J.H. Fichman Co. v. City of Kansas City

800 S.W.2d 24, 1990 Mo. App. LEXIS 1510, 1990 WL 154087
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 16, 1990
DocketNo. WD 42801
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 800 S.W.2d 24 (J.H. Fichman Co. v. City of Kansas City) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
J.H. Fichman Co. v. City of Kansas City, 800 S.W.2d 24, 1990 Mo. App. LEXIS 1510, 1990 WL 154087 (Mo. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

FENNER, Judge.

Appellants, J.H. Fichman Company, Inc., (FichCo), Jan H. Fichman and Philip Bourne appeal from the trial court’s dismissal of their petition seeking declaratory and injunctive relief.

FichCo is a Missouri Corporation which has maintained and operated a retail store in Kansas City known as “7th Heaven” for over ten years. Jan Fichman is the president of the corporation. Phillip Bourne is the general manager of the retail store located at 7621 Troost. FichCo is licensed to sell tobacco products and through its retail store offers for sale bulk tobacco, cigarettes, snuff, smoking herbs, cigars, pipes, papers and a variety of other tobacco related products. FichCo claims its gross sales on tobacco products averages between $25,000 to $35,000 per month.

On May 4, 1989, the City Council of Kansas City adopted Ordinance No. 63979 amending Chapter 26 of the Code of General Ordinances entitled “Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions.” The ordinance is patterned after Chapter 195, RSMo 1986, and makes it unlawful for any person “knowing the drug related nature of the object, to sell, lend, rent, lease, give, exchange or otherwise distribute to any person any drug paraphernalia.” For violations, the Ordinance provides a range of punishment of a fine not less than $100.00 nor more than $500.00 or imprisonment of not less than fifteen days nor more than six months, or both a fine and imprisonment.

On June 27, 1989, drug enforcement officers from the Kansas City Police Department informed Phillip Bourne that he was selling drug paraphernalia in violation of the Ordinance. The officers advised Bourne that the store could continue to sell all “traditional appearing” wooden and meerschaum pipes regardless of bowl size or stem length, but all other pipes being offered for sale constituted drug paraphernalia. The officers also advised that bulk tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, snuff, herbs, cigarette rolling paper, traditional appearing cigarette holders and cigarette rolling machines could continue being sold. Bourne was told that the officers would return to the store in ten days and if the offending products claimed to be drug paraphernalia were still being offered for sale, warrants would be issued, that Bourne, Fichman and others would be arrested and the offending merchandise would be confiscated.

FichCo was advised on June 28, 1989, that it had until August 1, 1989, to remove the offending merchandise and again instructed that if said merchandise was not removed, persons on the premises selling the merchandise would be arrested and the merchandise would be confiscated in connection with the ordinance violation.

On July 31, 1989, FichCo filed its petition seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against the City and the Board. The petition requested a declaration that the actions of the City and the Police Department were unlawful and unconstitutional as applied against FichCo. Also requested was a declaration that the tobacco products being offered for sale were not in and of themselves unlawful and that the City and Police be enjoined from seizing the products and arresting the plaintiffs or otherwise illegally enforcing the Ordinance.

The City and the Board filed a motion to dismiss on August 18, 1989, on the grounds that the trial court lacked jurisdiction and that the petition failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. The trial court dismissed the petition after it allowed a First Amended Petition to be filed adding Jan H. Fichman and Philip Bourne as plaintiffs.

On appeal, FichCo, Fichman and Bourne present three points. In points one and three, appellants argue that the trial court erred in dismissing the petition for declaratory judgment because a sufficient basis existed for granting the relief requested.

[27]*27Appellants seek to use the Declaratory Judgment Act, § 527.010, et seq. RSMo 1986, to obtain the relief requested, i.e., a declaration that the Ordinance in question is invalid as applied to them by the City and the Board. Appellants correctly state the standard for reviewing the sufficiency of their petition claiming declaratory relief as being that this court must construe the petition favorably to them, accepting as true all facts alleged therein, and according the petition the benefit of every reasonable and favorable inference the facts pleaded will permit. Lalumondier v. County, Court of St. Francois County, 588 S.W.2d 197, 198 (Mo.App.1979).

A review of appellants’ petition does not indicate that they are entitled to declaratory relief. The Declaratory Judgment Act, now Rule 87, is not to be used, except in “ ‘exceptional circumstances plainly appearing,’ ” when an adequate remedy already exists. Polk County Bank v. Spitz, 690 S.W.2d 192, 194 (Mo.App.1985); Farm Bur. Town & Country Ins. Co. v. Crain, 731 S.W.2d 866, 871-872 (Mo.App.1987).

An adequate remedy exists if a plaintiff could assert the issues sought to be declared in an action brought by defendant. Polk County Bank, 690 S.W.2d at 194. Nothing appears, by way of the record, to suggest that appellants do not have an adequate remedy, that being to assert their defenses in an underlying action for Municipal Ordinance violation, should such action be commenced. Additionally, § 527.060, RSMo 1986, which is reiterated in Rule 87.07 provides:

The court may refuse to render or enter a declaratory judgment or decree where such judgment or decree, if rendered or entered, would not terminate the uncertainty or controversy giving rise to the proceeding.

Appellants, in their petition, requested a declaration that application of the Ordinance against them was unlawful and unconstitutional and that the items which are offered for sale do not constitute drug paraphernalia. For reasons set forth in point two, appellants have not presented evidence to indicate that application of the Ordinance is unlawful or unconstitutional, nor that the Ordinance is invalid.

As for the claim seeking a declaration that the items offered for sale do not constitute drug paraphernalia, as previously stated, that claim can be raised at such time, if any, that appellants or any one of them are charged with a violation. Furthermore, declaratory relief would not, as provided by § 527.060 and Rule 87.07, terminate the uncertainty or controversy giving rise to the present proceeding.

Appellants, in their petition, requested a declaration that the items offered for sale do not constitute drug paraphernalia, yet admit that a number of the items FichCo sells are generically described by the ordinance. A declaration by the trial court would clearly not end the controversy or uncertainty presented under the present factual setting and which is inherent in a business such as that operated by FichCo.

A declaration at this point, that the items sold by FichCo do not constitute drug paraphernalia, would appear to be in conflict with the provisions of the ordinance which prohibit such items, as appellants admit that a number of the items sold by FichCo are generically described by the ordinance.

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Bluebook (online)
800 S.W.2d 24, 1990 Mo. App. LEXIS 1510, 1990 WL 154087, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jh-fichman-co-v-city-of-kansas-city-moctapp-1990.