Gant v. Oklahoma City

1931 OK 241, 6 P.2d 1065, 150 Okla. 86, 86 A.L.R. 794, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 290
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 12, 1931
Docket21798
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 1931 OK 241 (Gant v. Oklahoma City) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gant v. Oklahoma City, 1931 OK 241, 6 P.2d 1065, 150 Okla. 86, 86 A.L.R. 794, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 290 (Okla. 1931).

Opinion

KORNEGAY, J.

This is a proceeding in error from the district court of Oklahoma county. Three district judges sat on the hearing, consisting of Judges Harve L. Melton, T. G. Chambers, and Lucius Babcock. The order complained of in the matter can be found at page 188 of the case-made, and is as follows:

“In the District Court in and for Oklahoma County, Oklahoma.
“Walter H. Gant, Knox L. Garvin, and A. D. Hudspeth, Plaintiffs, v. City of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a Municipal Corporation, and J. W. Van Meter, Defendants. No. 65300.
“Order.
“This matter cam© on to be heard on the 6th day of October, 1930, on the application of the plaintiffs for a temporary injunction and the cross-petition of the defendants, the city of Oklahoma City and J. W. Van Meter., superintendent of buildings, for a temporary injunction against the plaintiffs, and the court, composed of District Judges Lucius .Babcock, Harve Melton, and T. G. Chambers, heard the demurrer of the defendants to the petition of the plaintiffs, and after argument, overruled the same, to which -the defendants excepted, and thereupon the court heard the evidence introduced by the plaintiffs, and at the close of all testimony sustained demurrer thereto, to which the plaintiffs excepted, and thereupon the defendants applied to this court for a temporary injunction enjoining and restraining the plaintiffs. their agents, servants and employees, from going upon the property described *87 in said petition, to wit: ' ‘Block nine (9), Mead’s addition to Oklahoma City, ■ Oklahoma county, Oklahoma,’ for the purpose of erecting apparatus, machineryor equipment, or using-the same in the drilling or operation of oil and gas mining on said property for an oil and/or gas well; and id appearing to the court that the parties have in open court stipulated that the evidence introduced by the plaintiff in this cause might be considered by the court as a part of ihe evidence of the defendants on its application for the temporary injunction; and it further appearing to the court that on the application of the defendants, that a temporary injunction should be granted, but without bond, because, the city of Oklahoma City is a municipality and that this action should be dismissed as to the defendant J. W. Van Meter.
“It is, therefore, ordered that the defendant, the city of Oklahoma City, have a temporary injunction enjoining and restraining the plaintiffs, their agents, servants and employees, from erecting, constructing, maintaining, or operating any machinery, equipment, or apparatus used, or to be used for the purpose of drilling an oil and/or gas well, until the. further order of this court, and that said injunction remain in force without bond on the part of the city of Oklahoma City, until further order by this court, and, thereupon, the plaintiffs excepted in open court to the order of the court granting this temporary injunction and requested the court for permission to supersede the order of injunction pending an appeal to the Supreme Court, and the court denied said request and refused to grant supersedeas, to which action of the court, the plaintiffs, in open court, excepted, and gave notice, in open court, of their intention to appeal to the Supreme Court from said order, and the Clerk is accordingly directed to cause proper entry thereof to be made, as provided by law, and the plaintiffs are granted their exceptions to the ruling of the court.
“It is further ordered that plaintiffs file petition in error in Supreme Court with’n 15 days from this date.
“Harve L. Melton,
“Lucius Babcock,
“T. G-. Chambers,
“District Judges.”

The motion for a new trial was filed on the 10th of October, 1930, upon the ground of irregularities in the proceedings of the court, errors of law occurring at the trial and excepted to by plaintiffs, error of the court in sustaining defendants’ demurrer to plaintiffs’ evidence, error of the court in refusing to grant the plaintiffs the temporary injunction prayed for, error of the court in granting to the defendants a temporary injunction, and error of the court in refusing to admit competent, relevant, and material evidence offered by the plaintiffs, to which said plaintiffs excepted.

The motion for a new trial was overruled, and exceptions were had. The -case-made was prepared, signed, and settled, and the ease is here submitted on briefs,, with specifications of error five in number. They are as follows: ,,

“1. The trial court erred in overruling plaintiffs’ motion for a new trial on each and every ground therein set forth and contained.
“2. The judgment of the trial court grant* ing defendants in error an injunction against plaintiffs in error is contrary to the law and not sustained by the evidence.
“3. The trial court commiltted error in refusing and not permitting plaintiffs in error to supersede said judgment.
“4. That the judgment of the trial court is not sustained by the evidence. The trial court erred in refusing plaintiffs a tempor-rary injunction and in excluding competent and relevant, evidence.
“5. The judgment of the trial court is contrary to the evidence and the law.”

The points at issue are urged under the name of propositions. The first proposition is that section 8013, C. O. S. 1921, places the exclusive control in the hands of the Corporation Commission, with reference to the drilling of oil and gas wells, and that the city had no right to adopt any ordinance or rules or regulations attempting to govern or control the drilling of wells for oil. and gas.' The section referred to is as follows:

“8013. Oil and gas department established. The Corporation Commission is hereby empowered and authorized to create and establish an oil and gas department under the jurisdiction and supervision of the Corporation Commission, and is hereby authorized to appoint, with the approval and consent of the Governor, a- chief oil and gas conservation agent, who shall have charge of the oil and gas department herein authorized.”

The ordinance ’ adopted by the city of Oklahoma City, undertaking to regulate the drilling of oil wells in the city limits, is set out at page 176 of the case-made. It is contended in the brief that if the city had any power to regulate the matter, it came by virtue of the police power. The history of the legislative acts concerning the Corporation Commission, and its oil and gas department, is set out in the brief, and the complaint is made that the- regulations of the Corporation' Commission on the subject should have been admitted in’ evidence. The *88 court below held that these rules and regulations were irrelevant in this case, and rejected the rules and overruled the contention of the plaintiffs in error.

Argument is made, and some United States Supreme Court decisions are cited bearing upon the attitude of that court with reference to federal and state control of interstate commerce, and thereby excluding state control.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1931 OK 241, 6 P.2d 1065, 150 Okla. 86, 86 A.L.R. 794, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 290, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gant-v-oklahoma-city-okla-1931.