Shuler v. Raton Waterworks Co.
Shuler v. Raton Waterworks Co.
Opinion of the Court
There is a motion to dismiss the writ of error for the following reasons: (1) The judgment in contempt was an interlocutory order, and part of the record in the main case, and not revicwable prior to the final decree therein. (2) This court lias no jurisdiction to'review the judgment in contempt by writ of error, for the reason that said judgment was entered in an equity suit and is only reviewable by appeal.
In considering point 1 it will be necessary to describe to some extent the action in which the judgment in contempt was entered.
“And until the hearing and final determination of this motion, and the further order of the court in the premises, the said defendant, the city of Raton, its officers, agents, servants, and attorneys, are hereby restrained and enjoined from supplying any of the citizens or inhabitants of the said city of Raton with water from the water mains of the defendant, either under contract to pay therefor, or gratuitously or otherwise, and from using water from its waterworks system for fire hydrant purposes or any other municipal purposes, and from permitting or authorizing any of the inhabitants or citizens of the said city of Raton to connect their water pipes with mains of the defendant in the city of Raton, and from operating or using its waterworks system in any manner whatsoever; this temporary restraining order not to become effective until plaintiff shall have filed a good and sufficient injunction bond to-be approved by the clerk in the sum of, $5,000 protecting defendant against damages pending the hearing.”
On July 31, 1915, after the order to show cause had been heard, the court made the following order:
“This cause having been heretofore submitted upon plaintiff’s motion for a temporary injunction, it is ordered that the said motion be granted and that said temporary injunction be granted as prayed, upon an injunction bond in*637 the sum of ¡pió,000 to be filed with the clerk within five days and to be approved by him, the temporary restraining order heretofore granted to continuo meanwhile in force; to which ruling the respective parties duly excepted.”
On August 25, 1915, defendant in error filed a petition for an order requiring the plaintiffs in error to show cause why they should not be punished for contempt for disobeying the injunction. No temporary injunction was ever in fact issued, except the restraining order made a part of the order to show cause. On the hearing of the order to show cause a temporary injunction was granted as prayed, the temporary restraining order to continue in force in the meantime. The order granting the temporary injunction contemplated that the writ should issue within five days, as the injunction bond was to be filed within that time, so it is doubtful whether the restraining order was in force after the period of five days, that being the meantime above mentioned. But, be that as it may, the injunction granted, if any, was in accordance with the prayer of the complaint, the language of which the temporary restraining order literally followed. Assuming, therefore, that there was actually or constructively some kind of an injunction in force, we proceed to ascertain what plaintiffs in error did for which they were punished.
On August 30, 1915, the court found plaintiffs in error guilty of contempt on the allegations in defendant in error’s petition, which the court found were admitted by plaintiffs in error in their answer to the same. The petition covers 46 pages of the printed record and only its substance can be stated. It set forth the official relations of plaintiffs in error to the city of Raton, the proceedings in the suit resulting in what was claimed to be the injunction granted, the knowledge of plaintiffs in error thereof, and then proceeded to charge that said plaintiffs in error had conspired and confederated together in enacting into law an ordinance of the city of Raton, known as No. 197. This ordinance, after numerous preliminary statements, ordained:
“Section 1. That the ordinance entitled ‘Ordinance No. 10, granting franchise to the Raton Waterworks Company, to erect and maintain waterworks,’ passed July 20, 1891, and published July 24, 1801, as amended by Ordinance1 No. 104, anil all ordinances amendatory thereof, be and hereby are repealed, and the franchises therein granted be and the same are hereby revoked, and ail rights and privileges therein granted, or thereby permitted, are null.
“Section 2. That said Eaton Waterworks Company be and it is hereby directed and required immediately to remove from the streets, alleys, lanes, roads and other highways and grounds and public pinees within the city oí Rat,oil its pipes, conduits, structures and works of every kind and character, used or capable of being used in connection with its waterworks system in said city of Eaton.
“Section 8. The mayor, clerk and city attorney of said city be and they are hereby authorised and directed to take all such steps as may bo necessary on behalf of the city of Raton to effectuate the provisions of this ordinance.
“Section 4. All ordinances and parts of ordinances, in conflict with this ordinance are hereby repealed.
“Section 5. 'this ordinance shall take effect and be in full force five days after its passage and publication.
“Adopted and approved this (ith day of August, A. 1>. 1915.
“J. J. Shuler, Mayor.”
That plaintiffs in error, in further carrying out their said conspiracy, had filed a bill in equity in the district court in and for the county of
The record before us shows that on final hearing the bill in the present action was dismissed, and also the temporary injunction. While the dismissal of the bill and the injunction would not relieve plaintiffs in error from the effects of their disobedience of the temporary injunction, the dismissal may be taken into consideration in determining the equities in the proceedings for contempt. The plaintiffs in error denied under oath that they intended to violate the injunction and allege that they acted in good faith in the matter. The legislative power of the city of Raton to terminate the franchise of tire defendant in error, under section 12 of the ordinance granting the same, was not destroyed by the filing of the bill in the federal court. So it seems to us that the passage of the ordinance complained of cannot be said to have been a violation of the temporary injunction. The city, it is true, might by cross-bill, or by answer in the nature of a cross-bill, have obtained all the relief which it sought in the state court; but it does not seem that the city was obliged to seek relief in that way, although, while the case was pending in the federal court, it could not do anything that would embarrass the federal court from giving the full relief to which the plaintiff was entitled under the bill. In any event the defendant in error could have obtained an injunction against the prosecution of the suit in the state court, and such relief was given at the time the judgment in contempt was entered. It was not necessary to have proceeded by way of contempt. If the defendants were to be found guilty of contempt, such finding should, under the circumstances of this case,
The judgment against plaintiffs in error should be reversed; and it is SO' ordered.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- SHULER v. RATON WATERWORKS CO.
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- 1 case
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- Published