Gantt v. Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina

208 F. Supp. 416, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3602
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. South Carolina
DecidedSeptember 6, 1962
DocketNo. CA/4101
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 208 F. Supp. 416 (Gantt v. Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gantt v. Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, 208 F. Supp. 416, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3602 (southcarolinawd 1962).

Opinion

WYCHE, Chief Judge.

This is an action by plaintiff, a nineteen year old negro resident of Charleston, South Carolina, against defendants, seeking a permanent injunction enjoining the defendants from denying him admission to The Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina solely on account of his race.

The suit was commenced on July 7, 1962. On the same date the plaintiff filed a motion for preliminary in junetion asking that the defendants be enjoined as set forth in the motion for preliminary injunction. The defendants filed an answer to the_ complaint on July 30, 1962. The complaint and the answer were duly verified. The motion for preliminary injunction was heard by me on August 22, 1962, the attorneys for the parties stating at the hearing of the motion for preliminary injunction that they did not wish any other pending motion heard at that time.

In the meantime, plaintiff’s attorneys had taken depositions of the Registrar of Clemson College and the Administrative Assistant of the South Carolina Regional Education Board, and had submitted Requests for Admissions and had filed a motion to produce and to permit plaintiff to inspect and to copy all correspondence and other records in the Registrar’s office at Clemson College pertaining to all persons who have applied for admission to said college since January 1, 1961, and to permit plaintiff to enter the office of the Registrar of Clemson College at Clemson, South Carolina, and to inspect and to copy the foregoing documents upon the ground that “Defendants have the possession, custody and control of the foregoing documents, all of which constitute or contain evidence relevant and material to the issues involved in this action aS 1S m0re fully shown ln the affidavit of one of plaintiffs attorneys hereto attached”. (Emphasis added)

At the hearing plaintiffs attorneys were granted permission to introduce oral testimony and the President of Clemson College and the plaintiff were called as witnesses. They introduced in evidence the depositions of the Registrar of Clemson College and the Administrative Assistant of the South Carolina Regional Education Board, and certain correspondence between the parties and other exhibits.

Written briefs on the motion for preliminary injunction were duly filed by the attorneys for the parties within the days allowed.

The rules governing the grantjng 0f a preliminary injunction are well established and have often been stated, They are: “The award of an interlocutory injunction by courts of equity has never been regarded as strictly a matter of right, even though irreparable injury may otherwise result to the plaintiff, Compare Scripps-Howard Radio v. Federal Communications Comm’n, 316 U.S. 4, 10, 62 S.Ct. 875, 86 L.Ed. 1229 and cases cited. Even in suits in which only private interests are involved the award js a matter of sound judicial discretion, in the exercise of which the court balanees the conveniences of the parties and [418]*418possible injuries to them according as they may be affected by the granting or withholding of the injunction. Meccano, Ltd. v. John Wanamaker, 253 U.S. 136, 141, 40 S.Ct. 463, 64 L.Ed. 822; Rice & Adams Corp. v. Lathrop, 278 U.S. 509, 514, 49 S.Ct. 220, 73 L.Ed. 480.” Yakus v. United States, 321 U.S. 414, 440, 64 S.Ct. 660, 88 L.Ed. 834.

“The action of the District Court on a motion for preliminary injunction is not predicated upon an anticipated determination of issues of fact or questions of law. which may be involved in the case. Consequently, where the granting of a preliminary injunction would give to a plaintiff all the actual advantage which could be obtained by the plaintiff as a result of a final adjudication of the controversy in favor of the plaintiff, a motion for preliminary injunction ordinarily should be denied.” Selchow & Righter Co. v. Western Printing & L. Co., 112 F.2d 430, 431 (C.A.7, 1940).

“The purpose of an injunction pendente lite is to guard against a change in conditions which will hamper or prevent the granting of such relief as may be found proper after the trial of the issues. Its ordinary function is to preserve the status quo and it is to be issued only upon a showing that there would otherwise be danger of irreparable injury. Community Natural Gas Co. v. City of Cisco, 5 Cir., 65 F.2d 320. While it may be granted to i*estore the status quo ante, it ought not to be used to give final relief before trial. Sims v. Stuart, D.C., 291 F. 707; Securities & Exchange Commission v. Torr, 2 Cir., 87 F.2d 446.” United States v. Adler’s Creamery, 107 F.2d 987, 990 (C.A.2, 1939).

“But the trial court should exercise its discretion in such manner as to safeguard the interests of both parties and it may be improvident for it to grant a preliminary injunction which permits the plaintiff to obtain an undue advantage by acting while the hands of his adversary are tied by the writ, or where the preliminary injunction gives the plaintiff essentially all the actual advantage which could be obtained from a final adjudication.” Moore’s Federal Practice, Vol. 7, page 1628, citing the following cases, Corica v. Ragen (C.A.7, 1944) 140 F.2d 496, 499; Foundry Services v. Beneflux Corp. (C.A.2, 1953) 206 F.2d 214; see Selchow & Righter Co. v. Western Printing & Lithographing Co. (C.A. 7, 1940) 112 F.2d 430.

A mandatory injunction, especially at the preliminary stage of proceedings, should not be granted except in rare instances in which the facts and law are clearly in favor of the moving party. Miami Beach Federal Sav. and Loan Ass’n v. Callander, 256 F.2d 410 (C.A.5, 1958); O’Malley v. Chrysler Corp., 160 F.2d 35 (C.A.7, 1947); see also, W. A. Mack, Inc. v. General Motors Corp., 260 F.2d 886 (C.A.7, 1958).

“ ‘The purpose of the preliminary injunction is to preserve the status quo until the lights of the parties can be fairly and fully investigated and determined by strictly legal proofs and according to the principles of equity. Blount v. Societe, 6 Cir., 53 F. 98; Kings County Raisin & Fruit Co. v. United States Consol. Raisin Co., 9 Cir., 182 F. 59.’ * * * the granting of a preliminary injunction is an exercise of a very far-reaching power, never to be indulged in except in a case clearly demanding it. New York Asbestos Mfg. Co. v. Ambler Asbestos Air Cell Cov. Co., 3 Cir., 102 F. 890; Barker Painting Co. v. Brotherhood of Painters, 3 Cir., 15 F.2d 16; Murray Hill Restaurant v.

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Bluebook (online)
208 F. Supp. 416, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3602, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gantt-v-clemson-agricultural-college-of-south-carolina-southcarolinawd-1962.