Ex Parte Edgerly

441 S.W.2d 514, 72 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2069, 12 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 422, 1969 Tex. LEXIS 238
Texas Supreme Court·Decided May 28, 1969·No. B-1320·Published·Cited by 62 cases

Opinion

SMITH, Justice.

This original habeas corpus proceeding was filed in this Court by Relators, Nelson D. Edgerly, Sidney E. Johnson, H. H. Allen, J. M. Allen, Larry Stefflen, David P. Casey, Floyd Forse, Carl B. Hall and H. A. Uzee, seeking to be discharged from an order of the District Court of Midland County, Texas, committing them to jail for contempt. The contempt proceeding had its origin as a result of the following proceedings.

On January 3, 1969, Texaco, Inc., as Plaintiff, filed cause of action No. 23,878, styled Texaco, Inc. v. Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, et al, in the 142nd District Court of Midland, Texas, alleging that there was in existence between it and the Defendant labor organizations valid collective bargaining contracts effective until January 10, 1969, containing “no-strike clauses” at certain of Texaco’s facilities located in Jefferson County, Texas. It was alleged that on January 3, 1969, the Defendant unions notified and advised Texaco, Inc. that it was their intention to “strike Plaintiff and to place pickets and picket lines at the various entrances to Plaintiff’s * * * places of business and manufacturing establishments in Jefferson County, Texas, effective at midnight, January 3, 1969.” The Honorable Perry D. Pickett, the Resident Judge of the 142nd *515 Judicial District Court of Midland County, Texas, being absent and unavailable, the petition, which contained a prayer for a temporary restraining order, was presented to the Honorable Charles Sherrill, Judge of the District Court of Pecos County, Texas. On the same day, Judge Sherrill, without a hearing:

“ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the Clerk of the .District Court of Midland County, Texas issue a temporary Restraining Order in all things as prayed for in said Petition, operative and effective until Midnight, January 10, 1969, restraining the Defendants, Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, Local No. 4-23, Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, William J. Mock, and all of the officers, agents, representatives, and members of Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, and Local No. 4-23, Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, and those acting in concert therewith, as a class, from any and all of the following,
“(1) Engaging in a strike against Plaintiff’s Port Arthur Plant, Port Arthur package division, Port Arthur terminal, or Midland place of business, prior to midnight, January 10, 1969;
“(2) Picketing, prior to midnight, January 10, 1969, any entrance to Plaintiff’s Port Arthur plant, Port Arthur package division, Port Arthur terminal, or Midland planee of business which are customarily used by Plaintiff’s employees:
“(3) Engaging in any other conduct or activities, prior to midnight, January 10, 1969, the nature of which directly or indirectly is to secure the disregard, breach or violation of the existing collective bargaining agreements between Plaintiff and Defendants covering employees of Plaintiff’s Port Arthur plant, Port Arthur package division or Port Arthur terminal;
“(4) Causing or soliciting employees of Plaintiff’s Port Arthur plant, Port Arthur package division or Port Arthur terminal to strike or otherwise refuse to work or perform services for Plaintiff prior to midnight, January 10, 1969;
“(5) Using any force or violence or threatening or attempting to use any force or violence to prevent or attempt to prevent any employees of Plaintiff’s Port Arthur plant, Port Arthur package division, Port Arthur terminal or Midland office, from engaging in his lawful occupation or to prevent or attempt to prevent any other person from engaging in any other such lawful occupation, * * * ”

The order was made returnable on January 13, 1969, before the District Court of Midland County, Texas. On January 6, 1969, Texaco filed in the Midland District Court, affidavits reflecting that the Relators had on the 4th day of January, 1969, committed acts in violation of the Temporary Restraining Order issued by Judge Sherrill on January 3, 1969.

On January 14, 1969, after a hearing, the trial court entered nine separate but identical judgments of contempt. The transcript contains a stipulation that the “Judgment of Contempt and the commitment pertaining to Nelson D. Edgerly is identical to judgments of contempt and commitments” of all the other Relators involved herein. The judgment ordered that each Relator named therein be imprisoned in the County Jail of Midland County, Texas, for 3 days.

On January 14, 1969, a commitment was issued and the Relators were taken into custody by the sheriff of Midland County, Texas, by whom they were being held when the petition for writ of habeas corpus was presented to this Court. We granted leave *516 to file the petition and the Relators were released on bond pending our decision.

The first ground of attack upon the judgments holding Relators in contempt is that the contempt proceedings violated Re-lators’ right to due process because of lack of notice of the charges against them. We sustain this contention. Therefore, it will be unnecessary to consider the other points relied upon by the Relators to secure their release from custody.

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Ex Parte Edgerly, 441 S.W.2d 514, 72 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2069, 12 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 422, 1969 Tex. LEXIS 238 (Tex. 1969).

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