Brann v. Mahoney

48 A.2d 605, 187 Md. 89, 1946 Md. LEXIS 257
CourtCourt of Appeals of Maryland
DecidedJuly 23, 1946
Docket[No. 170, October Term, 1945.]
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 48 A.2d 605 (Brann v. Mahoney) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brann v. Mahoney, 48 A.2d 605, 187 Md. 89, 1946 Md. LEXIS 257 (Md. 1946).

Opinion

Collins, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court.

This is an appeal by W. L. Brann and Sylvester W. Labrot, Jr., owners and breeders of race horses, and Edward A. Christmas and Clay Sutphin, licensed trainers of horses, hereinafter known as appellants, from an order of the Circuit Court of Baltimore City sustaining a demurrer to the supplemental bill of complaint, filed by them, without leave to amend and dismissing the supplemental bill.

The appellants filed an original bill of.complaint in which Messrs. Brann and Labrot alleged the fact that they were owners and breeders of race horses and had a considerable investment in the business. The following facts were alleged in the original bill. Christmas is employed as a trainer for Brann, and Sutphin is employed as a trainer for Labrot. Both Christmas and Sutphin had been duly licensed by the Maryland Racing Commission to train race horses, making the customary annual application therefor, paying the established fees and receiving the annual license issued by the Maryland Racing Commission of which the appellees herein are members.

The bill of complaint recites Sec. 11 of Article 78B giving the Racing Commission power to prescribe rules and regulations and conditions under which all horse races shall be conducted in this State. It further recites the provisions of Rule 146 adopted by the Racing Commission which provides in paragraph (d), and under which the Commission operated in the case at bar, that, if it is found by analysis that any drug has been administered to a horse forty-eight hours before the race, the trainer shall be subject to suspension whether or not he administered the drug or knowingly or carelessly per *93 mitted it to be administered. - Sub-section (e) of paragraph (d) further provides as follows: “The fact that the analysis shows the presence of a drug shall be conclusive evidence either that there was knowledge of the fact on the part of the trainer or that he was guilty of carelessness in permitting it to be administered.” Section (f) is a definition of the term “drug.”

Rule 146, Sections (a) and (d), are set out in full in the case of Mahoney et al. v. J. Dallet Byers, 187 Md. 89, 48 A. 2d 600.

The bill further alleges that Brann sent fourteen horses to the Pimlico Race Track where they were stabled during the race meeting and he entered different horses from time to time in various races. The races, race course, stables, and officials are under the control of the Maryland Racing Commission to take whatever measures might be necessary to safeguard and protect the rights and properties of the various owners including the said Brann and Labrot. Brann’s horses were in charge of appellant Christmas. The three horses owned by Labrot were in charge of the appellant Sutphin. During the Pimlico meet samples of saliva and urine of horses were taken daily after each race. The Maryland Racing Commission shipped false samples of saliva to the laboratory of the New York Racing Commission, and at the same time sent genuine samples to the laboratory of the University of Maryland.

On Monday, November 19, 1945, samples of saliva taken from horses which participated in the racing at Pimlico on that day were left in the laboratory of the University of Maryland. The next day, on account of the illness of the person in charge of the analysis of the samples, about fiften saliva samples were removed from the laboratory in Baltimore and taken to a Dr. Munch in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, where they were analyzed. On the night of November 28, 1945, the Maryland Racing Commission sent a telegram to the appellant, Christmas, advising him that a test of the sample taken from the horse named New Challenge, owned by appellant, Brann, *94 on November 19, 1945, showed that it contained a stimulant and further advising him that all horses trained by him were suspended beginning November 29, 1945. A similar telegram was sent to appellant, Sutphin, with respect to the horse named Shako, owned by appellant, Labrot. The effect of these notices was to suspend appellants, Christmas and Sutphin, as trainers and to disqualify from racing all horses owned by appellants, Brann and Labrot, on all race tracks in the State of Maryland, and also on all the tracks in the United States where the actions of the Maryland Racing Commission are followed • automatically by prior agreement. At the time this action was taken by the Maryland Racing Commission against the appellants similar action was taken against three other owners and three other trainers.

The appellants were notified that the charges against them would be heard on December 10 and 11, 1945. On December 9, 1945, the Maryland Racing Commission, appellee, sent another telegram to appellant, Christmas, advising him of the alleged finding from a horse named Weathercock owned by •appellant, Brann. Hearing on this alleged finding was scheduled for December 11, although the appellants had no notice until the night of December 9th.

Meanwhile, on December 8,1945, counsel for appellants addressed a letter to the Maryland Racing Commission asking for particulars and specifications of the charges against the appelants in order to prepare for the hearing and properly to present the defense. On December 5,” 1945, Mahoney, one of the appellees, replied for the Commission declining, as to some of the particulars requested, to furnish the information prior to the hearing. He alleged that other requested information was immaterial.

The appellants were thus forced into a hearing without sufficent information and without any opportunity to prepare an answer. Brann ivas residing in Florida and Labrot in Louisiana. It was impossible for either of these two appellants to reach Baltimore within the limited period fixed by the appellee, and this action by the appellee *95 operated to deprive them of their rights and privileges without an opportunity to be present at the so-called hearing, to produce their witnesses and be heard before any action could be taken against them.

The Commission wrote a letter dated December 5,1945, promising appellants an opportunity for investigation and rebuttal, and every opportunity to present all material facts. This promise was repeated orally to counsel for appellants on December 10,1945. The understanding was that the Commission, appellee, would present its testimony and then adjourn until appellants had reasonable opportunity to study the stenographic record and to prepare their defense. The next morning, December 11, however, the Commission advised counsel for appellants that appellants’ testimony must be presented on December 19, later changed to December 20th. Inasmuch as copies of the stenographic transcript were not delivered to counsel for appellants until December 14th, the appellants were unable to make the necessary studies as to the analyzing of the samples of saliva and urine.

It developed at the hearing before the appellees on December 10 and 11, 1945, that the stimulant allegedly discovered from the horses, New Challenge, Shako, and Weathercock was morphine. The Commission withheld this information until the hearing was underway, thereby giving the appellants no real opportunity to meet this charge. The allegation that morphine was used is of the gravest nature, as the unauthorized use of this drug is a Federal offense.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
48 A.2d 605, 187 Md. 89, 1946 Md. LEXIS 257, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brann-v-mahoney-md-1946.