SERCOMBE, J.
Defendant appeals a general judgment that condemns real property that she owns, vests title to that property with the City of Harrisburg, and awards her compensation for the taking, and from a supplemental judgment that allows an award of part of her attorney fees and costs. Defendant contends that the trial court erred in awarding just compensation for only the fair market value of the land that was acquired, as opposed to compensating her for the value of the land and improvements to the property. She also contends that the court erred in reducing the amount of her allowed attorney fees because she did not obtain a larger amount of compensation. We agree with both of defendant's contentions. Accordingly, we reverse and remand.
The relevant facts are undisputed. Defendant owned a small parcel of land in Harrisburg. In 1996, mistakenly believing that it owned the parcel, the city constructed a municipal water well and waterworks on the property without defendant's knowledge. Since that time, the city has used the well and waterworks to supply its water utility. After the mistake was discovered in 2007, the city filed claims for adverse possession and easement by prescription, and defendant filed a counterclaim for ejectment. In July 2008, a judgment was entered in defendant's favor. That judgment provided that
(Emphasis added.) However, the city failed to relinquish possession of the property or decommission the well prior to September 1, 2008. Instead, on August 27, 2008, the city declared by resolution that the property was needed for public use. See ORS 35.235(1) (requiring condemnor to declare by resolution or ordinance the need to acquire property for a particular purpose). The next day, the city offered defendant $7,425 as just compensation for the property. Defendant did not accept the city's offer, and, on September 2, 2008 — one day after the ejection deadline imposed by the judgment — the city filed this condemnation action. That same day, the city served notice of immediate possession and deposited $7,425 with the court. See ORS 35.265(1) (immediate possession of the property requires condemner to deposit amount estimated to be just compensation with the court).
At the condemnation trial, defendant asserted that the ejectment judgment conclusively established that she was the owner of the property, including its improvements, and that, accordingly, she was entitled to compensation for the value of the property as improved. Defendant also argued that the city had abandoned any interest it may have had in the well by failing to decommission it by September 1, 2008. The city responded that it owned the well and that defendant was therefore not entitled to compensation for its value. The trial court agreed with the city, concluding as follows:
(Boldface in original.) The court concluded that the value of the unimproved property was $11,000. Accordingly, in a general judgment, the court credited defendant with receiving $7,425, which she had withdrawn from the court, and ordered the city to tender the remaining $3,575 "to the defendant by and through her attorney."
The court also determined that defendant was entitled to attorney fees. See ORS 35.346(7)(a) (a defendant is entitled to reasonable attorney fees where the compensation awarded at trial is greater than the condemner's highest written offer of settlement prior to the condemnation action). Defendant requested $63,225.75 in attorney fees. After a hearing, the court entered a supplemental judgment awarding defendant $45,000 in attorney fees and $9,045.35 in costs. In doing so, the court explained that it was
Defendant filed a satisfaction of general judgment and supplemental judgment, acknowledging that she had received $3,575 in compensation (in addition to the $7,425 that she had withdrawn from the court) and $54,045.35 for attorney fees and costs.
On appeal, defendant reiterates her argument from below that the court erred in concluding that she was not entitled to compensation for the property as improved. She argues that the ejectment judgment "established that [she] was entitled to title and possession of the property and well improvements on the date of condemnation." In defendant's view, "the only right provided plaintiff in the ejectment judgment is the right, and obligation, to relinquish possession of the property and decommission the well by a specified date (which presumably included removing whatever parts of the well improvement could be removed)." Additionally, defendant contends that the court erred as a matter of law in reducing her attorney fee award.
The city responds, first, that defendant waived her right to appeal both the general and supplemental judgments by accepting
We first address the city's contention that defendant waived her right to appeal. The city argues that ORS 35.365
Whether ORS 35.365 precludes defendant from appealing either judgment is a question of statutory interpretation. When construing a statute, we examine the text of the statute in context, along with any relevant legislative history, to discern the legislature's intent. State v. Gaines, 346 Or. 160, 171-72, 206 P.3d 1042 (2009).
As noted, ORS 35.365 provides, in part, that,
(Emphases added.) The statute, by its terms, applies only to "compensation awarded by the court or jury" and not to attorney fees or costs. (Emphasis added.) Moreover, it precludes a defendant from appealing a judgment awarding compensation only when that compensation has been tendered to the court by the condemner and withdrawn by the defendant. See also ORS 35.325("Upon the assessment of the compensation by the jury, the court shall give judgment appropriating the property in question to the condemner, conditioned upon the condemner's paying into court the compensation assessed by the jury[.]" (Emphasis added.)). Here, the general judgment awarding compensation ordered the city to tender $3,575 "to the defendant by and through her attorney." Nothing in the record suggests that defendant withdrew that compensation from the court. As such, ORS 35.365 does not preclude defendant from appealing either the general judgment awarding compensation or the supplemental judgment awarding attorney fees and costs.
