Dudoussat v. Louisiana State Racing Commission

133 So. 2d 155, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1340
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 30, 1961
DocketNo. 32
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 133 So. 2d 155 (Dudoussat v. Louisiana State Racing Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dudoussat v. Louisiana State Racing Commission, 133 So. 2d 155, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1340 (La. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

SAMUEL, Judge.

On January 9, 1958, nine taxpayers and resident owners of real estate on Belfort Avenue and DeSaix Boulevard in the City of New Orleans filed this suit against the Louisiana State Racing Commission, the individual members of that Commission, and the Fair Grounds Corporation seeking to permanently enjoin the Racing Commission from granting to the Fair Grounds Corporation a license to operate a race track in the City of New Orleans, and seeking to permanently enjoin the Fair Grounds Corporation from conducting pari-mutuel wagering within the track area and/or from operating said race track. The original plaintiffs were joined by four others, who intervened making the same allegations and seeking the same relief. There was judgment in the trial court in favor of the defendants, dismissing the suit as to all plaintiffs and intervenors. This devolu-tive appeal was taken by plaintiffs and inter-venors to the Supreme Court of Louisiana by which the matter has been transferred to this court under the pertinent constitutional amendment, LSA-Const. Art. 7, § 30.

For approximately 87 years the defendant Fair Grounds Corporation had operated a track for thoroughbred horse racing in the flat on its premises in the City of New Orleans with the usual racing season beginning each year on Thanksgiving Day and continuing for approximately 85 racing days. With the exception of a very few horses, which are kept in the track area throughout the year and about which there is no complaint, an average of some 900 horses are stabled in various barns owned and operated by the Corporation on their property in the track area during and shortly before and after the racing season. The track in large measure is financed by pari-mutuel wagering conducted in connection with the races and is operated under a permit or license which has been issued each year by the other defendant, Louisiana State Racing Commission.

Petitioners, who live on or near Belfort Avenue (the first street north of the track area), allege that the barns or stables in the vicinity of their homes, and refuse from such barns, together with water permitted to stagnate in pits behind the barns after the horses are washed, emit offensive odors which permeate their homes; that the barns attract and breed large quantities of fleas, flies and rats which invade petitioners* property; that there are loud noises caused by the public address system used for communication with the various barns during the day and noises and obscenity from the barns and track area, particularly during the early morning when the horses are being exercised; that these conditions disturb-the use, enjoyment, peace and quiet of petitioners’ homes and property and have-depreciated the realty value thereof.

Petitioners seek injunctive relief on two-grounds : first, that the race track is an-, illegal operation and therefore a nuisance per se; and second, that the operation of the track is a nuisance in fact.

The answers of the defendants deny the production by them of any odors, flies, fleas, rats, noises and obscenity which invade petitioners’ property and cause the disturbances complained of. The answers also deny that the values of petitioners’ properties have been depreciated. In addition, defendants have filed various exceptions all of which were overruled by the-trial court. Only one of these exceptions has been urged before this court, that of prematurity.

The exception of prematurity is-leveled against petitioners’ contention that the operation of the track is a nuisance in-fact, which of necessity involves the manner in which that operation was conducted. Our attention is called to the fact that at the time of the trial the racing season was-over and the track had been closed until' the opening of the next season, and that, since the date of the filing of the original' petition to the present time, four racing seasons have passed. Exceptors rely upon the rulings in Bell v. Riggs & Bros., 38 La.Ann. 555, Frederick v. Brown Funeral [157]*157Homes, 222 La. 57, 62 So.2d 100, 39 A.L.R.2d 986, and Gandolfo v. Louisiana State Racing Commission, 227 La. 45, 78 So.2d 504.

These cases held that the establishment and operation of a business not prohibited by law (in Bell a steam engine in a factory, in Frederick a funeral home, and in Gan-dolfo a harness race track) cannot be enjoined as a nuisance in fact prior to its operation or establishment where there does not appear to be any imminent danger or irreparable injury which will result from such operation or establishment.

The cases relied on by exceptors are distinguishable from and not applicable to the instant case. They were instituted before the initial opening of the harness track, the construction and opening of the funeral home and the erection of the steam engine. Gandolfo was careful to point out that the denial of the injunction would not preclude, plaintiffs from bringing a proceeding to abate the nuisance should the harness races, after the track was in operation, be so conducted as to constitute a nuisance in fact. The instant case is quite different from those cited. Here the suit was filed during the operation of the track and during the racing season. Due to no apparent fault of petitioners the matter was not heard until after the racing season was over. But as we have pointed out, horse racing has been conducted at the Fair Grounds track for many years. It is an established, seasonal operation and the necessity of obtaining a permit or license each year does not change this fact. Additionally, the record shows that there is every intention to continue the- operation and this is borne out by the fact that admittedly it has continued for several seasons since the trial. As pointed out in Bell, there is a clear distinction between an established nuisance and a prospective nuisance. For us to hold that this suit is premature would be to hold, in effect, that no suit for the abatement of a nuisance in fact could ever be successful against any seasonal operation unless such suit was actually instituted and heard during a single seasonal operation. Petitioners have a right to be heard on their complaints concerning the alleged nuisance, which they claim has been and is being caused by the operation of the track. The exception of prematurity was properly overruled.

The first of the grounds on which petitioners seek injunctive relief is based on the contentions that pari-mutuel wagering on horse races is gambling in violation of Art. 19, § 8 of the Louisiana Constitution of 1921 and LSA-R.S. 14:90 and, accordingly, the operation of the Fair Grounds track constitutes a nuisance per se; and that, in addition, LSA-R.S. 4:141-163, under which the-Racing Commission operates and grants its-pari-mutuel licenses, are unconstitutional because these provisions grant an improper and excessive delegation of legislative powers to the members of the Commission,, do not establish adequate standards or regulations governing its administration, do not require uniformity and impartiality in the-operation of its provisions, deny equal' protection of law and permit confiscation! of private property.

The first contention as to parimutuel wagering constituting gambling and1 a nuisance per se has been fully answered1 by the Supreme Court in the case of Gan-dolfo v. Louisiana State Racing Commission, supra.

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Bluebook (online)
133 So. 2d 155, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1340, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dudoussat-v-louisiana-state-racing-commission-lactapp-1961.