7-Eleven, Incorporated v. McClain

1967 OK 7, 422 P.2d 455
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 6, 1967
Docket40614
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 1967 OK 7 (7-Eleven, Incorporated v. McClain) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
7-Eleven, Incorporated v. McClain, 1967 OK 7, 422 P.2d 455 (Okla. 1967).

Opinion

IRWIN, Justice.

Plaintiff in error, 7-Eleven, Inc., herein referred to as plaintiff, operates a retail grocery store in the City of Bethany, Oklahoma. Defendants in error, herein referred to as defendants, had caused the arrest and prosecution of plaintiff’s store manager for selling non-intoxicating beverages of 3.2% alcoholic content for consumption off the premises in violation of the zoning ordinances of the City of Bethany.

Plaintiff in this proceeding is seeking an injunction to enjoin and restrain defendants from enforcing the ordinances and preventing it from selling 3.2% beer at its grocery store. The trial court rendered judgment for defendants and denied plaintiff any injunctive relief. Plaintiff has appealed from the order overruling its motion for a new trial.

FACTS

Plaintiff operates a retail grocery store in an area zoned and classified as a U-S district in the City of Bethany. Various types of business, such as boarding houses, hotels, hospitals, bakeries, banks, barber and beauty shops, offices and retail stores are permitted to be conducted in a U-S district. Iiowever, the sale of a liquid that may be used as a beverage, containing more than one-half of one percent of alcohol, is prohibited in a U-S district by the zoning ordinance.

In an area zoned as a U-6a district, the beverage in question may be sold except it may not be sold within 300 feet of any school, Church, hospital, convalescent hospital, playground, community building, youth center, or any other place where large numbers of persons congregate. The parties stipulated that there is not now nor never has been any property within the City of Bethany zoned as a U-6a district, and that plaintiff’s grocery store is within 300 feet of a Church.

Plaintiff secured the required permits from the County Judge of Oklahoma, as prescribed by Title 37 O.S.1961, Sec. 163.11, and the Oklahoma Tax Commission as prescribed by Sec. 163.7, for the sale of the beverage in question.

It is impossible to determine whether the trial court denied plaintiff injunctive relief because the sale of 3.2% beer was in violation of the zoning ordinance pertaining to a U-S district which prohibits the sale of such beverage, and where plaintiff’s grocery store was located, or because in violation of the zoning ordinance pertaining to a U-6a district which prohibits the sale of 3.2% beer within 300 feet of a Church. However, from the record, it appears that the fact that plaintiff’s grocery store was within 300 feet of a Church may have been the controlling factor in the judgment rendered by the trial court. Therefore, we will consider and determine the validity of the restrictive provision set forth for a U-5 district and the restrictive provision set forth for a U-6a district, even though plaintiff’s grocery store is not located in a U-6a district.

ISSUE

Although there are secondary issues presented and will be determined, the primary and fundamental issue presented is: “If a municipality enacts a zoning ordinance which permits the operation of a retail grocery store at a certain location, may such municipality prohibit the sale of non-intoxicating beverages of 3.2% alcoholic con *457 tent for consumption off the premises at such retail grocery store, if the sale of such beverage at such location is not prohibited by the State Laws of Oklahoma ?”

CONCLUSIONS

It is obvious that Bethany’s zoning ordinances not only regulate and restrict the use of certain property for business, trade, industry, residences, etc., but also regulate and restrict the sale of a commodity, namely 3.2% beer for consumption off the premises. 3.2% beer could not be considered as an ordinary commodity as that term is usually employed, for the reason the Legislature has required that permits or licenses be obtained from the county and state to sell such commodity.

In 7-Eleven, Incorporated v. Fogg, Okl., 372 P.2d 24, we held that Title 37 O.S.1961, Sec. 163.11 specifically enumerates the questions to be determined by the county Judge at a hearing on an initial application for retail dealers’ license to sell non-intoxicating beverages. In the body of the opinion we said that Sec. 163.11, supra, contains no mention of any city zoning ordinance, nor does it make compliance with any such ordinance, a requirement for obtaining the license. Nor can there be read into the Non-Intoxicating Beverage Act any wording which makes the use of such license within 300 feet of a Church, or a Church’s recreational facilities, a deterrent to the issuance of such a license.

The above case was an original proceeding in this Court and we directed that the County Judge of Oklahoma County issue a license or permit to plaintiff herein to sell 3.2% beer at the same location where plaintiff’s grocery store is located.

Title 37 O.S.1961, Secs. 211 thru 216, declare that it shall be unlawful to (a) sell or dispense this beverage on premises wherein public or private dancing is conducted or permitted; (b) sell or dispense this beverage outside the limits of any incorporated city or town where the public entrance is within 1000 feet of the public entrance to premises wherein public or private dancing is conducted or permitted y (c) sell such beverage for consumption on the premises between designated times on desig--nated days of the week. However, the' aforementioned limitations on the sale of this beverage is expressly exempt as to: dancing in private homes, private dances, conducted for recreational purposes and not for profit by described organizations, and' the sale of such beverage in drug stores', cafes or restaurants selling food for consumption on the premises where dancing is not conducted or permitted therein.

It is not argued or contended that the sale of the beverage in question at plaintiff’s grocery store is in violation of any of the above statutory provisions. Therefore, if the judgment of the trial court is to be affirmed, we must necessarily find and determine that the City of Bethany had the power and authority to invoke the restrictive provisions of its zoning ordinances pertaining to the sale of the beverage in question. ,⅛-

In Allison v. Howell, District Judge, 204 Okl. 404, 230 P.2d 706, this Court reviewed the judgment of the district court affirming an order of the county judge refusing to issue a retail dealer’s permit to. sell nonintoxicating beverages. The lower court refused the permit because the applicant’s location was on a route traveled by high school students on their way to school and that it would not be conducive to the best interests of said students to sell the beverage at applicant’s place of business; that if the permit was granted it would be injurious to, and would seriously affect the peace, health and safety of the community. Therein this Court noted Sec. 211, supra, which prohibits the sale of beer from a location on or near a place where public dancing is held and then stated:

“There is no legislation presently before us prohibiting the issuance of such a license because the place for retail might be located so as not to be conducive to the best interest of students passing said location or because it might be said to be *458 against the peace, health and safety of a community.”

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Bluebook (online)
1967 OK 7, 422 P.2d 455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/7-eleven-incorporated-v-mcclain-okla-1967.