Burnett v. Sapulpa Refining Co.

159 P. 360, 59 Okla. 276, 1916 Okla. LEXIS 1225
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 11, 1916
Docket7632
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 159 P. 360 (Burnett v. Sapulpa Refining Co.) 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
Burnett v. Sapulpa Refining Co., 159 P. 360, 59 Okla. 276, 1916 Okla. LEXIS 1225 (Okla. 1916).

Opinion

Opinion by

MATHEWS, C.

The parties will be designated as in the trial court: This is an action for an injunction, which was begun by the filing of the following petition, duly sworn to:

“Comes now the plaintiff and for its cause of action against the defendant, alleges and states:
“That the plaintiff: is* a corporation, organized under the.laws of the state "of Oklahoma, and is engaged in the manufacturing business, to wit: The refining business near the city of Sapulpa, Greek county, Okla. That the plaintiff: is now and has been for more than three years last past in lawful, peaceable and actual possession, occupancy .and control of the following described property, to wit: (Describing premises.) That said land above described has at all times aforesaid been used by plaintiff for the purposes of its said business.
“That on or about the 1st day of August, 1915, and about 12 o’clock, midnight, the defendant, Brooks G. Burnett, without notice, and without warning, entered upon said premises, and destroyed the improvements. 1 hereon, and cut and removed, and laid down the fence, and erected thereon fences, and obstructions, and otherwise mutilated said premises above described, and undertook to take possession without warrant of law, and llio said defendant did stay on said premises and did undertake to forcibly prevent plaintiff from the free use and occupancy and control of said premises aforesaid, and did undertake to prevent the. servants and employes of plaintiff: from crossing said premises, and did Ihreaten to violently hold possession of said premises or a part thereof, and did so remain on said premises, and did so act until about 12 o’clock noon of August 1. 1915.
“That defendant threatens to and plaintiff' is led to believe and does believe that defendant will attempt to forcibly enter said premises. and trespass thereon unless restrained by this court. That plaintiff believes, and therefore states the facts to bo that unless restrained by this court, the defendant will immediately and continuously trespass upon said property aforesaid, or a part thereof, and will interfere with the business of the plaintiff, and will undertake by force to take possession of said property or a part thereof, and will seriously interfere with the business of the plaintiff, and that plaintiff will be irreparably injured.
“That defendant threatens to and plaintiff believes will, unless restrained by this court, prevent plaintiff or will by force undertake to prevent plaintiff from crossing said property or a part thereof, and that in the ordinary course of plaintiff’s business it is necessary to cross and use said premises.
“That the business of plaintiff is a larg' one, and the good will is of considerable value, and that it is necessary to have the freo and unhampered use of said property aforesaid in order to carry on its business, and that the threatened acts of the defendant will damage and irreparably injure said business aforesaid.
“Whereof plaintiff prays judgment that the defendant, his agents and employes be restrained and enjoined from trespassing upon, or interfering with, the business of plaintiff, or its property aforesaid, and more especially from entering upon said premises above de *277 scribed or in any manner interfering with plaintiff’s possession or attempting to take possession of said premises or any part thereof, or from removing or destroying any fences, or other improvements thereon, or in any manner interfering with the employes and servants of plaintiff in entering, crossing or using said premises or in their vocations, and for such other and further orders as to the court shall seem equitable and just.
“J. F. Lawrence, Attorney for Plaintiff.”

'The defendant waived summons, but it does not appear that any pleadings were filed by defendant. A court trial was had and a temporary injunction granted, from which defendant appeals.

The evidence in the case was, in substance, that the plaintiff was a corporation engaged in the refining of crude oil. The refining plant was located near Sapulpa upon a tract of land near the Frisco Railroad right of way, and consisted of 20 acres, and also of a small triangular tract lying between the main plant and the Frisco right of way, which is the bone, of contention.

The main plant of the refining company was located on the 20-acre tract, and the small tract or strip aforesaid was used for a yard and passageway to the loading rack on the railroad right of way, and the pipes for transferring the oil from the refinery to the railroad right of way for shipping ran across llie strip. 'The refinery company had been in actual possession of the entire tract, including this strip, which it was claiming under de-'d. since 3907. The defendant also claimed Ihis strip by virtue of a certain deed, and on the night of August 3, 3915, went upon the same and took possession thereof and cut down plaintiff’s fences and refused to permit any of plaintiff’s employes to enter or cross said strip, and so held possession until about noon of the next day. when plaintiff again obtained possession in some way not divulged by the evidence, and as defendant was still threatening to return and again, take forcible possession of said strip, the i>laintiff applied to the court for an injunction to restrain him from so doing.

If was correctly held in Pioneer Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. City of Bartlesville, 27 Okla. 214, 111 Pac. 207, that an order of the district court allowing a temporary injunction may be appealed from and brought for review in this court before final judgment is had in the trial court in the main action.

Plaintiff also raises the point that no motion for a new trial was filed in the trial court. As this proposition is not discussed and no authorities cited, without passing thereon or expressing any opinion as to its merits, we will deem this point as waived and will pass to the points raised by plaintiff in error.

The two propositions presented and discussed by defendant are:

“ (1) It is error to grant .a temporary injunction to restrain a threatened trespass such as could be fully compensated in money damages.
“(2) The mere apprehension of injury or trespass is not sufficient to warrant an injunction.”

It was admitted at the trial that the defendant about midnight went on the strip of land in controversy, which was then in possession of the plaintiff, and destroyed the fences inclosing it and erected fences of his own and remained on the property until noon of the next day, and ordered the employes of plaintiff to stay off this strip, and threatened to use force to keep them off and that afterwards he still threatened to go back and again take forcible possession thereof, but defendant contends that an injunction will not lie in such a case to restrain a trespass, but that plaintiff had a full, adequate, and complete remedy at law by way of an action-for damages, and that the evidence shows that defendant was solvent, and cites Marshall v. Homier, 33 Okla. 264, 74 Pac. 368, Thompson v. Tucker et al., 35 Okla. 486, 83 Pac. 413, 6 Ann. Cas. 1012, and Bracken v. Stone et al., 20 Okla. 633, 95 Pac. 236, as-sustaining his contention.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
159 P. 360, 59 Okla. 276, 1916 Okla. LEXIS 1225, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burnett-v-sapulpa-refining-co-okla-1916.