City of Lubbock v. Steagall

45 S.W.2d 996
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 27, 1932
DocketNo. 3793
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 45 S.W.2d 996 (City of Lubbock v. Steagall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Lubbock v. Steagall, 45 S.W.2d 996 (Tex. Ct. App. 1932).

Opinion

RANDOLPH, J.

Steagall Bros., a jewelry firm doing business in city of Lubbock, Tex., instituted this proceeding in the district court of Lubbock county to enjoin the enforcement of an ordinance of the city regulating the sale of jewelry by auction. The petitioners prayed for relief as follows:

“Wherefore, plaintiff- jointly and severally pray that this Court forthwith issue a temporary order restraining the defendants, City of Lubbock, a municipal corporation, as such corporation, and defendants J. J. Clements, J. F. Bacon, D. N. Leaverton, W. H. Rogers, J. L. Holt, and J. W. Lemond, in their official capacities as officers of the City of Lubbock, from enforcing Ordinance No. 477 of the City of Lubbock, Texas, as to these plaintiffs, their servants, agents, and employees, and from molesting or attempting to molest the plaintiffs or either of them, their servants, agents and employees, and restraining the defendants and each of them from molesting or attempting to molest the plaintiffs, or their servants, agents and employees, in the conducting of their place of business, and the holding of an auction sale at their place of business at 1020 Broadway Street, Lubbock, Texas, and that the defendants and each of them be enjoined from and caused to cease from interfering with the quiet and peaceable enjoyment of these plaintiffs of their place of business, and of carrying on at their place of business an auction sale, and from enforcing Ordinance No. 477, of the City of Lubbock, Texas, as to them, their agents, servants and employees, and the selling of their goods, wares and merchandise at such sale at auction, personally or by or through their agents, servants, or employees.
“Plaintiffs pray' that defendants be cited to appear and answer this petition, and that upon final hearing they and each of them have judgment, making said temporary injunction permanent, and establishing their right to hold or maintain an auction sale of merchandise at their place of business at 1020 Broadway Street, Lubbock, Texas, free from any molesting or harming by the defendants or each of them, and keeping the defendants and [997]*997each of them from interfering with plaintiffs and their place of business, and holding of auction sales therein, and the enforcing of Ordinance No. 477 of the City of Lubbock, Texas, and decreeing said Ordinance No. 477 of the City of Lubbock, Texas, null and void and of no force and effect, and for costs of suit and such other and further relief, special and general, in law and in equity, that they may show themselves entitled to.”

The district judge indorsed his fiat on plaintiffs’ petition as follows:

“The attached and foregoing petition having been presented to and heard by the 99th District Court of Lubbock County, Texas, on this the 1st day of December, 1931, and it appearing to the Court from the facts therein, that the applicants are entitled to a temporary restraining order, that the same is within complainant’s allegations and prayer; that the delay will not be injurious to either party, and that justice may be subserved thereby.
“It is accordingly ordered that the Clerk •of this Court issue a temporary restraining order operative until, and pending the hearing below ordered, and restraining the defendants, City of Lubbock, a municipal corporation, as such corporation, and defendants, J. J. Clements, J. F. Bacon, D. N. Leaverton, W. H. Rogers, J. L. Holt, and J. W. Lemond, in their official capacities as officers of the City of Lubbock, from enforcing Ordinance No. 477 of the City of Lubbock, Texas, as to these plaintiffs, their servants, agents, and employees and from molesting or attempting to molest the plaintiffs or either of them, their servants, agents and employees, and restraining the defendants and each of them from molesting or attempting to molest the plaintiffs, or their servants, agents and employees, in the conducting of their place of business, and the holding of an auction sale at their place of business at 1020 Broadway Street, Lubbock, Texas, and that the defendants and each of them be enjoined from and caused to cease from interfering with the quiet and peaceable enjoyment of these plaintiffs of their place of business, and of carrying on at their place of business an auction sale, and from enforcing Ordinance No. 477 of the City of Lubbock, Texas, as to them, their agents, servants and employees, and the selling of their goods, wares and merchandise at such sale at auction, personally or by or through their agents, servants, or employees. Which order shall be effective, conditioned upon the complainant executing in behalf of the defendant, a bond conditioned as the law requires in the sum of $1000.00.
“The Clerk of this Court shall quote this Fiat and embody such order in a writ which shall also require the defendants to appear in the Court room of this Court on the 10th day of December, A. D. 1931, to show cause why an injunction should not be granted on this petition, which shall be effective until final decree in this suit. This order shall be served by the Sheriff or any Constable.
“This the 1st day of December, A. D. 1931.
“Clark M. Mullican,
“Judge 99th District Court,
Lubbock County, Texas.”

On the granting of this order by the district judge, the city of Lubbock appealed therefrom.

Preliminary to a consideration of the appeal on its merits, we are confronted with a motion by appellees to dismiss the appeal upon two grounds, only one of which is necessary for us to discuss. That ground is because the questions involved in the appeal have become and are now moot because the restraining order, by express order of the court issuing the same, was operative only until and pending the'hearing which was ordered by the court. The contention of the motion is that, while the appeal was pending, the date of the hearing had been reached and passed, and nothing further having been done in the matter, the restraining order had by its own terms expired. Hence, there is nothing for this court to consider.

In the oral argument before the court, counsel for appellees stated that when the appeal was taken, recognizing that such appeal could not possibly be reached in this court before the time the district judge had set for hearing had passed, counsel for both parties agreed to pass the matter of hearing so set and so advised the district judge, consequently nothing further as to such hearing had been done.

Considering the record only, there is and can be no question but that the language of the fiat fixes the expiration of the date of the effectiveness of the restraining order. The judge specifically orders the clerk , to issue a temporary restraining order “operative until and pending the hearing below ordered.” The order setting the date for hearing set it specifically for the 10th day of December, 1931. In the record there is no order extending the time of the hearing to some other date. We are not authorized by law to con-, sider ex parte statements of counsel to supplement the record.

Judge Gaines, in the case of Riggins v. Thompson, 96 Tex. 154, 71 S. W. 14, 16, classifies injunctions as follows: (1) A restraining order (defining it); (2) one which is intended to operate and does operate unless dissolved by an interlocutory order, until final hearing; (3) a perpetual injunction to be ordered on final decree.

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Bluebook (online)
45 S.W.2d 996, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-lubbock-v-steagall-texapp-1932.