Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. Superior Court of Creek County

368 P.2d 475
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 30, 1962
Docket39703
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 368 P.2d 475 (Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. Superior Court of Creek County) 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
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. Superior Court of Creek County, 368 P.2d 475 (Okla. 1962).

Opinion

IRWIN, Justice.

L. H. McConnell and Kate McConnell commenced proceedings in the Superior Court of Creek County, Oklahoma, against Petitioner, a foreign corporation, for damages to land situated in Jackson County, Oklahoma, and injunctive relief. Petitioner’s plea to the venue and jurisdiction of the Superior Court of Creek County was overruled by the trial court.

Petitioner filed its application for this Court to assume original jurisdiction and issue a Writ of Prohibition prohibiting the Respondents from further exercising jurisdiction over it in said cause.

Article IX, Sec. 43, of the Constitution of Oklahoma, inter alia, provides:

“Suit may be maintained against a foreign corporation in the county where an agent of such corporation may be found, or in the county of the residence of plaintiff, or in the county where the cause of action may arise.”

And Title 12 O.S.1957, Supp. § 131, provides :

“Actions for the following causes must be brought in the county in which the subject of the action is situated, ⅜ ⅜ ⅜
* * ⅜ ⅝ * ⅜
“5th, For all damages to land, crops, or improvements thereon, action must be brought in the county where the damage occurs.”

ISSUE

Where an action is brought in the Superior Court of Creek County against a foreign corporation for damages to land situated in Jackson County and injunctive relief, and objection is made to the jurisdiction and venue of the Superior Court of Creek County, and such objection is overruled, should a writ of prohibition issue prohibiting the trial court from further exercising jurisdiction over the defendant foreign corporation in said cause.

Answer. The writ of prohibition should issue.

PLEADINGS

In so far as pertinent to the issues involved, plaintiffs, L. H. McConnell and Kate McConnell, husband and wife, alleged that they were residents of Jackson County, and were the owners and in possession of certain lands in Jackson County which contained valuable deposits of sand and gravel; that the defendant, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company is a foreign corporation and operates a railway line in Creek County.

The petition contained two causes of action. One for damages to their land situated in Jackson County in the sum of $1,508,-374.05, alleged to have been caused by the Railway Company erecting a dam, dike or embankment and causing water to be diverted from its natural course over and upon *477 the lands of the plaintiffs, thereby washing away and destroying a portion thereof. The second cause of action was for an injunction prohibiting the defendant from maintaining the dam, dike or embankment.

Defendant filed its special appearances, Motion to Quash Summons, and Pleas to the jurisdiction and venue of the Superior Court of Creek County.

The trial court overruled the Motions to Quash and Pleas to the jurisdiction and venue of the Superior Court of Creek County.

Defendant (Petitioner herein) filed its application for this Court to assume original jurisdiction, praying that a Writ of Prohibition be issued prohibiting the Superior Court of Creek County, and the Judge thereof from exercising further jurisdiction over the defendant in case No. 3698, Superior Court of Creek County, Oklahoma.

CONTENTIONS

Petitioner contends that Article IX, Sec. 43, of the Constitution applies only to transitory actions; that the present action is a local action and under Title 12 O.S.1957, Supp. § 131, the venue of the action for damages to land is exclusively in Jackson County and that the Superior Court of Creek County is without jurisdiction in that venue of such action does not lie in Creek County.

Respondents (The Superior Court of Creek County and the Judge thereof) contend that the venue is fixed as against the defendant railway company, a foreign corporation, by Article IX, Sec. 43, of the Constitution; that such provision is self executing and although the legislature may expand upon the constitutional provision, it may not limit such constitutional provision; that Sec. 131, supra, is a limitation on the constitutional provision; that under the constitutional provision the Superior Court has venue.

CONCLUSIONS

We will first consider the venue and jurisdiction of the Superior Court of Creek County with reference to the action for damages to land situated in Jackson County. Respondents do not contend that such action is not a local action; nor do they contend that the legislature has not prescribed where such action must be brought. However, respondents do contend that the statutory provision prescribing where local actions must be brought is in derogation of the constitution when a foreign corporation is involved and the constitutional provision would therefore be controlling.

Title 12 O.S.1957, Supp. § 131, specifically provides that actions concerning title and damages to land, etc., must be brought in the county in which the land is situated. In Erwin v. Barrow, 10 Cir., 217 F.2d 522, 523, it was held:

“Oklahoma statutes requiring that action to set aside conveyance of real estate be brought in the county in which land is located or one of the counties if located in more than one county, relate to venue of action and do not affect jurisdiction.”

And in the body of the opinion, that court said:

“ * * * These statutes relate to venue and not to jurisdiction. They are concerned with the place of the maintenance of the suit, not the jurisdiction of the court to entertain it. See Neirbo Co. v. Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., 308 U.S. 165, 167, 60 S.Ct. 153, 84 L.Ed. 167. This suit for the recovery of real property being local and not transitory, is undoubtedly governed by this statute, and we readily agree that literally construed, the suit must be brought in one of the counties where the land is located. * * * ”

In Graham v. Mid-Continent Coaches (Old.), 302 P.2d 777, 779, we said:

“No extended discussion concerning the venue of actions is necessary in disposition of this matter. Our statutes make explicit provisions, fixing the venue of actions. 12 O.S.1951 §§ 131-140, inclusive. We have pointed out in numerous cases the privilege extended a defendant to be sued in the county of *478 domicile is a substantial and valuable right which is not to be denied upon a strained or doubtful construction. Parker v. Remy, 202 Okl. 400, 214 P.2d 243; Knox v. McMillan, Okl, 272 P.2d 1040. Ordinarily venue is controlled by residence of the parties. Maggi v. Johnson, 200 Okl. 361, 194 P.2d 854. And, it is further noted that the venue statutes, supra, precisely fix the venue of every type of action with this geographical limitation in view.”

And in Harber v. McKeown, 195 Okl. 290, 157 P.2d 753, we held:

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Bluebook (online)
368 P.2d 475, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/atchison-topeka-santa-fe-railway-co-v-superior-court-of-creek-county-okla-1962.