City of South Euclid v. Novy

214 N.E.2d 711, 7 Ohio Misc. 181, 36 Ohio Op. 2d 228, 1966 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 277
CourtSouth Euclid Municipal Court
DecidedJanuary 28, 1966
DocketNo. 7017
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 214 N.E.2d 711 (City of South Euclid v. Novy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Euclid Municipal Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of South Euclid v. Novy, 214 N.E.2d 711, 7 Ohio Misc. 181, 36 Ohio Op. 2d 228, 1966 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 277 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1966).

Opinion

Knein, J.

On February 13, 1965, an affidavit which reads in part as follows was filed in this court:

“* * * Thomas Sterkel, who being duly sworn according law, deposes and says, that on or about the 4th, 5th, and 13th days of June, 1964, and continuing thereafter until June 22, 1964, at the city of South Euclid, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, one Charles Novy, 1772 Maywood Road, South Euclid, Ohio, did disturb the peace and good order of the city of South Euclid, Ohio, by using obscene, profane and scandalous language; that all of said acts were in violation of Section 527.03 of the Codified Ordinances of the city of South Euclid, Ohio, and against the peace and dignity of the city of South Euclid, Ohio, in violation of law, * * *”

The defendant, Charles Novy, and his wife live at 1772 Maywood Road, South Euclid, Ohio. The affiant, Thomas A. Sterkel, and his family live next door to the defendant’s residence.

Briefly summarized, the pertinent portion of the testimony elicited at the hearing in this case was as follows :

1. Mrs. Sterkel testified that on June 4,1964, the defendant yelled and shouted at her in a loud, angry voice that she should keep her children off the sidewalk since they were cracking it with their high heels and plastic go-carts; that on another occasion, the defendant yelled at her that “Catholics are worse than niggers ’ ’; that on still another occasion, he shouted at her daughter in a loud, angry voice that she was a “liar” and that [183]*183she should “shut her mouth and go into the house”; and that on numerous and various other occasions, the defendant had spit at her (Mrs. Sterkel) and her children.

2. Affiant, Thomas Sterkel, testified that on June 13, 1964, the defendant spit at him and yelled “Who in the hell do you think you are — the Pope or someone?”

3. Mrs. Margaret Zelina (a resident of Maywood Road living several houses from the Novy residence) testified that she had heard the defendant yelling at the Sterkel children.

4. The defendant’s wife testified that she never saw her husband spit at any of the Sterkels; that her husband doesn’t use profane language; that she never heard him make any of the hereinbefore set forth remarks which the Sterkels claim he made; and that Mr. Sterkel had, in fact, yelled at Mr. Novy on several occasions.

5. The defendant testified that he never yelled at the Sterkels; he denied ever having made the hereinbefore set forth remarks which the Sterkels claimed he had made; and he further testified that Mr. Sterkel had yelled at him on several occasions.

•At the close of the city’s case, the defendant moved for a dismissal1 on the ground that the evidence presented by the City failed to disclose a breach of the peace, it being the contention of the defendant that City Ordinance 527.03 requires proof of a breach of the peace and “# * * that a quarrel with another, or the commission of any of the other things enumerated in the Ordinance unaccompanied Toy a disturbance of the public. * * (emphasis added) does not constitute a breach of the peace. In support of his motion, the defendant cited the following cases: Fischbach v. Ohio State Racing Commission, 76 Ohio Law Abs. 540; City of Cleveland v. Lavelle, 51 Weekly L. Bull. 310; and State v. Rothschild, 78 Ohio Law Abs. 292. In his post hearing brief, the defendant stated that since the language of City Ordinance 527.03 is similar to Section 715.55, Revised Code, the following cases decided under Section 715.55, Revised Code, throw light on the proper construction of the South Euclid Ordinance: In re Fitzsimmons (1912), 13 O. N. P. (N. S.) 104; Hughes v. Cincinnati (1913), 14 O. N. P. (N. S.) [184]*184494; Jefferies v. City of Defiance (1891), 11 Dec. Repr. 144; 25 Weekly L. Bull. 68.

The Law

Section 715.55, Revised Code, reads in part as follows:

“Any municipal corporation may provide for: (A) The punishment of persons disturbing the good order and quiet of the municipal corporation by clamors and noises in the night season, by intoxication, drunkenness, fighting, committing assault, assault and battery, using obscene or profane language in the streets and other public places to the annoyance of the citizens, or otherwise violating the public peace by indecent and disorderly conduct or by lewd and lascivious behavior.”

Ordinance 527.03 of the city of South Euclid, Ohio, reads in part as follows :

“It shall be unlawful for any person to disturb the peace and good order of the City by fighting, quarreling, wrangling, threatening violence to the person or property of others, or by riot, tumult, lascivious, obscene, profane, or scandalous language, or by making outcries, clamor, or noise in the night, or by intoxication, drunkenness, # *

Finding oe Fact

A careful analysis of the demeanor of the various witnesses, their manner of testifying, the reasonableness of their testimony, their candor, or lack of candor, their interest and bias, together with all the other facts and circumstances surrounding their testimony, compel the conclusion that the defendant made the statements attributed to him by Mr. and Mrs. Sterkel.

Discussion

I. POWER OE CITY OE SOUTH EUCLID TO ENACT ClTY ORDINANCE 527.03.

City Ordinance 527.03 is a local police regulation within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XVIII of the Constitution of the state of Ohio.2 Since the problem with which this ordinance deals is clearly within the scope of the police powers of the city of South Euclid, any difference between the language [185]*185and scope of these two sections (City Ordinance 527.03 and Section 715.55, Revised Code), is without any legal consequence or signifiance.3

II. Defendant disturbed the peace and good oedeb op the city op South Euclid by weangling and by using peopane AND SCANDALOUS LANGUAGE.4

Defendant directed the following remarks at various members of the Sterkel family :

(1) “Who the hell do yon think you are — the Pope or someone?” (2) “Liar — shut your month.” (3) “Catholics are worse than niggers.”

Since the above and other remarks were made by the defendant in a “loud, angry” voice, he was “wrangling” within the ordinary and usual meaning of the word; the word “hell” is generally deemed to be a profane word; calling another person a “liar” is scandalous language; and since “nigger” is a very derogatory reference to a member of the Negro race, stating that members of a religious faith are worse than “niggers” also constitutes “scandalous” language. Thus, it is clear that the defendant “wrangled” and used “profane” and “scandalous ’ ’ language on the occasions set forth in the affidavit.

The defendant has claimed that, even if the court should believe the Sterkels’ testimony, a disturbance of the peace and good order of the city of South Euclid was still not established since the prosecutor failed to present any evidence that the [186]*186“public” was disturbed by defendant’s conduct. The courts of this country, however, have held that a breach of the peace can occur without the “public” repose being1 disturbed.

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Bluebook (online)
214 N.E.2d 711, 7 Ohio Misc. 181, 36 Ohio Op. 2d 228, 1966 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 277, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-south-euclid-v-novy-ohmunictsoutheu-1966.