Abeyta v. Lovato

CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 1, 2017
Docket33,371
StatusUnpublished

This text of Abeyta v. Lovato (Abeyta v. Lovato) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Abeyta v. Lovato, (N.M. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

This memorandum opinion was not selected for publication in the New Mexico Appellate Reports. Please see Rule 12-405 NMRA for restrictions on the citation of unpublished memorandum opinions. Please also note that this electronic memorandum opinion may contain computer-generated errors or other deviations from the official paper version filed by the Court of Appeals and does not include the filing date.

1 IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO

2 TOMAS ABEYTA, MAYORDOMO 3 OF THE LA JOYA ACEQUIA AND 4 COMMISSIONERS OF THE LA JOYA 5 ACEQUIA BOARD OF SOCORRO 6 COUNTY,

7 Petitioners-Appellees,

8 v. NO. 33,371

9 GILBERT BARELA,

10 Respondent,

11 and

12 LOUIS LOVATO,

13 Respondent-Appellant.

14 APPEAL FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF SOCORRO COUNTY 15 Matthew G. Reynolds, Judge

16 Deschamps Law Firm 17 Lee Deschamps 18 Socorro, NM

19 for Appellees

20 Chris Lucero, Jr. 21 Albuquerque, NM 1 for Appellant

2 MEMORANDUM OPINION

3 VIGIL, Judge.

4 {1} This case commenced with the filing of a petition for relief and order to show

5 cause by the Mayordomo of the La Joya Acequia and the Board of Commissioners

6 (Board) of the La Joya Acequia Association (Association) against Louis Lovato, a

7 landowner entitled to irrigation from La Joya, and a member of the Association. The

8 petition alleges in material part that Lovato violated the rules, regulations, and bylaws

9 of the Association by misappropriating water, engaging in unilateral and unscheduled

10 irrigation of his lands without permission of the Mayordomo, refusing to comply with

11 lawful and reasonable requests and conditions of the Mayordomo, and interfering with

12 the watering rights of downstream users. Petitioners asked for temporary and

13 permanent injunctive relief restraining and enjoining Lovato from these and any

14 further violations of the rules, regulations, and bylaws of the Association.

15 {2} After conducting preliminary injunction hearings, a trial on the merits, and a

16 separate trial on Lovato’s counterclaims, the district court entered a permanent

17 injunction and final judgment. In pertinent part, Lovato is “permanently enjoined from

18 appropriating water from [La Joya] without the prior authorization of the Mayordomo

2 1 or other authorized representative of the [Board], contrary to NMSA1978, [Section]

2 73-2-64(D) (2005).1 Further, Lovato shall only water based upon written permission

3 from the Mayordomo via facsimile, and he must cease watering immediately upon

4 written fax notice or in person by the Mayordomo.”

5 DISCUSSION

6 {3} Lovato appeals, contending: (1) the district court erred in appointing board

7 members and conducting an improper election, (2) the district court erred in not

8 finding that Petitioners violated its injunction against opening new lands for irrigation,

9 (3) the district court erred dismissing Lovato’s counterclaim for an injunction that

10 Petitioners were charging illegal fees, and (4) the district court order

11 finding Lovato in contempt of court is not supported by substantial evidence. We

12 address each contention in turn and affirm the district court in all respects. Because

13 this is a memorandum opinion and the parties are familiar with the facts and

14 procedural posture of the case, we set forth only such facts and law as are necessary

15 to this opinion.

16 {4} We would be remiss if we did not first comment on the briefing. Rule 12-318

1 17 The final order refers to Subsection D of Section 73-2-64. This is apparently a 18 typographical error. In its findings of fact and conclusions of law, following the trial on the 19 merits, the district court referred to, and quoted, Subsection A of Section 73-2-64. 20 Accordingly, we remand only to determine if this a typographical error, and if it is, to correct 21 it.

3 1 (A)(3) and (4) NMRA directs that the brief in chief “shall” contain:

2 (3) a summary of proceedings, briefly describing the nature of the 3 case, the course of proceedings, and the disposition in the court below, 4 and including a summary of the facts relevant to the issues presented for 5 review. This summary shall contain citations to the record proper, 6 transcript of proceedings, or exhibits supporting each factual 7 representation, in accordance with the citation format found in the 8 Appendix to Rule 23-112 NMRA. A contention that a verdict, judgment, 9 or finding of fact is not supported by substantial evidence shall be 10 deemed waived unless the summary of proceedings includes the 11 substance of the evidence bearing on the proposition;

12 (4) an argument which, with respect to each issue presented, shall 13 contain a statement of the applicable standard of review, the contentions 14 of the appellant, and a statement explaining how the issue was preserved 15 in the court below, with citations to authorities, record proper, transcript 16 of proceedings, or exhibits relied on. Applicable New Mexico decisions 17 shall be cited. The argument shall set forth a specific attack on any 18 finding, or the finding shall be deemed conclusive. A contention that a 19 verdict, judgment, or finding of fact is not supported by substantial 20 evidence shall be deemed waived unless the argument identifies with 21 particularity the fact or facts that are not supported by substantial 22 evidence[.]

23 These requirements were repeatedly violated. This has required us to spend many

24 unnecessary hours doing the attorney’s job to determine the procedural context of the

25 issues raised, and the facts relating to those issues, as well as to conduct research that

26 should have been provided to us. Violations of these rules can result in affirming a

27 district court order without addressing the merits. To the extent we have been able to

28 do so, however, we do address the merits of the issues as we understand them.

29 However, we caution counsel that this may not be the result in any future appeal in

4 1 which our rules are violated as they were here.

2 Point 1. Appointment of Commissioners

3 {5} Lovato contends that the district court erred in appointing commissioners

4 through an improper election because it did not comply with NMSA 1978, Section 73-

5 3-3 (1921) and the bylaws of the Association in computing the votes.

6 A. Facts

7 {6} In a notice dated October 5, 2011, Petitioners scheduled the election of the

8 commissioners and mayordomo to be held on November 7, 2011, their last day in

9 office. However, the acequia bylaws and NMSA 1978, Section 73-3-1 (1987) require

10 the election to have been held on the first Monday in October, in this case October 3,

11 2011. Id. (requiring that commissioners “be elected biennially on the first Monday of

12 October of the odd numbered years.”). Lovato filed a petition to enjoin the election

13 on October 19, 2011, and Petitioners stipulated that Lovato’s petition be granted. The

14 order enjoining the election was filed on October 27, 2011.

15 {7} Lovato then filed a motion for supplemental relief, which in part asserted that

16 because their terms expired on November 7, 2011, the commissioners and mayordomo

17 were barred from conducting any affairs of the acequia after that date. After

18 Petitioners responded, the district court held a hearing on December 1, 2011. At that

19 hearing, the district court determined that Section 73-3-1 is controlling, and set a

5 1 hearing for January 3, 2012 to hold a “meeting” to appoint successor commissioners

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Abeyta v. Lovato, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/abeyta-v-lovato-nmctapp-2017.