Jack's Supper Club, Ltd. v. City of Norman

1961 OK 82, 361 P.2d 291, 1961 Okla. LEXIS 531
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 11, 1961
Docket38922
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 1961 OK 82 (Jack's Supper Club, Ltd. v. City of Norman) 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
Jack's Supper Club, Ltd. v. City of Norman, 1961 OK 82, 361 P.2d 291, 1961 Okla. LEXIS 531 (Okla. 1961).

Opinions

HALLEY, Justice.

This action was filed in the District Court of Cleveland County September 17, 1959, by Jack’s Supper Club, Ltd., against the City of Norman, incorporated as a city of the first class. A permanent injunction was sought against the City of Norman from enforcing or attempting to enforce an ordinance passed by said city on September 8, 1959, which regulated private clubs where the drinking of alcoholic beverages by members and guests was permitted. The ordinance also provided for the licensing of such clubs, established a license review board, prohibited violations within the corporate limits of the City of Norman, provided for forfeiture of licenses upon violation and declared an emergency.

The trial court found for the defendant and plaintiff has appealed. The parties will be referred to as plaintiff and defendant as they appeared in the trial court.

[293]*293Plaintiff alleged that it is an Oklahoma Corporation, organized for the express purposes of owning and maintaining and operating private clubs within the State of Oklahoma, and that it owns a facility to be used for that purpose within the city limits of Norman, when defendant on September 8, 1959, passed Ordinance No. 1165, above mentioned and will enforce said ordinance unless enjoined. Plaintiff alleged that it has no adequate remedy at law and that plaintiff will suffer great loss and damages unless defendant is prevented from attempting to enforce the ordinance complained of as being unlawful and contrary to the State Constitution.

Only two witnesses were called to testify. Jack B. Sellers, president of the plaintiff corporation, testified for it and the chief of police of the City of Norman testified for the defendant. There were numerous exhibits put in evidence, including the Articles of incorporation of the plaintiff and the Charter of the City of Norman, a copy of Ordinance No. 1165, and the by-laws of Jack’s Supper Club, Ltd., and similar pertinent exhibits.

Plaintiff submits five propositions which we will discuss in the order named. First it is contended that the defendant municipal corporation is without authority to enact Ordinance No. 1165. Our attention is directed to the definition of “private club” in Section 1 of the ordinance which is as follows :

“For the purpose of this Ordinance a private club is defined as any association, person, firm or corporation, key club, bottle club, locker club, pool club or any other kind of club or association, excluding the general public from its premises or place of meeting or congregating or operating or exercising control over any other place where persons are permitted to drink alcoholic beverages other than in a private home.”

In 1959 the Legislature of Oklahoma passed House Bill No. 825, which is the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Control Act and is 37 O.S.Supp.1959, Sections 501 to 567 and S.L.1959, p. 141, which restricts the rights and powers of municipal corporations in Oklahoma in regard to the issuance of licenses and levying fees and taxes involving alcoholic beverages, and Section 18 of that Act provides that the Board shall have exclusive authority as to the issuance and .regulations of licenses, and no city may issue regulations in conflict with or additional to the statutes of the state or rules of the Board.

However, we note that Section 18, supra, refers to licenses to sell intoxicating liquor and has nothing to do with licensing private clubs, such as are dealt with in Ordinance No. 1165.

Ex parte Gammel, 89 Okl.Cr. 400, 208 P.2d 961, 966, is a leading case on the powers of a municipality to control the sale of beverages. The City of Shawnee passed an ordinance regulating the sale of 3.2 beer and placed additional rules upon the sale of such beer, including the height of the paint obscuring the front windows and the height of booths used where beer was sold. This ordinance was held invalid because it was contrary to general laws on that subject, and provided the issuance of a permit by the County Judge to sell beer. But the court stated that as a general rule a city may pass ordinances which “move in the same direction” as State laws and may make an offense under a city ordinance which was already an offense under State law, but not an ordinance contrary to the general laws of the State.

In Constant v. Brown, 189 Okl. 147, 114 P.2d 477, this Court held that the City of Blackwell could not enact a traffic ordinance in direct conflict with statutory rules established by the Legislature.

In Ex parte Higgs, 97 Okl.Cr. 338, 263 P.2d 752, 756, the rule was followed as announced in Ex parte Gammel, supra, and there the court observed the general rule to be:

[294]*294“ * * * In said cases we observed ‘an ordinance passed under’ municipal powers ‘which conflicts with the general laws of the state, must give way, and, while it may run concurrent with the general laws of the state, it may not run counter thereto.’ * * *”

To be sure the Beverage Control Act covers the sale of alcoholic beverage but Ordinance No. 1165 is concerned with the licensing and regulation of private clubs where alcoholic beverages are consumed on the premises.

The City of Norman may not enact regulatory measures contrary to the general laws of the State, enacted by the Legislature. However, the police power granted to the City of Norman by its Charter gave it the right to pass the ordinance in question to protect the public health, safety, morals and general welfare of society. Courts have generally refused to interfere with the legislative discretion exercised by the governing body of a municipality in the adoption of ordinances proper under the police powers.

In Gant et al. v. City of Oklahoma City et al., 289 U.S. 98, 53 S.Ct. 530, 532, 77 L.Ed. 1058, it was said:

“Whether the judgment of the common council of the city in the present case was wise, or whether the requirement will produce hardship in particular instances, are matters with which this court has nothing to do. It is impossible for us to say that the provisions of the ordinance are clearly arbitrary and unreasonable. If there be .room for fair debate, this court ‘will not substitute its judgment for that of the legislative body charged with the primary duty and responsibility of determining the question’. * * * ”

We conclude that the City of Norman had the authority to enact Ordinance No. Í165.

Second, Ordinance 1165 is challenged as void because it is discriminatory. It does divide private -clubs into three classes. Class “A” includes private clubs maintained, supported and controlled by a nationally recognized lodge, fraternal association, as a veterans’ organization. Class “B” includes restaurants open to the public, which maintain a private room opening into the restaurant, which room is used as a private club. Class “C” includes all other private clubs as defined in the ordinance.

Section 14 provides that no Class “B” or “C” club shall be operated without constant and complete kitchen facilities. Class “A” clubs are not included in this requirement.

Section 15 provides that no Class “C” and “B” clubs shall be operated unless hot foods are served at all hours while open for business. No such requirements are applied to Class “A.”

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Jack's Supper Club, Ltd. v. City of Norman
1961 OK 82 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1961)

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Bluebook (online)
1961 OK 82, 361 P.2d 291, 1961 Okla. LEXIS 531, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jacks-supper-club-ltd-v-city-of-norman-okla-1961.