Croke v. Southgate Sewer Dist.

857 So. 2d 774, 2003 WL 22411214
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 23, 2003
Docket2002-CA-00046-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 857 So. 2d 774 (Croke v. Southgate Sewer Dist.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Croke v. Southgate Sewer Dist., 857 So. 2d 774, 2003 WL 22411214 (Mich. 2003).

Opinion

857 So.2d 774 (2003)

Douglas CROKE d/b/a Airbase Mobile Home Park
v.
SOUTHGATE SEWER DISTRICT.

No. 2002-CA-00046-SCT.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

October 23, 2003.

*775 Victor Israel Fleitas, Tupelo, David C. Owen, Columbus, attorneys for appellant.

H.J. Davidson, Columbus, attorney for appellee.

EN BANC.

SMITH, Presiding Justice, for the Court.

¶ 1. In this property case, concerning sewer system connections, we review the chancellor's grant of summary judgment in favor of Southgate Sewer District (SSD) against Douglas Croke d/b/a Airbase Mobile Home Park (Croke). We find that the trial court did not err in granting SSD's motion for summary judgment without an oral hearing. We also find that the trial court did not err in granting summary judgment and that the trial court did not err in awarding damages to SSD. On cross-appeal, we find that the trial court did not err in refusing to enforce the judgment of the court. We affirm the trial court's judgment.

FACTS

¶ 2. These and other parties were before this Court in previous litigation in which this Court upheld the constitutionality of House Bill 1577, 1991 Miss. Local & Priv. Laws ch. 838, which created the SSD, and the constitutionality of certain ordinances passed by the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors. Croke v. Lowndes County Bd. of Supervisors, 733 So.2d 837 (Miss.1999). The following is an excerpt of background facts from the earlier case:

During the 1991 Legislative Session, the Mississippi Legislature passed House Bill 1577, 1991 Miss. Local & Priv. Laws Ch. 838, creating the Southgate Sewer District, a single purpose sewer district. That bill also granted all of the necessary powers for the operation of the district. In March of 1994, the Southgate Sewer District passed an ordinance requiring mandatory hook-up of all owners of land upon which a residence or business was located within 100 feet of the property line. The ordinance also provided that failure to do so would be a misdemeanor. In April of 1994, the ordinance was adopted as an ordinance of Lowndes County by the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors. Because of difficulties or discrepancies in the ordinance that thereafter came to light, an amended sewer ordinance was passed and adopted by the district on December 8, 1995. This amended ordinance contains the following provisions: Article I: defines various terms used in the body of the ordinance. Article II: requires that the public sewers be used. Specifically, Section III prohibits constructing or maintaining a private system for the "disposal of sewage" in place of using the public sewers. Section IV makes it mandatory for the owner of all structures occupied by humans at any time to construct toilet facilities herein and to connect to the sewer system within 90 days after official notice, provided that the sewer system is within 100 feet of the subject property line. Article III: provides for private disposal where access is not available to the sewer system; requires a permit from Southgate; requires inspection by Southgate; requires connection to the public sewer system if access is available in the future. Article IV: addresses building sewers and connections. Article V: addresses limitations on the use of the public sewers. Article VI: prohibits malicious, willful, or negligent damage to *776 the sewer works by unauthorized persons. Article VII: outline the powers and authorities of inspectors. Article VIII: provides misdemeanor penalties for violation of the provisions of the ordinance, up to one hundred dollars ($100) per day. Article IX: repeals any prior ordinances and provides that the invalidity of any section, clause, sentence or provision of the ordinance shall not affect the validity of any other parts of the ordinance that can be given effect without the invalid parts.
On December 8, 1996, the Board of Supervisors enacted an "Amended Sewer Use Ordinance of the Board of Supervisors" preceded by the following language:
AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING A GRAY-WATER COLLECTION SYSTEM AND REGULATING THE USE OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SEWERS AND DRAINS, PRIVATE SEPTIC DISPOSAL, THE INSTALLATION AND CONNECTION OF BUILDING SEWERS, AND THE DISCHARGE OF GRAY WATER INTO THE PUBLIC SEWER SYSTEM(S): AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF: FOR THE SOUTH GATE SEWER DISTRICT IN LOWNDES COUNTY MISSISSIPPI.
Be it ordained and enacted by the President and Board of Supervisors of Lowndes County, Mississippi, that a "Gray-Water" Collection System shall be established....

Croke, 733 So.2d at 838-39.

¶ 3. Following the first litigation, Croke refused to grant an easement to SSD without being compensated for it. This easement would have allowed SSD to enter Croke's property without trespassing in order to connect Croke's property to the main collection system that had been constructed bordering Croke's land. SSD later utilized an ordinance adopted by the County's Board of Supervisors which, in effect, stated that since Croke would not grant the easement needed on his property during the time SSD was willing to install the system at no charge, Croke had the legal duty to connect to the collection system and incur the cost. Croke still did not connect to the sewer system.

¶ 4. On May 14, 1999, SSD sued Croke in the Chancery Court of Lowndes County seeking (1) a mandatory injunction ordering Croke to connect to its sewer system and (2) damages. On October 13, 1999, the SSD filed an Amended Complaint. Croke filed his Answer to Amended Complaint, including counterclaim, requesting the court to award him a reasonable amount in just compensation for the taking of his property to be used in connecting him to the sewer system, on November 17, 1999. On December 7, 1999, SSD filed its Answer to Counterclaim.

¶ 5. On June 30, 2000, SSD filed its Motion for Summary Judgment. Croke responded on September 19, 2000, seeking to strike certain affidavits submitted by SSD and have SSD's claim against him dismissed or transferred to a special court of eminent domain. On October 10, 2000, SSD filed a Supplement to the Motion for Summary Judgment. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of SSD on November 2, 2000, and denied all other requested relief.

¶ 6. The trial court held a one-day hearing on the issue of damages on April 16, 2001. The trial court then issued an opinion assessing damages in the amount of $45,141.20 against Croke on September 26, 2001. Judgment was entered on October 3, 2001. On December 6, 2001, the chancellor filed an Order Granting Remittitur and Denying Other Relief. A revised *777 judgment, reducing the damages awarded to SSD to $27,084.72[1] was filed on January 4, 2002. From that judgment, Croke filed the appeal now before this Court, with a cross-appeal by SSD.

ANALYSIS

I. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN GRANTING SSD'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT WITHOUT ALLOWING AN ORAL HEARING.

¶ 7. For a summary judgment motion to be granted, there must exist no genuine issue of material fact, and the moving party must be entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Miss. R. Civ. P. 56(c). The standard of review of a trial court's grant of a motion for summary judgment is de novo. Hancock v. Mid Am. Servs. Inc., 836 So.2d 762, 764 (Miss.2003) (citing Short v. Columbus Rubber & Gasket Co., 535 So.2d 61, 63 (Miss.1988)). The burden of demonstrating that there is no genuine issue of material fact falls upon the party requesting the summary judgment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
857 So. 2d 774, 2003 WL 22411214, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/croke-v-southgate-sewer-dist-miss-2003.