Cawthon v. Douglas County

286 S.E.2d 30, 248 Ga. 760, 1982 Ga. LEXIS 678
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedJanuary 7, 1982
Docket38038
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 286 S.E.2d 30 (Cawthon v. Douglas County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cawthon v. Douglas County, 286 S.E.2d 30, 248 Ga. 760, 1982 Ga. LEXIS 678 (Ga. 1982).

Opinions

Per curiam.

Douglas County brought an action against Mary Cawthon in May, 1981, alleging in the first count that the defendant was operating a commercial business (i.e., grooming dogs in her residence) in violation of the Zoning Ordinance of Douglas County, and alleging in the second count that the defendant was violating the Animal Control Ordinance of Douglas County by allowing her two vicious dogs to run loose, unsupervised and without a leash, so as to constitute a public nuisance. The county further alleged that it had no adequate remedy at law, and sought to temporarily and permanently restrain and enjoin the defendant from operating her commercial business in her home; to temporarily and permanently restrain and enjoin her from violating the animal control ordinance; and to have her dogs declared a public nuisance and have them removed from her property.

The defendant filed her answer and counterclaim and demand for trial by jury, alleging that both ordinances were unconstitutional; that the plaintiff county was guilty of laches and unclean hands; that the plaintiff had an adequate remedy at law; and that her civil rights had been violated by the discriminatory practices of the plaintiff in its arbitrary enforcement of its ordinances.

The matter was set down for hearing by rule nisi and, upon the call of the case, the defendant demanded a jury trial pursuant to her written demand therefor. The court denied the demand and specially set the matter for hearing several days later.

The matter was then called on the date specially set, and jury trial was again demanded and denied. Defendant’s counsel moved for a continuance on the grounds of the defendant’s absence from court because of illness and his not being prepared by virtue of the denial of the demand for jury trial. The continuance was denied, and the court ordered the hearing to proceed as to all features of the plaintiffs complaint and again denied the renewed demand for jury trial. A court reporter was not available, and the hearing proceeded.

By agreement of counsel, it was stipulated that the defendant’s residence was zoned R-2 and was part of a residential subdivision; that from June, 1980, through December 31,1980, the defendant had a valid business license to operate her dog-grooming business; and [761]*761that the county’s zoning and animal control ordinances be allowed into the record. Counsel for the defendant argued that both ordinances were unconstitutional, since copies of them were not available to the general public; that the plaintiff arbitrarily and capriciously enforced them; and that there were at least four other dog-grooming businesses in other residential areas of the county which the plaintiff county allowed to go unchecked. The trial court ordered that the hearing proceed.

The plaintiff presented the testimony of three witnesses, all of whom lived in the defendant’s subdivision and testified as to her operation of the dog-grooming business in her residence. There was no testimony that the defendant operated the business outside of her home; there was testimony as to what equipment she had in her home, including dipping and washing baths and numerous cages to confine the dogs. There was also testimony that several persons were observed bringing dogs into the defendant’s residence and that, on one occasion, a large dog escaped while it was being carried into defendant’s residence and had to be restrained by animal control authorities. There was further testimony that there was a substantial increase in the volume of vehicular traffic after the defendant’s business commenced; that accumulations of dog hairs apparently coming from the defendant’s residence were found in the neighbors’ yards; and that the defendant’s dogs attacked other dogs without provocation, and, on one occasion, they attacked several rabbits in a cage.

The defendant, not being present, presented no evidence and, after argument of counsel, the trial court determined that the defendant’s use of her residence for grooming dogs was not a customary, incidental home occupation as contemplated by the county zoning ordinance. The court further ruled that the defendant was in violation of that ordinance, and permanently restrained and enjoined her from operating the dog-grooming business at her residence; declared her two dogs to be public nuisances; and restrained and enjoined the defendant from allowing her two dogs to be unrestrained while either on or off her property. The defendant appeals from this order, enumerating three alleged errors.

1. The defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying her demand for a jury trial and in determining with finality facts which should ultimately be determined by a jury. We begin with the question of whether the defendant would be entitled to a jury trial at a permanent injunction hearing.

In Williams v. Overstreet, 230 Ga. 112 (195 SE2d 906) (1973), an equity case begun as an action to enforce an equitable lien and concluded as an interpleader action, appellants contended (as the [762]*762defendant does here) that the trial judge could not enter final judgment because they were entitled to a trial by jury. After considering what is now Code Ann. § 2-4401 (“The right of trial by jury ... shall remain inviolate ...”) and Code Ann. § 81A-138 (“The right of trial by jury as declared by the Constitution of the State or as given by a statute of the State shall be preserved to the parties inviolate”), the court found that these provisions mean that the constitutional right to trial by jury shall not be taken away in cases where it existed when the constitution was adopted in 1798. After reviewing several cases the court found: “It is thus clear that the Georgia Constitution does not require trial by jury in equity cases. If there is a right to trial by jury in a case such as the one at bar, then there must be a statute providing for jury trial in such cases in this state. No such statute has been brought to our attention, and our own research reveals no such statute.” 230 Ga. at 116. See also 10A EGL Equity §§ 215, 221 (1979). The holding of Williams v. Overstreet, supra, was applied to a suit for specific performance in Fields v. Davies, 235 Ga. 87 (1) (218 SE2d 828) (1975), and was applied to a zoning ordinance case in City Council of Augusta v. Carpenter, 240 Ga. 448 (2) (241 SE2d 199) (1978). In Selby v. Gilmer, 240 Ga. 241,242 (240 SE2d 80) (1977), we wrote: “This court has previously held that there is no right of trial by jury in an equity case. [Cits.]” There being no constitutional right to trial by jury in equity cases, we turn again to the statutes.

In the Code of 1895, §§ 4847, 4849, read as follows: § 4847 — “At any stage in the progress of a cause for equitable relief, if any portion of the same is ready for or requires a decree, the court may hear and determine such matters, and pass such interlocutory decree or order as may advance the cause and expedite a final hearing. If no issue of fact is involved, the verdict of a jury is unnecessary”; § 4849 —“When any question of fact is involved, the same shall be decided by a jury. If there is no such question, or the auditor’s report, unexcepted to, covers all such questions, the judge may render a decree without the verdict of a jury.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
286 S.E.2d 30, 248 Ga. 760, 1982 Ga. LEXIS 678, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cawthon-v-douglas-county-ga-1982.