Beronio v. Southern Pacific Railroad

Works, J., concurring.

I concur in the judgment. Under the circumstances of this case, the lots claimed to have been affected lying near to, if not adjoining, each other, and the road being completed at the time the first action was brought, the settlement of that case was rightly held to be a bar to the second action. But a case might arise where a road being constructed vrouid pass over and affect two tracts of land owned by the same person, the tracts being a long distance apart, and that part of the road affecting one piece of land be constructed long before the part affecting the other piece. In such a case, the construction of the whole road could not with any propriety be treated as but one act, and the land-owner be compelled to delay his action until the whole road is completed, and join his action for damages to both pieces of land, or bring his action for both, when it may be uncertain whether the last part of the road will ever be completed or not. Under such circumstances, separate actions should be allowed, and, in my judgment, the opinion of Mr. Justice Fox is too broad in its language in this respect.