Nor did defendant waive her right to appeal by accepting the benefits of the general and supplemental judgments. Under the common law, it is well established that "a party may appeal a judgment after accepting the benefits of that judgment only if the appeal does not jeopardize those portions of the judgment from which the appellant has benefitted." Mask and Mask, 143 Or.App. 377, 380, 923 P.2d 1304 (1996) (emphasis in original) (citing Schlecht v. Bliss, 271 Or. 304, 309, 532 P.2d 1 (1975)); see also Nickerson v. Nickerson, 296 Or. 516, 520, 678 P.2d 730 (1984) ("[A]n appellant cannot accept the benefits of a judgment and also pursue, by appeal, a course which may overthrow the right to those same benefits.").
We therefore turn to the merits of defendant's contention that the trial court erred in concluding that she was not entitled to compensation for the value of the property as improved. As noted, defendant contends that the 2008 judgment ejecting the city from the property established that she was the owner of the land and its improvements on the date that the city filed its condemnation action. On that basis, defendant contends that she is owed additional compensation for the increased value of the property that is attributable to those improvements. The city responds that the ejectment judgment "did not forfeit the well or associated improvements to defendant but, rather, required that the well be decommissioned." In the city's view, the trial court correctly concluded that the city owned the well and that, accordingly, it was not obligated to compensate defendant for any increase in the value of the property attributable to it.
A public body that takes private property for public use must pay the property owner "just compensation." Or. Const., Art. I, § 18. "It is well established that where, as here, there is a total taking of the land for public use, the owner is to be compensated by receiving the fair cash market value of the land, which includes the land itself and any improvements thereon which are a part of the realty." Highway Commission v. Holt et ux., 209 Or. 697, 699, 308 P.2d 181 (1957) (citing Highway Comm. v. Superbilt Mfg. Co., 204 Or. 393, 281 P.2d 707 (1955)). The value of the property is measured "as of the date the condemnation action is commenced or the date the condemnor enters on and appropriates the property, whichever first occurs." Dept. of Trans. v. Lundberg, 312 Or. 568, 574 n. 6, 825 P.2d 641, cert. den., 506 U.S. 975, 113 S.Ct. 467, 121 L.Ed.2d 374 (1992).
Here, prior to commencement of the condemnation action, the parties litigated the issue of ownership of the property. As a result of that litigation, judgment was entered in favor of defendant, ejecting the city and establishing that the city had "no right, title, or interest in the Property" and determining that the city was "wrongfully withholding possession of the Property." (Emphasis added.) That judgment is conclusive as to ownership and the right to the possession of the property, including the well. See ORS 105.055(1) ("[T]he judgment in an action to recover the possession of real property is conclusive as to the estate in the property and the right to the possession thereof, so far as the same is thereby determined, upon the party against whom the judgment is given, and against all persons claiming from, through or under such party, after the commencement of the action."). Accordingly, we agree with defendant that, read in context, the judgment's requirement that the city decommission the well by September 1, 2008, did not establish ownership of the well; rather, it provided the city with an equitable right to recover the value of the improvements until that date. That right was extinguished when the city failed to do so by the deadline.
In this case, the value of the property is measured as of September 2, 2008 — the date that the condemnation action was commenced.
As noted, prior to filing its condemnation action, the city attempted to establish ownership of the property through adverse possession. The result of that action (and defendant's counterclaim for ejectment) was a judgment that provided that the city had "no right, title, or interest in the Property" and necessarily established that the city had not appropriated the property when it originally entered and built the well. Accordingly, ownership of the property, including the well, was adjudicated prior to the condemnation proceeding. Put simply, the judgment determined that the city had no title or possessory interest in the well and waterworks as of September 1, 2008. That fact distinguishes the current case from Mosier and its progeny. In each of those cases, no prior judgment established ownership of the fixture and its status remained at issue during the condemnation proceeding. In sum, even if the rule from Mosier might otherwise apply, we cannot ignore the ejectment judgment's plain language establishing that the city had no interest in the property prior to its filing of the condemnation action. Accordingly, defendant is entitled to compensation equal to the fair market value of the improved property, and the trial court erred in concluding otherwise. On remand, defendant is entitled to additional compensation for any increase in the fair market value of the property that is attributable to its improvements.
Finally, we consider whether the court erred in reducing defendant's attorney fee award. "We normally review the amount of an award of attorney fees for abuse of discretion. However, when the trial court bases its award on a legal conclusion, we review both the conclusion and the award for errors of law." Cascade Corp. v. American Home Assurance Co., 206 Or.App. 1, 14, 135 P.3d 450 (2006), rev. dismissed, 342 Or. 645, 165 P.3d 1176 (2007). In this case, the trial court reduced defendant's attorney fee award based, at least in part, on its erroneous conclusion that defendant's interpretation of the ejectment judgment was unreasonable, and on the small size of the compensation award. The trial court erred in doing so. See id. (because the appellant was entitled to a larger judgment, the trial court erred in relying on the small size of the judgment in determining attorney fee award); see also City of Bend v. Juniper Utility Co., 242 Or.App. 9, 33-34, 252 P.3d 341 (2011) ("Because we have
General judgment reversed and remanded for entry of judgment awarding additional compensation for any increase in fair market value of the property that is attributable to its improvements; supplemental judgment vacated and remanded for reconsideration.