this ml0 the estate usually ac-
quireU in land by ooadwmation pmcecding is v!hat is knavu as an essezzent, that is, a rii*t exleting ih one person to use the,.la.ad of another Sor a~ speoific purpose. :
Rowever, in this conneotion, It 1s to be noted .,. that there is ~no cozztitutional inhibition to the contrary
and it is clear the Lo@slature is fully z-xthorizod to provide for the taking of the fee siqle title of land by proper oondmaatfon~procsedlnes. '?I+ has beea done in humorous instmosn, particularly in rwopcot of iA3 Stat0 anU its subdivisions ahd asenoles: Thus, the statute authorPAne con&xnation for State puq~oses generally indi- oate that either the fee or a lesser estate my be takea. :It seem that cogdemation~~f~~laud by.the mver-ment ror
:; State purposes usually~results in.the vestinz of the en-
tire ice in the ~overnneht. (Stur6fs v. :&ox, 35 S. X- 56). SO OOiiRtie5 olld Cities condmalng lsnd for the oonstruction of aea vmlln and sis?.llar structures may take tte foe of tho IaM as the eoverhing authorities thereof skill.detetine that such stc~.is necesssry. Xuzxmous other statutes.authorizes olties of various olassifica- tioas to take the fee title to hnd xheh such intention is expressed by the governin bodies thereof. Cther state.
asenoios authorized to take.the fee of lend inoludes fjcesh- m&er supply districts, vmtcr ingrove3-rwnt districts, levy i;lpr,ovexent districts, sad x&or control am? iqxovcmat districta. So38 kinds of corporatioos are also authorized to take the ~fce, such as corporations-created for the PUP pose of acr~tiiring md oparating union bus paoscnEer depots.
(,Artiele 6554 Vernon's ,%motated Civil Statutes). tither corporationa, however, such as railroad ooiqmnies are ex- pressly denied the ri(ght to take the fee, ~??ile still to take easemnts only. (For oxariplo others 0~8 authorized see Rrtiole 7583, VW~RO~'~ ,lRnotFlteu Civil Stetutcs. 1
33 quote frorj. Texas Jqr. .Qoi. 16, p. 724, as f Oi~~~~S:
to conCeanstlcn procccd-
oniy the o:xmr of the had, but nloo every persor xho has RX iJstIvat t!rQrein, for it is e1erimltary 1avi thzi p3raons hot~ilede parties to ai: action or grocoeC:ng ore not bound by jud,-nent rendered thcreir. In- deed, it 86031s be clenr that a2 unco~_sencatcd omer of-laxid 017 of sn intorcst therein my co.li- pel a cmde4mor to settle r:ith bin, even though the oondemor has alroady,paiU conpensatlol?:to other persons rrto were included in the prococdin@, unless the claimnt has estopped himelf In some mmner, as by accoptin,71 a part or the co~~cnsstion or by siloctly acpuieaoin& Par a period of years." oft isstattd in the succoedlng paragraph, Tex. Sur., Vol. p. 726:
*It follows lron~'the~'&ncral rule siztoi! in the &scedding section the holders of all suoh ri&ts and intcrasts mustbe made Farties defendant in the proooeding&" ,+a quote fur,theF$$o$ Tek;,kr.',~7oi. 16, p. 728: "The holder of a'llen oti l&d sou&t to bo coadomcd is a proper and necessary Farty to the proaeedlnfs; he is entitled, according to his lien, to the datia~os awzdad ahd, if they arenot paid, he tiay recover then fro% the condemor. -0. .v roi&road bondholdars may ba nndo parties-to a pro- ceadlng by which the depot grounds of' the railroad 'cor~orntion Issuing the bonds are sou&ht to be condomed by other railroads ior the purpose of : constructing a union depot. Shile a zort;;aGee who was not a party to proceedings involviq the lazed burdened by'ths mortgage my not, before maturity of the mort@ee, reoover dmams Pro3 the cordernor OI? Lhe ttieory that his seNritp ~33 izqairod by.the taking of the laqd, he nsvertheloss has his rcnody; whoq the mortgage becomes due he say mii!c~ the oond8mor PI party to foreclosure proceedings, as being II: control or possessior of Q portion of the land.* *5 - . that conde:mation my It gc;c:j?$; t;> br) ccy: rctti&
be rcXriXct to Or& ia the cvcnt that the parties !::ive been u:x?ble to e:z?e aftia? her:!-? fide efforts :?eve b+ea.zsdo by the party sssi~3ed to ac::uire tie l:ad. It fOllo?S timt proceed1qs brou@ prior t3 the :m~rln~ of the effort are void, as being prcmaturo. (!:alone vs. City of ':adizxville, 24 9. :y;'. 4.83; '?.att vs. Xudor, 22 3. ':s. 703; .Cle.:antn vs.
