Benefit

Definition and Citations:

Advantage; profit; privilege. Fitch v. Bates, 11 Barb. (N. Y.) 473; Synod of Dakota v. State, 2 S. D. 366, 50 N. W. 632, 14 L. R. A. 418; Winthrop Co. v. Clinton, 196 Pa. 472, 46 Atl. 435, 79 Am. St. Rep. 729. In the law of eminent domain, it is a rule that, in assessing damages for private property taken or injured for public use, “special benefits” may be set off against the amount of damage found, but not “general benefits.” Within the meaning of this rule, general benefits are such as accrue to the community at large to the vicinage, or to all property similarly situated with reference to the work or improvement in question; while special benefits are such as accrue directly and solely to the owner of the land in question and not to others. Little Miami R. Co. v. Collett, 6 Ohio St. 182; St. Louis, etc., Ity. Co. v. Fowler, 142 Mo. 670, 44 S. W. 771; Gray v. Manhattan Ry. Co., 16 Daly, 510, 12 N. Y. Supp. 542; Barr v. Omaha, 42 Neb. 341, 60 N. W. 591.