Davidson v. Munsey

80 P. 743, 29 Utah 181, 1905 Utah LEXIS 10
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedApril 14, 1905
DocketNo. 1570
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 80 P. 743 (Davidson v. Munsey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davidson v. Munsey, 80 P. 743, 29 Utah 181, 1905 Utah LEXIS 10 (Utah 1905).

Opinions

McCARTY, J.,

after making the foregoing statement of the case, delivered the opinion of the court.

Appellant’s first contention is that the affidavit of respondent, Davidson, was insufficient to authorize the trial court to issue an order requiring appellant to appear in court and show cause why he should not be fined and committed for contempt, for the reason that said affidavit was made upon information and belief, and not from personal knowledge. Davidson procured and filed affidavits of other parties in support of the motion for the order to show cause. In these affidavits the facts constituting the alleged contempt are set forth in direct and positive terms, and are based upon the personal knowledge of the parties who signed them, and were sufficient of themselves, without the affidavit of Davidson, to authorize the court to issue the order to show cause. Therefore the question as to whether the affidavit made by Davidson upon information and belief was sufficient to give the court authority to act in the matter becomes unimportant.

The next question raised by this appeal is, did the court err in requiring the defendant to pay to the plaintiff $300 as attorney’s fees as a part of the costs and expenses incurred by him in the prosecution of the action? Section 3338, Revised Statutes 1898, provides that:

“The compensation of attorneys and counselors at law is left to the agreement express or implied of the parties; but parties to actions or proceedings are entitled to costs and disbursements, as hereinafter provided.”

'Section 3368 provides that:

“If an actual loss or injury to a party in an action or special proceeding, prejudicial to his rights therein, is caused by the contempt, the court, in addition to the fine or imprisonment for the contempt, or in place thereof, may order the person proceeded [187]*187against to pay tbe party aggrieved a sum of money sufficient to indemnify him, and to satisfy bis costs and expenses.”

Appellant insists tbat tbe pbrase “costs and expenses” in section 3368 is equivalent to and means tbe same thing as tbe pbrase “costs and disbursements” found in section 3338, Revised Statutes 1898, and tbat only sucb costs as are taxable in ordinary actions can be legally allowed in cases of tbis bind. On tbe other band, respondent contends tbat tbe term '“expenses,” as used in section 3368,. is intended to include something more than tbe costs allowed by statute to tbe prevailing party in ordinary civil actions, and may include sucb reasonable attorney’s fees as the relator may have paid or obligated himself to pay counsel in order to secure tbe fruits of bis litigation and get the protection and full benefit tbat the injunction order which tbe defendant is adjudged guilty of violating, is intended to give him. It would seem tbat tbe Legislature, by making use of tbe word “expenses,” and associating it with tbat of “costs,” intended tbat something more than the usual or ordinary costs tbat are allowed to tbe prevailing party in civil actions generally might be allowed where tbe court proceeds under section 3368, and in addition to or in lieu of a fine or imprisonment “orders tbe person proceeded against to pay tbe party aggrieved a sum of money sufficient to indemnify him and to satisfy bis costs and expenses.” Tbe term “costs,” as applied to judicial proceedings in tbis State, has a defined and well-understood meaning. It refers to and includes only those fees and charges the amounts of which are fixed and regulated by statute; that is to say, the fees which tbe statute provides a party in prosecuting or defending an action or proceeding must pay into court, tbe compensation of witnesses, and tbe fees required to be paid to tbe officers of tbe court during tbe progress of tbe suit. Tbe word “expenses” is not so restricted, and may include items of expenditure in tbe prosecution of an action or proceeding which are not governed and regulated by statute, and which are not allowed as a matter of course to the [188]*188prevailing party. And we are of tbe opinion that tbe term “expenses” in section 8368 is -used advisedly, and for a purpose, and is intended to include sucb necessary and unavoidable expenditures as tbe “party aggrieved” may be put to in prosecuting proceedings of this kind to secure tbe benefits bis injunction is supposed to give liim, as well as redress for the actual loss or injury which tbe evidence shows be has suffered because of tbe wrongful acts of defendant. If sucb bad not been tbe intention of tbe Legislature, it is reasonable to presume that tbe words “and expenses” would have been omitted from section 3368. (Taylor v. R. R. Co., 83 Wir. 645, 53 N. W. 855.) Therefore we are of tbe opinion, and so bold, that the court proceeded entirely within tbe sTatute in allowing plaintiff a reasonable attorney’s fee. Tbe action of tbe court in this respect is supported by respectable authority. In tbe case of tbe People ex rel. Garbut v. R. R. Co., 76 N. Y. 294, which was an appeal from an order modifying, and affirming as modified, an order imposing a fine upon appellant (defendant) for a contempt in disobeying a peremptory writ of mandamus which included $100 for fees paid by tbe relator to bis attorney in sucb proceedings, tbe court said:

“The fine imposed in this case, as modified by tbe General Term, consists only of tbe costs and expenses of tbe proceedings for contempt. Tbe appellants complain that in addition to tbe costs an allowance of $100 was made as a fair compensation to tbe relator’s attorneys in tbe proceedings. For this compensation tbe relators were liable to their attorneys, and, though not embraced within tbe term hosts,’ we think the court bad power to allow it as an expense.” (Dejonge v. Brenneman, 23 Hun [N. Y.] 332; Brett v. Brett, 33 Hun [N. Y.] 547; In re Tift [D. C.], 11 Fed. 467; Stahl v. Ertel [C. C.], 62 Fed. 920; Doubleday v. Sherman, 7 Fed. Gas. 959 [No. 4,020]; 2 High on Injunctions, sec, 1457, 9 Cyc. 55.)

[189]*189Tbe deposition of one O. D. Douglass was admitted in evidence over tbe objection of defendant. It is claimed that tbe action of tbe court in admitting tbe deposition was in violation of section 4513, It. S. 1898, wbicb provides, so far as material here, that “in criminal prosecutions tbe defendant shall be confronted by the witnesses against him.” Proceedings in contempt cases are divided into two classes. When brought under section 3361, and for tbe purpose of vindicating tbe power and authority of tbe court and maintaining its dignity, tbe proceedings are criminal in .character, and tbe rules of practice in criminal actions should be adhered to and folio-wed. But when, as in this case, the proceedings are for the purpose of collecting an indemnity for the damage's sustained by the plaintiff because of the misconduct of the defendant, they are civil, and are so held by the great weight of authority. (7 A. & E. Enc. Law, 28, 29, 68, and cases cited; 9 Cyc. 6.) In Snow v. Snow, 13 Utah 15, 43 Pac. 620, which is a well-considered case, this distinction is recognized and followed. In the course of the opinion the court said:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
80 P. 743, 29 Utah 181, 1905 Utah LEXIS 10, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davidson-v-munsey-utah-1905.