Barnes v. State ex rel. Wolf

1963 OK 152, 383 P.2d 635, 1963 Okla. LEXIS 434
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 25, 1963
DocketNo. 40138
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1963 OK 152 (Barnes v. State ex rel. Wolf) 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
Barnes v. State ex rel. Wolf, 1963 OK 152, 383 P.2d 635, 1963 Okla. LEXIS 434 (Okla. 1963).

Opinion

DAVISON, Justice.

Harry D. Barnes, Jr., (hereinafter referred to as intervenor) appeals from an adverse judgment denying his application to vacate and modify a prior judgment rendered August 23, 1960, enjoining the operation of a private club. The controversy involves the question of whether real estate and improvements now owned by inter-venor may be used for the operation of a private bottle (liquor) club.

The record reflects that in 1959 one Marion Wade Hawkins was the owner of a corner lot in Hollis, Oklahoma, known as Lot 7, Block 2, Hobbs Addition, extending north and south and measuring 50 feet by 140 feet, and that as owner of said lot he applied for and there was issued to him a license for the operation of a retail package liquor store in a 30 foot by 30 foot building located on the south front portion of the lot. Thereafter Hawkins constructed a separate building (30 foot by 70 foot) on the north or rear 85 feet of said lot. These two buildings are about 4 feet apart. In the meantime Hawkins had deeded the south 55 feet of the lot, on which the liquor store was located, to himself and wife as joint tenants.

On August 12, 1960, W. Hendrix Wolf, the then county attorney of Harmon County, instituted this action against Hawkins and his wife and the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, alleging in seven causes of action grounds for the granting of an injunction. The suit was later dismissed as to the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. It was alleged that Hawkins and his wife, individually or together, and in violation of the State Constitution, statutes and city ordinances intended to operate an open saloon on the premises and that same would be a public nuisance; intended to operate a “drinking club” or “bottle club” where people would be a public nuisance; intended to open and operate a night club or dance hall where people would drink and become intoxicated! and then drive automobiles with consequent wrecks and injuries; and prayed that such operation upon Lot 7, Block 2, Hobbs Addition, be enjoined. The action was tried August 23, 1960, and resulted in a permanent injunction being granted against Hawkins and his wife. In the judgment the court found the ownership of the lot and the existence of the package liquor store and the location of all improvements to be as above set forth that Lot 7 remained one unit, and that the package liquor store license covered all of the lot as the licensed premises. The court further found that the north (30 by 70 foot) building was appropriately furnished and [637]*637equipped and was to be leased for use as a private club organized as a drinking or bottle club where alcoholic beverages would be opened and consumed; that to all intents and purposes liquor would be sold by the drink and the place would be an open saloon in violation of the constitution and statutes of Oklahoma, and that “it would make no difference whether the club was on the licensed premises or not.” The court further found and adjudged that Hawkins and his wife, their agents and assigns and lessees, be permanently and perpetually enjoined from opening up or operating in any manner a club of any nature in the north (30 by 70 foot) building or allowing in any manner the drinking of alcoholic beverages on said Lot 7, and that “the remainder of the petition be denied.” There was no appeal. It is this injunction that intervenor, Harry D. Barnes, Jr., seeks to vacate or modify.

In 1961 intervenor and his wife acquired title to the south 55 feet (location of package liquor store) and intervenor, individually, acquired title to the north 85 feet (location of 30 by 70 foot club building).

On March 14, 1962, intervenor filed his application in the suit to vacate and modify the above judgment in so far as it covered the north 85 feet of Lot 7, complaining that the judgment unlawfully and illegally prohibits (permanently) the use thereof for the legal and lawful enterprise or business of operating a club for a place of recreation or the proper legal operation of a drinking or bottle club. Intervenor also alleged that the county attorney advised him that use of the property as a private club would result in a citation for contempt for violating the judgment. The successor county attorney filed answer with a plea inter alia of res judicata.

At the hearing on the application it was shown that the south part of the lot and the package liquor store had been leased to and was being operated by a third person; that the north area and club building had been tentatively leased to a corporation for cash rent for use in operating a private (bottle) club for approved paid members and their accompanied guests only; that no intoxicating liquor would be sold, but that a member would bring his own bottle to drink from and that it was turned over to the bartender and labeled with the member’s name and the member charged for the service and mix and ice in preparing the drink; and that the club had operated 2 or 3 days without incident, when the county attorney threatened a contempt charge and the operation was closed.

The county attorney introduced no evidence except to offer in evidence two city ordinances which, upon objection, were rejected by the court for lack of identification. One of these ordinances was tendered and appears from the copy to deal with the operation of a dance hall within 300 feet from where beer is sold. No copy of the other ordinance was proffered, but we deduce it is relative to package liquor stores.

The trial court refused to vacate or modify the original injunction judgment so as to permit the operation of a private club in the manner described in the testimony. However, the court modified the original judgment to substitute “private liquor club” for the words “private club” and to provide that the injunction remain in force and effect for so long a time as a retail liquor store was operated on said Lot 7. Intervenor has appealed from this judgment.

In the original action against Hawkins the alleged grounds for injunction were that the contemplated operation was in violation of city ordinances, the statutes and the constitution, and was also a public nuisance. None of the evidence presented in the original trial is before us, and we are consequently not advised as to the nature or mode of operation that Hawkins intended to pursue in the operation of a club or private liquor club. However, as reflected by our résumé of the original judgment and our careful examination of the journal entry it is our conclusion that the injunction was granted because, as [638]*638stated therein, the operation violated the applicable statutory and constitutional provisions and that “the remainder of the petition be denied.” There was no finding or judgment that Hawkins’ mode of operation was a nuisance or violated a city ordinance. Likewise the present appealed judgment denying the application of inter-venor to vacate and modify the injunction (as applicable to him as an assignee of Hawkins), and in effect to approve the mode of operation reflected by intervenor’s evidence, was denied as being “in violation of the statutes and constitution”.

The trial court held in the appealed judgment that Lot 7 was one unit and drinking of liquor in the building on the north 85 feet would be drinking “on the same premises where a liquor store is situated,” regardless of the separate buildings, and in effect regardless of the separate leasing and operations by the respective lessees. This conclusion was erroneous when considered in the light of the provisions of the constitution and statutes.

In the Constitution, Art. 27, Sec.

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Related

Harrison v. Perry
1969 OK 99 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1969)

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Bluebook (online)
1963 OK 152, 383 P.2d 635, 1963 Okla. LEXIS 434, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barnes-v-state-ex-rel-wolf-okla-1963.