City of Albuquerque v. Jackson

684 P.2d 543, 101 N.M. 457
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 5, 1984
Docket7255
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 684 P.2d 543 (City of Albuquerque v. Jackson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Albuquerque v. Jackson, 684 P.2d 543, 101 N.M. 457 (N.M. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

OPINION

ALARID, Judge.

This appeal arises from a complaint to abate ordinance violations filed against defendant Jackson by the City of Albuquerque (City) on February 11, 1982. The City sought to abate Jackson’s maintenance of a fifty-foot, free-standing advertising sign erected in violation of the City’s zoning code which limits such signs to twenty-six feet in height. Jackson counterclaimed against the City alleging that the advertising sign regulation was unconstitutional and that the City had maliciously and intentionally harassed Jackson by attempting to enforce its sign regulation, resulting in damages to Jackson. The City was granted summary judgment on its claims and on Jackson’s counterclaims. The district court, however, allowed Jackson to file an amended counterclaim to allege that the defendant was entitled to just compensation for the removal of its sign, and after a bench trial Jackson was awarded compensation in the amount of $1,000.00. Jackson appeals the adverse summary judgment order and the amount of just compensation awarded. City cross-appeals the trial court’s award of any amount of compensation. We affirm the granting of summary judgment in favor of the City and reverse the award of compensation for defendant Jackson.

I. Timeliness of Appeal

We first answer the question as to the timeliness of Jackson’s appeal from the summary judgment. Our concern is not with the contents of the notice of appeal (which refers to both the July, 1982 summary judgment and the April, 1983 damage judgment), but with the timeliness of the notice of appeal, filed May 9, 1983 from the July, 1982 summary judgment. In this case, the appeal was timely because the summary judgment was not a final judgment. Although the judgment disposed of all issues in connection with the original complaint and counterclaim, the same order authorized Jackson to amend the counterclaim to assert a claim under NMSA 1978, Section 42A-1-34 (Repl.Pamp.1981). Under these circumstances, “all” claims were not disposed of, and the magic words of NMSA 1978, Civ.P.Rule 54(b)(1) (Repl. Pamp.1980) (“no just reason for delay”), are missing. Montoya v. Anaconda Mining Co., 97 N.M. 1, 635 P.2d 1323 (Ct.App.1981). On this basis, we hold the appeal was timely.

II. Jackson’s Reliance on Prior Decision

The undisputed facts show that Judge Franchini’s decision holding the ordinance unconstitutional in Temple Baptist was in March, 1981; that Jackson erected his sign in November 1981; that his sign was fifty feet high; that under the ordinance the sign could not be more than twenty-six feet high; that the City action to require Jackson to comply with the ordinance was filed in February, 1982; that Temple Baptist Church v. City of Albuquerque, 98 N.M. 138, 646 P.2d 565 (1982) was decided in May, 1982 and rehearing was denied in June, 1982; and that the summary judgment in this case was entered in July, 1982.

Jackson asserts that he could rely on Judge Franchini’s decision in Temple Baptist while that case was pending on appeal. We disagree. The trial court erroneously ruled, that at the time Jackson erected his sign, the ordinance had been declared unconstitutional and therefore was of no force or effect.

The Temple Baptist decision was appealed in March, 1981. NMSA 1978, Section 39-3-23 provides that the City’s appeal automatically stayed Judge Franchini's decision. See Robinson v. Memorial General Hospital, 99 N.M. 60, 653 P.2d 891 (Ct.App.1982). This being a procedural matter, however, the statute is not to be enforced contrary to a Supreme Court Rule. Ammerman v. Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., 89 N.M. 307, 551 P.2d 1354 (1976); State v. Herrera, 92 N.M. 7, 582 P.2d 384 (Ct.App.1978). NMSA 1978, Civ.P.Rule 62(e) (Repl. Pamp.1980) provides that an appeal by the state or any political subdivision operates as a stay “except as provided in Subdivisions (a) and (c).” State ex rel. N.M. Highway Department v. Silva, 98 N.M. 549, 650 P.2d 833 (Ct.App.1982). The injunction in Judge Franchini’s ruling went only to the plaintiffs in Temple Baptist, and Jackson was not a party in that case. The other types of actions mentioned in Subdivisions (a) and (c) are not involved here.

It should be noted that the City moved for partial stay of Judge Franchini’s judgment, asking that the judgment be made inapplicable to signs erected thereafter and that the City be permitted to continue requiring newly erected signs to conform with the sign ordinance. This motion was denied, but the denial did no more than leave Judge Franchini’s judgment in effect under Civ.P.Rule 62(a). This makes no difference because the judgment was stayed under the provisions of Civ.P.Rule 62(e). Consequently, there is no merit in Jackson’s argument that he could rely on the Franchini judgment in deciding to erect his sign.

A. Summary Judgment—Procedure

Jackson asserts that the City failed to make a showing entitling it to summary judgment. He pled affirmative defenses in his answer and also counterclaimed. Under Fidelity National Bank v. Tommy L. Goff, Inc., 92 N.M. 106, 583 P.2d 470 (1978), the City’s burden was to show an absence of material facts as to the affirmative defenses and as to the counterclaim. Jackson argues this burden was not met.

The City responds that it relied on a presumption of validity. We agree. It is fundamental that an ordinance as well as a statute is presumed to be valid and that one who attacks it has the burden of coming forward with evidence of its invalidity. City of Lovington v. Hall, 68 N.M. 143, 359 P.2d 769 (1961); City of Alamogordo v. McGee, 64 N.M. 253, 327 P.2d 321 (1958). Limiting our consideration to the burden of coming forward with evidence, this presumption is consistent with NMSA 1978, Evid.Rule 301 (Repl.Pamp.1983). The presumption served to meet the City’s burden of showing an absence of material facts as to the affirmative defenses and counterclaim. Consequently, it devolved upon Jackson to show there was a factual issue which would defeat the City’s summary judgment motion.

B. Summary Judgment—Merits

In light of Temple Baptist, Jackson does not claim the sign ordinance is facially invalid. Rather, his claim is that the ordinance is unconstitutional as applied to him. The challenge is based on free speech and due process grounds.

The speech claim is whether the ordinance leaves open ample alternative channels of communication. See Temple Baptist, 98 N.M.

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Bluebook (online)
684 P.2d 543, 101 N.M. 457, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-albuquerque-v-jackson-nmctapp-1984.