Hathaway v. Benton

154 N.W. 474, 172 Iowa 299
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedOctober 21, 1915
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 154 N.W. 474 (Hathaway v. Benton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hathaway v. Benton, 154 N.W. 474, 172 Iowa 299 (iowa 1915).

Opinion

Gaynor, J.

This is an action to enjoin the defendant from maintaining a liquor nuisance. The allegation of the plaintiff is that the defendant had, for a long time, been engaged in transporting, delivering and aiding in the delivery of intoxicating liquors from certain express and delivery wagons in Sioux City, Iowa, contrary to and in violation of law; that he is the owner or lessee of certain vehicles, express wagons, delivery wagons and auto trucks in which the said liquor is transported or delivered; that he-was, and is now, keeping, using and maintaining vehicles above described for the purpose of transporting and aiding in the delivery of intoxicating liquors in violation of law; and that he did, upon the streets of Sioux City, transport and deliver and aid in delivering intoxicating liquors, in violation of law; and that all of said acts complained of constitute and are a nuisance; and the prayer of the petition is that he be enjoined, and that the nuisance herein described be abated. The defendant denies each and every allegation of the plaintiff.'

The cause was submitted on the following stipulation of facts:

“That the plaintiff is a citizen of Woodbury county, Iowa; that the defendant is engaged in the business of operating a dray and express wagon in Sioux City, Iowa, having a city license therefor, and is engaged in transporting and delivering for hire, by team and wagon, from and to various parts of the city of Sioux City, Iowa, various articles of property, and, as part of his said business in operating such dray and express wagon, has been, and is now, engaged in transporting and delivering intoxicating liquors from various liquor dealers operating under the mulct law in said Sioux City, to various and different persons, without first having been furnished with a certificate from the clerk of the court issuing the permit, showing that the consignee is a permit holder authorized to sell liquor in the county to which the shipment is made,- said transportation and delivery of intoxi[301]*301eating liquor being for the personal consumption and use of the consignee, and not intended to be sold or disposed of by gift or otherwise in violation of law. Dated this 16th day of January, 1915.”

Upon a full submission of the cause, the plaintiff’s petition was dismissed., and from this he appeals.

1. INTOXICATING LiQcoiis: nuisauce: delivery iuncSon1-8 scope of statute. A proper disposition of the controversy here necessitates a consideration of the statutes of this state touching the traffic in intoxicating liquors. Section 2382' of the 1913 Supplement to the Code provides for the puriish- , , - ment of persons unlawfully engaged m trai- . filing ™ liquors, and, so far as this controversy is concerned, reads as follows:

“No one . . . shall, for himself or any person else,, directly or indirectly . . . sell, exchange, barter, dispense, give in consideration of the purchase of any, property or of any services or in evasion of the statute, or keep for sale, any intoxicating liquor . . . except as provided in this chapter, or solicit, take or accept any order for the purchase, sale, shipment, or delivery of any such liquor, or aid in the delivery and distribution of any intoxicating liquor so ordered or shipped, or own, keep, or be in any way concerned, engaged or employed in owning or keeping any intoxicating liquor with intent to violate any provision of this chapter, or authorize or permit the same to be done; and any servant, employe or agent engaged or aiding in any violation of this chapter shall be charged and convicted as principal. ”

' Giving to this statute its fullest scope and purpose, we find that by its terms: (1) it prohibits anyone, by himself, clerk, agent or employe, from directly or indirectly manufacturing, selling, exchanging,' bartering, dispensing, or giving in consideration of the purchase of any property, or of any service, or in evasion of this statute, any intoxicating liquor; (2) it prohibits anyone from owning or keeping any intoxi[302]*302eating liquors with, intent to dispose of the same in violation of the inhibition above; (3) it prohibits anyone from soliciting, taking or accepting any order for the purchase, sale, shipment, or delivery of any such liquor; (4) it prohibits anyone from aiding in the delivery and distribution of any intoxicating liquors so ordered or shipped or oivned or kept.

The penalty for'the violation of this statute'is found in See. 2383 of the same Supplement. The penalty is fine or imprisonment. It makes the doing of the acts therein prohibited a crime. Not all crimes are nuisances. The acts therein prohibited are not made a nuisance by the terms of this section. The parties offending against this statute are to be proceeded against and punished according to the prescribed method for ascertaining and punishing public offenses. The offenses therein defined did not, at common law, constitute a nuisance; nor do they constitute a nuisance under the general statutes of the state. If any of the acts therein prohibited constitute a nuisance, then it must be because of some provision of the statute by the terms of which they are made to constitute a nuisance.

The plaintiff brings this action to enjoin the defendant from maintaining a nuisance. To sustain the action, therefore, it must appear that the thing which the defendant was doing, did, under the law, constitute an abatable nuisance. Traffic in intoxicating liquors, whether the act consists in selling or keeping for sale intoxicating liquors, in violation of the provisions of Sec. 2382, or whether it consists in soliciting, taking, or accepting orders for the purchase, sale, shipment or delivery of such liquors, or whether it consists in aiding in the delivery or distribution of the liquor so ordered and shipped, does not constitute a nuisance, unless the acts complained of are done in connection with the use of some building or place.

When any of the prohibited acts are done in a building or place, the building or place becomes a nuisance, and whoever erects, establishes, or continues the use of any building, [303]*303erection or place for any of the purposes prohibited by Sec. 2382, is guilty of a distinct substantive crime, to wit, the maintaining of a nuisance, and may be convicted and punished therefor.

When the existence of the nuisance is established, either by civil or criminal proceedings, the nuisance may be abated and the party maintaining the same enjoined from carrying on the prohibited business which made the building a nuisance, and this injunction not only reaches to the building, but affects also the conduct of the defendant anywhere within the judicial district.

This brings us to a consideration of the sections of the Code which make the acts prohibited by Sec. 2382 a nuisance, and authorizes the issuance of an injunction and an order of abatement.

Sec. 2384 reads as follows:

“Whoever shall erect, establish, continue or use any building, erection or place for any of the purposes herein prohibited, is guilty of a nuisance, and upon conviction shall pay a fine of not less than three hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars . . . and stand committed in the county jail until such fine and costs are paid. ’ ’

Thus far, this statute defines a nuisance and makes the maintaining of such a nuisance punishable by fine or imprisonment. The balance of the section relates to the abatement of the nuisance.

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Bluebook (online)
154 N.W. 474, 172 Iowa 299, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hathaway-v-benton-iowa-1915.