Shreck v. Village of Coeur D'Alene
Shreck v. Village of Coeur D'Alene
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal from an order denying a temporary injunction. The plaintiff filed his complaint on the ninth day of April, 1906, charging that the defendant, the village of Coeur d’Alene was the owner of a tract of land within the vicinity of plaintiff’s premises, on which it was maintaining a dump for the deposit of all kinds of waste, refuse and decaying matter, and more especially decaying animal and vegetable matter which emitted offensive and disagreeable odors and effluvia, which endanger the health and comfort of plaintiff and his family, and that the same depreciated the value of his property and rendered his premises unsafe for habitation. The substance of the complaint amounted to charging the municipality with maintaining both a public and private nuisance, which is especially injurious to the plaintiff. The plaintiff filed affidavits in support of the allegations of the complaint, and thereupon obtained from the district judge an order requiring the defendant to show cause at a time and place specified why a temporary injunction should not be granted against the defendant’s maintaining the dump and continuing to cause and permit waste, decaying and refuse matter to be deposited thereon. On the return day the defendants demurred to the complaint and filed the affidavits of the village trustees, in which they deposed in effect that they had never intended to permit any vegetable or animal matter to be deposited on the dump grounds, but it was their intention at all times to only allow tin cans, ashes and such other waste and refuse to be deposited at this dump yard as would not emit or give off any offensive
We think the showing made by the respective parties in this case clearly entitled the plaintiff to a temporary injunction until such time as the case could be heard in full on both sides. The defendant municipality has practically admitted at all times that this dump yard in the condition in which it was kept amounted to a nuisance, but they seem to have attempted to justify the action of the municipal officers on the grounds that they were not apprised of the condition until a short time prior to the commencement of the action, and that they immediately took the necessary steps to remove the nuisance by burying all the animal and vegetable matter found thereon, and that they faithfully and honestly attempted to prevent the dumping of any more offensive matter thereon. The officers are undoubtedly acting in good faith, and have no in
The order of the district court denying a temporary injunction is reversed. The cause is remanded, with instructions to grant a temporary injunction pendente lite. Costs awarded in favor of appellant.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- JOHN SHRECK v. VILLAGE OF COEUR D'ALENE
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Nuisance Maintained by Municipality — Injunction Pendente Lite. 1. Where the plaintiff shows by his complaint and affidavits that the defendant municipality is maintaining a nuisance specially injurious to the complainant, and the defendant does not deny the existence of the nuisanee, but alleges that it has taken steps to abate the same and that it means and intends to prevent any repetition- or recurrence of the matters charged as constituting the nuisanee, and affidavits are produced showing that conditions have not been materially changed and that the cause of complaint still exists, a temporary injunction ought to issue, and it is error to refuse such relief. 2. Showing made in this cause examined and held sufficient to entitle plaintiff to an injunction pendente lite. (Syllabus by the court.)