Dockery v. Morgan

2011 Ark. 94, 380 S.W.3d 377, 2011 Ark. LEXIS 80
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMarch 3, 2011
DocketNo. 10-651
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 2011 Ark. 94 (Dockery v. Morgan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dockery v. Morgan, 2011 Ark. 94, 380 S.W.3d 377, 2011 Ark. LEXIS 80 (Ark. 2011).

Opinion

COURTNEY HUDSON HENRY, Justice.

| iAppellant James Dockery appeals a Pulaski County Circuit Court order granting a motion to dismiss filed by appellees Brett Morgan, Craig Campbell, George Dunklin, Jr., Ronald Pierce, Rick Watkins, Ron Duncan, Emon Mahony, Dr. Frederick W. Spiegel, and Scott Henderson, individually and in their official capacities as commissioners and director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (Commission). For reversal, appellant argues that the circuit court erred in dismissing counts one and two of his amended complaint, pursuant to Arkansas Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) (2010); in ruling that it lacked jurisdiction to consider count three of his amended complaint; in dismissing appellees in their individual capacities; and in denying appellant’s request for an injunction pending appeal. Our [¿jurisdiction is proper pursuant to Arkansas Supreme Court Rule 1 — 2(b)(4), (b)(6) (2010). We affirm.

I. Facts

The parties in this appeal are appellant, a resident of Pulaski County, and appel-lees, the commissioners and director of the Commission. Prior to the filing of appellant’s complaint, the Commission entered into gas leases with private companies to allow for mineral exploration on the Commission’s land. In exchange for these leases, the private companies paid the Commission approximately $32 million. In turn, the Commission deposited the gas-lease revenue into the Game Protection Fund at the Arkansas State Treasury. Subsequently,, in Act 1147 of 2009, the Arkansas General Assembly appropriated the gas-lease revenue to the Commission.

On February 25, 2009, appellant filed his initial complaint against the Commission for declaratory and injunctive relief. Specifically, appellant alleged that the Commission’s act of entering into the gas leases violated amendment 35 of the Arkansas Constitution, which charges the Commission with the duty to manage, conserve, and restore Arkansas wildlife resources. Appellant requested the circuit court to restrain and enjoin the expenditure of the gas-lease revenue until the court determined whether those funds belonged to the Arkansas State Treasury’s general fund (general fund) or whether they should remain as one of the Commission’s revenue bases. The Commission answered, asserting that appellant’s complaint should be dismissed pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state facts upon which relief could 13be granted. On April 3, 2009, the parties entered into a consent order whereby the Commission agreed not to expend any gas-lease revenue until the circuit court entered a final, appealable order.

On October 1, 2009, appellant filed an amended complaint, asserting three separate counts and adding appellees individually to the lawsuit. In count one, appellant alleged that appellees, acting in their official capacities as commissioners and director of the Commission, exceeded the mandate of amendment 35 of the Arkansas Constitution by committing ultra vires acts of entering into these gas leases with private companies. Specifically, appellant alleged that (1) the Commission exceeded its mandate under amendment 35 by leasing its land for drilling purposes; (2) the Commission failed to hold certain lands in trust for the people of Arkansas by leasing land for gas drilling for profit; and (3) the Commission failed to hold lands in trust by acting outside its constitutional authority. In count two, appellant asserted an illegal-exaction claim, arguing that the Commission engaged in conduct giving rise to an illegal exaction by using public funds and resources to enter into gas leases with private, commercial enterprises and diverting the monies generated from those leases from the general fund. Finally, in an alternative count three, appellant asked the circuit court to subject the Commission’s leased lands to taxation. For relief, appellant requested the circuit court to (1) declare that the Commission engaged in conduct beyond the scope of its authority under amendment 35; (2) enjoin the Commission from engaging in such conduct in the future; (3) declare that an illegal exaction arose from the misappropriation of gas-lease revenues; (4) |4direct reimbursement to the general fund for the illegal exaction of gas-lease revenues; (5) declare that the lands were subject to taxation and were not tax-exempt; and (6) grant appellant reasonable attorney’s fees and “any and all other relief to which [appellant] may be entitled.”

The Commission and appellees filed a motion to dismiss appellant’s amended complaint, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. After the circuit court held a hearing on the matter, appellant presented the circuit court on December 10, 2009, with a letter and a proposed order requesting a voluntary dismissal of the Commission, pursuant to Arkansas Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a) (2010). On February 3, 2010, the circuit court granted appellant’s motion for voluntary nonsuit of the Commission and dismissed the Commission without prejudice.

On March 4, 2010, the circuit court entered its order, dismissing with prejudice appellant’s claims against appellees in their official capacities. First, the circuit court dismissed count one against appel-lees in their official capacities because appellant failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted and because the relief could not be granted by the circuit court. The circuit court found appellant’s allegations in count one were factually deficient because they were conclusory in nature. The court also ruled that appellant’s allegations in count one were legally deficient pursuant to amendment 35, Arkansas Code Annotated sections 22-5-801 to -818 (Repl.2004 & Supp.2009), and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service regulations. Second, the circuit court dismissed count two against appellees |sm their official capacities because appellant failed to allege facts sufficient to state an illegal-exaction claim. The court ruled that appellant’s allegations did not amount to illegal conduct, nor could the court grant the relief requested. Third, the circuit court dismissed count three against appellees in their official capacities based upon the circuit court’s lack of jurisdiction to subject the lands to taxation. Additionally, the circuit court dismissed appellant’s amended complaint against the Commission’s director and commissioners in their individual capacities because state officials and employees are immune from suit, pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated section 19-10-305(a) (Supp.2009). The court also ruled that appellant’s amended complaint failed to state a claim that any actions of the Commission’s director and commissioners were conducted in their individual capacity, outside the scope of their official capacity, or under the color of state law to deprive appellant of his constitutional rights. On March 16, 2010, appellant filed a motion for injunction “that the funds at issue not be dissipated” pending appeal, and the circuit court denied the motion in its April 19, 2010 order. Appellant timely filed his notices of appeal on March 31, 2010, and May 17, 2010.

II. Points on Appeal

On appeal, appellant challenges the circuit court’s dismissal of appellant’s claims against appellees in their official and individual capacities. Our standard of review on a motion to dismiss is well established. We treat the facts alleged in the complaint as true and view them in the light most favorable to the party who filed the complaint. McNeil v. Weiss, 2011 Ark. 46, 378 S.W.3d 133.

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2011 Ark. 94, 380 S.W.3d 377, 2011 Ark. LEXIS 80, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dockery-v-morgan-ark-2011.