.?t. ;corth 5 3. F.. 3. I. Co. , 7 2. :;. (2d) .295.)
Tn caao nf Calvert v. !&ris CountIy, .I,6 ;7 . !'. nzong; ot!xr thin.76, it ms helii th3t in condo-~~tnstioo (28) 375, g?ooeedings obtain land for ri&t-of-v;ay purceses, ouly an easezmit is aoquiroa, cm(? tAl.at such easermat is all ttat for, a~& fuxthcr that C,Re valua the law reo_uirec to be mid of oil ia Condm~cG la& ?ias 30t Rn itm or coxpQnsaticL
In th3' cm30 0,” 'Taster Cl1 Corp. vs. i:ilber:mL+ County, et al, 30 C. 3. (2d) 43C, xcon$ othi3r t!lin:;3"lt
WRS held $hst the comiss.icners' ccurt v,as :;fthout j?~nis- dictios or Z31LthOAtjr to Cxdc-tn laud for a road, nithout ax&in,; 81i &fort to reach agxmmnt rlth land omer rc:;ard- .illC coqmis3tion. It xas further held in this ease that a holder of.tLe vttlld lcaso and nssi::axnt in nizeral aotusl pkynicnl posscsoio~, a r.rcducln:; vx.11 sad operhting cooductini; drilliq oyGratiol:n WAS a~ ozmr tiithin the hi&my aondcmntiorr statute.
Zone of tk;e dafinitionn of tie xord Hoxxsrn as fov;od in-Vol. 2, .,. I.. 'X'. are '3s follom:
wTl;o word lomar' is used in statutes PQ- 1atlnC to aoxlcmation prooeedin~,s, nay be cm- strued to apply to every pe?aom kmvirt; my in- terest in the property to be taken. . . It ez- . braces not ouly tha oiner of the fee, but a tonat for life, and a lessee for years, and any other perscn who has au interest in t!ia groperty Mish v;ill bo affected by the aondomstioz.* Considering the above mentioned autLoritiss it would apl>ear that the f311~~~3 to &groe on the exoWt CL’ dam- azos to be paid the omms of the laud lo the coatrollin~
. ’ *6 - 3reOfnnte for iostitatinz conCexnr,tion proceedin<*s, thez-e- i-ore, if t."a oYn3rs 22d tb3 CO2fZc3.ZlOlT d0 .1c:P66 Upan tb3 .ezouxt of da~x~es th3rc ~:ould. bs co acccesity Por~bri::cin(; i!OiV6Ver, 1~~3 holsers and ninar.21 ou:,?ers rnuid ttla suit. naceseerily be omers upon x*&o3 sarvice zust be bed r&en thsir riqhts, If my, zust be e&judicatad. ;:'hen no e~ree- aert cen'be reachsa vritb ell tho owaers, it beoolnar; noceosxrg cootkznation bs broqht to seoqre proper title to ttie cor2emor lnoludin;?. all parties who hare an interest in saI.4 lefid. -?greensnt viith oze owner doas not constitute en cgree- z8r.t priih all Eowver, thare is no ototute thrit ths omwm. .prohibi.ts condo-mar from acquiring interest of osa or tho more of the omers and proceadinq ageinst the other om6rs where there Is s fnilure elrae on the mount of coLqensstlon anU dn-asp3s. dus such owner.
In line %ith the Cslvert csse, supre, xhere e lcene holder or tinersl o-car woult! not be Uaaege& by virtue of EUCh eogilred eesanect, than no aword could be ,suee to tbes an.6 they have surfered ao loss. %xmvw, If these prtles vere not given notioa of such proceeding ant! m&3 pert&o thorsto it nould naturslly appear that ths condemor would not reoeive a go06 .title.
Ye the'& you for- the brief stib2tted.xith your inquiry.
Trustfng thet the foraeoiae~Zpll~.anev;srs your we am inguiry,
/rrdoll :'fllie.m hsslstant AE:lh
APPROVEDAUG 22, 1941