Dworken v. Cleveland Automobile Club

29 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 607, 1931 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1629
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court·Decided March 14, 1931·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Wolf, J.

(Of Fulton County sitting by designation.)

This is an action in which the plaintiff seeks to enjoin the defendant from engaging in the practice of law; and plaintiff says that he brings the action for the benefit of himself and all other attorneys at law who may wish to join with him, for the public and for the courts of this country.

Eighteen different attorneys-at-law have entered their appearance as attorneys ■ for plaintiff.

Plaintiff says that he is an attorney, duly admitted to practice in all of the courts of record of the State of Ohio and several of the courts of the United States, and that as such and by virtue of the franchise granted him by the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio and the United States Courts he has practiced law for a long period of time, and now maintains an office in the City of Cleveland, and has built up a large practice ;which is of great value to him.

Plaintiff says that the defendant is a corporation; that it has not the right to engage in professional business and has not the right to practice law or maintain a legal department or hire and employ attorneys to carry on the practice of law for the benefit of others.

Plaintiff further says that the defendant, for a long period of time has, illegally and in violation of law and its articles of incorporation, advertised that' it has a legal department for the use of others, and that it maintains a law department, and that it practices law by hiring attorneys to carry on the practice of law.

Plaintiff says that said advertising is for the purpose of inducing the public to become members of said corporation; that the acts of the defendant are illegal, contrary to the rights of plaintiff and all other attorneys, the public and the courts and that such acts tend to bring the legal profession, the administration of justice and law in bad repute.

Plaintiff prays that the defendant, its officers, agents, directors, trustees and attorneys may be enjoined from advertising that it maintains a legal department for the [609] benefit of its members and others, and from maintaining a legal department or carrying on the practice of law through itself, its officers, agents, directors, trustees or attorneys and for other relief.

The defendant filed an answer in which it admits that it is an Ohio corporation; that the plaintiff is an attorney admitted to practice law as alleged in his petition; that he has practiced law for many years and now maintains an office for the practice of law in the City of Cleveland and has built up a large practice in the legal profession, and denies all the other allegations of the petition.

The case was heard and submitted to the court. The following facts are clearly established by the evidence:

That plaintiff is an attorney at law, admitted to practice in all the courts of record of the State of Ohio, and several of the United States Courts; that he has been engaged in the practice of law for more than seventeen years; that he now maintains and has during all these years maintained an office for the practice of law in the City of Cleveland, and has built up a large legal practice which is of great value to him; that the defendant, The Cleveland Automobile Club, is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Ohio, and formed for the purpose, among others,

“of aiding and assisting in procuring local, state and national legislation for the advancement and protection of automobile interests, maintaining and defending the rights and privileges incident to the lawful use of motor vehicles when such rights and privileges are assailed”;

that defendant’s principal office is in the City of Cleveland; that it has branch offices in Lorain, Painesville, Kent and Ravenna, Ohio; that it now has membership of more than 28,000 members; that during the year 1919 it established and has maintained since such time a legal department, the duties of which, among others, are:—

“To advise the members on any legal matters pertaining to or in connection with the operation of automobiles or other motor vehicles exclusively owned or operated by the Club members; to defend members arrested in speed [610] traps or arrested for technical violations of traffic laws in villages or municipalities outside of the City of Cleveland” ;

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Dworken v. Cleveland Automobile Club, 29 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 607, 1931 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1629 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1931).

29 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 607 (Dworken v. Cleveland Automobile Club) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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