State ex rel. Alcoholic Beverage Commission v. Davis
State ex rel. Alcoholic Beverage Commission v. Davis
Opinion of the Court
Relator brings this action to prohibit respondents from hearing an appeal from an order alleged to have been made by relator, respecting the sale of certain . alleged unstamped cigarettes, taken from one Carlson. A temporary writ of prohibition was issued and served upon respondents, to which they filed their verified response on November 29, 1950.
At the outset respondents call attention to the fact that there is no such entity in existence as “The Alcoholic Beverage Commission,” the relator named in the petition, and that this action cannot be maintained without an existent relator. No motion to amend the petition has been made, and we are required to determine this jurisdictional question since, if we are without jurisdiction for the reason given, it would be futile to proceed further with the opinion.
The party in interest, as relator, in this case was created by the General Assembly of the State in 1945 in words as follows: “There is hereby created the Indiana Alcoholic Beverage Commission which shall be an entity of the government of the state of Indiana, ...” § 12-432, Burns’ 1942 Replacement (1949 Supp.). (It thereby became a “state board created by general law.” § 49-1903, Burns’ 1933, supra). By the same act the “Alcoholic Beverage Commission of Indiana” that had theretofore existed was abolished. § 12-431, Burns’ 1942 Replacement (1949 Supp.) and all its powers, duties, etc. were transferred to and vested in the Indiana Alcoholic Beverage Commission. § 12-434, Burns’ 1942 Replacement (1949 Supp.). The Indiana Alcoholic Beverage Commission is vested with full power to enforce the “Cigarette Fair Trade Act” of 1949. §58-1102, Cl. (h), Burns’ 1943 Replacement (1949 Supp.) and the “Cigarette Tax” Acts of 1949, §§ 58-1113, 64-3005, 64-3015, Burns’ 1943 Replacement (1949 Supp.). It is apparent that the proper relator in this case is the “Indiana Alcoholic Beverage Commission.” It is equally apparent that there is no such entity in this state as “The Alcoholic Beverage Commission”—the relator named in the petition before us.
The Walley case was a statutory action to recover money lost at gambling. Under an Act of 1852, §§ 10-2321, 10-2323, Burns’ 1942 Replacement. From a judgment of recovery the appeal was taken. This court merely held “that the code does not require the action to be brought in the name of the real party in interest, where, as here, a person, the State, is expressly authorized by statute to sue without joining the person for whose benefit the action is prosecuted.” (See page 337). It further held that “The statute quoted requires the action in such cases as this to be brought in the name of the State. That means that the State must
As before noted petitioner filed its original action in this court under § 3-2201, which requires that it be “in the name of the state on relation of the party in interest.” The statutes heretofore noted, §§ 64-3005, 64-3015, Burns’ 1943 Replacement (1949 Supp.), makes Indiana Alcoholic Beverage Commission the proper relator in the action. See also § 2-201, Burns’ 1946 Replacement. We express no opinion as to other propositions mentioned in the petition and response.
For the reasons given the temporary writ issued herein is dissolved and a permanent writ is denied.
Note.—Reported in 96 N. E. 2d 338.
Reference
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- State ex rel. Alcoholic Beverage Commission v. Davis, Judge
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