Commonwealth v. Scutt
Commonwealth v. Scutt
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Samuel Moskovitz, the appellee, is one of a hoard of seven school directors in the school district of Dickson City Borough in Lackawanna County. He had been elected to the office in November, 1915, for a term of six years, he qualified first Monday of December, 1915, and continued thereafter to perform the duties of the office until the grievance complained of occurred. The terms of office of three of the members of the board expired third December, 1917, and on that day the board composed of those holding over and the newly elected members met to organize. At this meeting, Moskovitz being present, a resolution was adopted declaring his seat vacant because he had failed to attend three successive regular meetings of the board, November 5th and 14th and December 1st. To fill the supposed vacancy thus created the board proceeded to elect one of the gentlemen whose term had just expired and who thereafter participated in the proceedings. Moskovitz thereupon filed a bill in equity asking for an injunction directed against the board and its members to restrain them from preventing
“No. 4. The facts relating to the meeting of November 14th need only a brief discussion. The minutes state that it was an adjourned regular meeting; that is, adjourned from November 5th. This meeting was held without warrant in law or fact. It was not an adjourned meeting, nor was it a special meeting. Whatever it was, there was some important business transacted in it and it was adjournd To meet at the call of the chair.’
“Tbe foregoing facts prove conclusively that tbe action of tbe board on December 3d in declaring Moskovitz’s seat vacant was a bigb-banded proceeding and was done without regard to law or even common courtesy. Pressman, (a director whose term was about expiring), resigns a few hours before bis term expired and another man is appointed in bis place; and be enjoys tbe honors of tbe office for about five hours. Then tbe plaintiff is ousted from bis office and Pressman, who bad just resigned, is elected in bis place. Thus tbe conspiracy was consummated.”
The authorities cited by tbe learned judge, more particularly Commonwealth v. Gibbons, 196 Pa. 97, sustain him in bis legal conclusions to tbe effect that tbe attempted expulsion of tbe relator from tbe board was wholly nugatory and void in law and fact in that no valid excuse can be given for not permitting him to act as a member of tbe body. It was to furnish relief in just such cases that it is provided by Section 2 of Act of 8th June, 1893, that “if tbe right to require tbe performance of tbe clear and it is apparent that no valid excuse can be given for not performing it, a peremptory mandamus may be awarded in tbe first instance and directed to issue forthwith.” All tbe learned court finds with respect to tbe facts abundantly appears from tbe minutes of tbe board and no motion was made to suspend or quash. Tbe law establishes relator’s right. In such case an alternative writ would accomplish nothing. Tbe appeal is accordingly dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ex rel. v. Scutt
- Cited By
- 1 case
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- Published
- Syllabus
- Mandamus — School directors — Improper removal from office— Reinstatement. 1. On a petition for a writ of peremptory mandamus to compel school directors to reinstate a member of the board whom they had unlawfully removed from office on the alleged ground that the petitioner had failed to attend three successive regular meetings of the board, where it clearly appeared that one of the meetings, which respondents alleged plaintifE failed to attend, had not taken place, and that another of such meetings was not a regular meeting, and that the motive of respondents in removing plaintifE was to create a vacancy in the board which they immediately after attempted to fill by electing a former member, the court committed no error in granting the relief prayed for. 2. In such case, where plaintiff’s right to reinstatement was clear from the evidence and from findings in a former equity suit on the same cause of action in the same court which was dismissed on the ground that plaintiff had an adequate remedy at law, the court properly awarded a mandamus in the peremptory rather than in the alternative form.