Lambert v. Multnomah County Civil Service Commission
Lambert v. Multnomah County Civil Service Commission
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff, Francis Lambert, Sheriff of Multnomah county, on November 4, 1959, made an order assigning Gordon 0. Auborn, a deputy sheriff and captain in the sheriff’s office, “to the supervision of the criminal division of the Sheriff’s department of Multnomah County.” On January 14, 1960, the defendant Civil Service Commission for Multnomah County, after a hearing, entered an order “that the Sheriff of Multnomah County immediately return Captain Gordon 0. Auborn to his proper classification as Captain in the Uniform Division.”
On February 5, 1960, the plaintiff filed in the circuit court for Multnomah county a petition for a writ of review of the Commission’s order, based on the ground that the Commission in making it had exercised its functions erroneously and in excess of its jurisdiction. The writ was thereupon duly issued and a return thereto was filed in the circuit court by the Commission on February 16, 1960. On March 4, 1960, Multnomah County Police Union No. 117 filed a motion to intervene in the cause “as an interested defendant not heretofore joined as a party on the ground and for the reason that your intervener was the complaining party which sought the ruling of the Civil Service Commission now sought to be reviewed by plaintiff”. The application was heard ex parte and granted by the circuit court on the same day. The application was accompanied by an answer to the petition for the
The cause was thereafter heard on this demurrer and on July 6 the court entered a judgment vacating the previous order of intervention, striking from the files the answer of the intervenor, and vacating the order of the Commission as illegal and void.
The Commission and the Union each filed notice of appeal on August 5, 1960.
We will first consider the appeal of the Union. Our intervention statute, OK.S 13.130 provides:
“At any time before trial any person who has an interest in the matter in litigation may, by leave of court, intervene. * * *”
Obviously, the Union has no such interest in this litigation as the foregoing section contemplates. State Highway Com. v. Superbilt Mfg. Co., 200 Or 478, 266 P2d 1072, Brune v. McDonald, 158 Or 364, 75 P2d 10.
As stated in the latter ease, 158 Or 370:
“The generally accepted rule is that the right or interest which will authorize a third person to intervene must be of such a direct and immediate character that the intervener will either gain or lose by the direct legal operation of the judgment:
The Union seeks to avoid this objection by asserting that the statute does not apply in a proceeding by writ of review; that “no order of intervention is necessary to allow an adverse party to appear in the Circuit Court to support the order it had won before the tribunal reviewed * * The transcript of the hearing before the Commission (which is made a part of the return to the writ) shows that “[t]he meeting
As to the appeal of the Commission, the following appears:
After these appeals were taken the appellants were granted extensions of time in which to file their opening briefs until November 28, 1960. The Commission has not filed a brief. On December 13, 1960, Mr. H. Kent Holman, attorney for the Commission, advised Mr. Edwin J. Welsh, attorney for the plaintiff, that he did not intend to file a brief. On February 11,1961, the plaintiff filed a motion to dismiss the appeal of the Commission based on its failure to file a brief in time. On February 21, 1961, Mr. Holman wrote to the clerk of this court stating that the Commission
The motion to dismiss has been renewed.
Rule 31 of the rules of this court, which became effective January 1, 1960, reads:
“If, without reasonable excuse, the appellant fails or neglects to serve and file abstract and brief as required by the rules of this court, the respondent may have the judgment or decree affirmed on motion and notice.”
Rule 32 reads:
“If the respondent files no brief, the cause will be deemed submitted upon its merits as to him. A respondent who has not filed a brief will not be allowed to argue the cause orally without permission of the court.”
There is no provision of our rules allowing an oral argument to be made by an appellant who has not filed a brief. As the appellant Commission has offered no excuse whatever for its failure in this regard, the judgment as to it should be, and is, affirmed.
Rule 7(a) of the rules of the Commission provides:
"Any holder of an office, place, position or employment, or any person on any eligible list, or any appointing power may request an investigation or a hearing by the commission on any matter coming under the Civil Service Act. Such request shall be made in writing, shall state the specific purpose of such investigation or hearing, and shall give sufficient evidence to afford a reasonable basis for such investigation or hearing.”
Reference
- Full Case Name
- LAMBERT v. MULTNOMAH COUNTY CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published