E. G. Shinner & Co. v. Lauf

36 F. Supp. 709, 1941 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3767
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedJanuary 24, 1941
DocketCivil Nos. 4593, 5239
StatusPublished

This text of 36 F. Supp. 709 (E. G. Shinner & Co. v. Lauf) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
E. G. Shinner & Co. v. Lauf, 36 F. Supp. 709, 1941 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3767 (E.D. Wis. 1941).

Opinion

DUFFY, District Judge.

The motions now before the court involve two cases. The first is E. G. Shinner and Company, Inc., v. Edward Lauf et al., Civil Docket No. 4593, which will hereafter be referred to as the “Lauf Case”; the second is E. G. Shinner and Company, Inc., v. William Kennedy et al., Civil Docket No. 5239, which will hereafter be referred to as the “Kennedy Case”. The plaintiff in each case is a Delaware corporation which owned and operated five retail meat markets in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Lauf Case was commenced April 11, 1935, the complaint alleging that none of its employees belonged to the defendant union and had rejected repeated demands that they join same; that plaintiff was willing to permit its employees to join the defendant union; that said union demanded that plaintiff enter into a labor contract to employ only members of that union; that defendants entered into a conspiracy to coerce plaintiff to force its employees to join defendant union and to destroy plaintiff’s business if it refused to yield to such coercion; that pursuant to such conspiracy, defendants commenced to picket plaintiff’s markets on April 6, 1935. The complaint detailed the various acts which plaintiff claimed to be unlawful; alleged the amount in controversy exceeded $3,000; and asked that the defendants be enjoined from (1) seeking to coerce plaintiff to discharge its employees because they refused to join the defendant union, and (2) from picketing plaintiff’s premises or from representing and stating that plaintiff was unfair in its dealings with employees and defendants, and (3) from annoying and molesting customers, etc.

On the motion for a preliminary injunction, evidence was taken; and on April 19, 1935, this court by Judge Geiger, upon findings of fact and conclusions of law, granted a temporary injunction. Defendants appealed to the Circuit Court of Appeals where the action of this court was affirmed. Lauf et al. v. E. G. Shinner & Co., Inc., 7 Cir., 82 F.2d 68. Thereafter a final hearing was had on October 13, 1936. The court again made findings of fact and conclusions of law. A permanent injunction was issued dated October 13, 1936, and filed October 15, 1936. This action was affirmed by the Circuit Court of Appeals in Lauf et al. v. E. G. Shinner & Co., Inc., 7 Cir., 90 F.2d 250. Upon appeal to the Supreme Court, the decree was reversed, and the mandate provided that the cause be remanded to the district court for further proceedings in conformity with the opinion. Lauf et al. v. E. G. Shinner & Co., 303 U.S. 323, 331, 58 S.Ct. 578, 582, 82 L.Ed. 872. The last paragraph of the majority opinion prior to the mandate reads as follows: “Fifth. Since the courts below were of opinion that a labor dispute, as 'defined by state and federal statutes, had not been shown, they did not pass on the questions of the legality, under the Wisconsin law, of the acts charged to have been done by the petitioners or the constitutionality of that law in legalizing any of such acts. As the case must go back for further proceedings, we express no opinion upon these questions.”

The decision of the Supreme Court was announced on February 28, 1938. The defendants, without awaiting the return of the mandate or the record, and in spite of the terms of the injunction, immediately commenced a campaign of mass picketing, disturbances, threats, and a campaign of [711]*711violence. On March 11, 1938, plaintiff moved this court to punish certain defendants for contempt for violating the terms of the injunction granted October 13,_ 1936. By order dated March 18, 1938, this court continued the motion to punish for contempt until after the mandate of the Supreme Court had been received and continued the permanent injunction of October 13, 1936, until after the filing of such mandate and further order of the court. Upon request of counsel for the defendants, the plaintiff was ordered to file a surety bond of $1,000 as a condition of the continuance of the injunction. Such bond was filed. In open court the defendants through their counsel agreed to obey the injunction until the case was retried. On April 7, 1938, defendants through their counsel moved this court to dismiss the complaint “in accordance with the mandate of the Supreme Court.” On April 22, 1938, plaintiff moved this court to make further findings of fact on the evidence and record in the cause as directed in the mandate of the Supreme Court, and to allow an amendment to the bill of complaint, and to permit the plaintiff to offer evidence on the amendment, and to grant a new trial. On April 22, 1938, the independent union of Shinner employees filed a petition to intervene. On April 25, 1938, this court, after hearing the motions, entered an order (1) denying defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint; (2) denying the motion of defendants to dissolve the injunction; (3) permitting amendment to the bill of complaint and granting a new trial, and giving defendants ten days to answer the amended complaint; and (4) adjourning the petition to intervene to May 7, 1938. The following day defendants filed affidavits of prejudice against Judge Geiger, and due to the inability to obtain another judge, no further hearings or actions were had thereon. The amended complaint alleged that Lauf had severed his connections with the union, and it added certain defendants who were then officers of the union, and alleged further that a written collective bargaining contract had been entered into by the plaintiff and the independent union on May 4, 1937. The complaint again set forth the various actions on the part of certain members of the defendant union, alleging in detail various acts of illegal conduct and setting forth, in particular, conduct that occurred immediately after the announcement of the decision of the Supreme Court. It was also alleged that demand had been made upon Milwaukee officials to protect the property of the plaintiff, but that such officials had failed and refused to give such protection or were unable to give it; that many thousands of dollars of loss had been suffered by plaintiff; and that irreparable injury would follow unless defendants were enjoined.

A so-called second amendment to the bill of complaint was filed on July 18, 1938, and a third amendment was filed on November 13, 1939, the latter alleging that plaintiff had suffered damages in the sum of $10,000 as a result of defendants’ violence and destruction of property. No permission was granted by the court to file the second amendment to the bill of complaint, nor was there any judge sitting in this court who could have given such permission ; it is alleged that no other judge was available. The present judge of this court was sitting at the time the alleged third amendment was filed, but no permission to file or serve same was requested. There was an amendment to the petition to punish for contempt dated July 22, 1938, which set forth the violence committed by Edward Borzykowski, who was secretary of the defendant union, and Edmund Pietruszynski. Criminal prosecutions in the State courts were commenced against the two last named, and both were sentenced to imprisonment.

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Related

Kline v. Burke Construction Co.
260 U.S. 226 (Supreme Court, 1922)
Lauf v. E. G. Shinner & Co.
303 U.S. 323 (Supreme Court, 1938)
New Negro Alliance v. Sanitary Grocery Co.
303 U.S. 552 (Supreme Court, 1938)
Lauf v. E. G. Shinner & Co.
82 F.2d 68 (Seventh Circuit, 1936)
Lauf v. E. G. Shinner & Co.
90 F.2d 250 (Seventh Circuit, 1937)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
36 F. Supp. 709, 1941 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3767, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/e-g-shinner-co-v-lauf-wied-1941.