Kibbie Telephone Co. v. Landphere

115 N.W. 244, 151 Mich. 309, 1908 Mich. LEXIS 612
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 5, 1908
DocketDocket No. 118
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 115 N.W. 244 (Kibbie Telephone Co. v. Landphere) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kibbie Telephone Co. v. Landphere, 115 N.W. 244, 151 Mich. 309, 1908 Mich. LEXIS 612 (Mich. 1908).

Opinion

McAlvay, J.

This is an appeal from an order sustaining a demurrer and dismissing complainant’s bill, which was filed in the Van Burén circuit court to restrain and enjoin defendants from injuring the property of complainant by cutting, removing, or destroying certain telephone wires. Complainant is a telephone company organized and doing business as a Michigan corporation under [310]*310chapter 177, 2 Comp. Laws, and has large property interests in the village of Paw Paw and through Van Burén county, consisting of poles, wires, exchanges, and the usual fixtures necessary for carrying on the business of transmitting telephone messages for hire from place to place in Michigan and other States, for its customers and the public generally. It has more than 2,000 subscribers in Van Burén county where its principal business office is located. Its poles and wires have been placed upon and along the streets of Paw Paw, which is an incorporated village, with the permission, direction, and acquiescence of the village authorities, and at places and in the manner indicated by them. No ordinance granting complainant a franchise to occupy and use the public streets has been asked of or required by said village. Defendant Landphere is engaged in the business of moving buildings, and defendant Hoagland is the owner of a large bam which he has engaged Landphere to move for a long distance through the streets of Paw Paw. To take this building along the route proposed will require the cutting, destroying, or removing of 28 of the wires of complainant conhected with its customers’ telephones, and required to be and continue in perfect order and condition to transmit messages at all times. Complainant proposed to defendants to make the cuttings necessary to allow the free passage of this building with the expert linemen in its employ, provided defendants would secure in some way the payment of the actual expense for such work, estimated at $15. Defendants refused to do this, and on June 16, 1907, notified the complainant that on June 18th following they would move the building and tear down, cut, remove, or destroy such wires as were necessary for a free passage of the building, regardless of complainant’s property rights or interests. It is averred that defendants are financially irresponsible; that Landphere has never filed a bond or guaranty that would protect complainant against loss and damage, and that Hoagland has no removal permit; that the action of de[311]*311fendants, if permitted, will cost the complainant a large sum for repairs, and will work great damage to its property by the destruction of its wires and electrical currents, and great and irreparable loss to its business. The bill was filed and a preliminary injunction was issued June 18, 1907.

There is no dispute in the case but that whatever rights complainant has to use and occupy the streets of the village of Paw Paw, aside from the acquiescence and direction and license of the village authorities, are the rights created by virtue of the statute (section 6691, 2 Comp. Laws ) under which it is organized, which provides:

“Every such corporation shall have power to construct and maintain lines of wire or other material, for use in transmission of telephone messages along, over, across, or under any public places, streets, and highways, and across or under any of the waters in this State, with all necessary erections and fixtures therefor: Provided, That the same shall not injuriously interfere with other public uses of the said places,” etc.

The court in sustaining the demurrer held that the use of the streets for moving a building was a public use, and therefore, in the contemplation of the statute, included within the words “other public uses,” with which complainant was charged not to injuriously interfere. The court also held that complainant acquired its rights subject to such use of the streets, and upon reasonable notice it was its duty to temporarily raise, lower, or remove its wires to permit free passage of this building without expense to defendant.

The statute recognizes that the use of the streets, highways, and places complainant is authorized to exercise is a public use. There is no suggestion in the record that the use of these streets by complainant has been such as to interfere with all ordinary public uses, or that it has not in all respects placed its wires and poles in such places and manner as have been indicated by the proper authorities of the village.

[312]*312We must say then that complainant has acquired vested rights under the statute and the direction and license of the village authorities to use its property so located in the streets and highways of Paw Paw for the purposes of its business, and for the purpose of carrying out its cóntracts with its customers, and unless the claimed right of defendants to use the street as they propose, and to interfere with and destroy complainant’s property and injure its business, can be justified under the proviso and reservation of the statute, such interference cannot be sustained and would be an appropriation of property without due process of law.

Such vested rights of complainant cannot-be impaired or destroyed without express reservation. The status of complainant as to its occupancy has been mentioned briefly, but before proceeding further with the case it is necessary to give it more careful consideration. While the village authorities had not passed an ordinance, they had ácquiesced in complainant’s occupancy, and had gone further, by designating and directing the place and manner of the construction of the lines in the streets. Under this condition and permission, complainant had made the necessary investment and entered into its contracts with its customers. We do not agree with defendants that these conditions were different, as far. as complainant’s rights of property are concerned, than if an ordinance had been enacted granting charter rights.

Under the ordinances, the authorities hold that where the companies had constructed their lines, etc., rights vested which could not be divested without due process of law. The express reservation of the statute is: “Provided, That the same shall not injuriously interfere with other public uses of said places, etc.” The same authorities hold that the use of a street for moving houses is not a usual but is an extraordinary and unusual one. Northwestern Telephone Exchange Co. v. Anderson, 12 N. Dak. 585 (65 L. R. A. 771); Williams v. Railway Co., 130 Ind. 71 (15 L. R. A. 64); Dickson v. Motor Co., 53 [313]*313Ill. App. 379; Millville Traction Co. v. Goodwin, 53 N. J. Eq. 448.

We come to the question whether the use of streets for the purposes of moving buildings is within the uses reserved in the statute. The authorities already cited answer this proposition in the negative. In Northwestern Telephone Exchange Co. v. Anderson, supra, the court, after holding that such use was not an ordinary one, said:

“ It does not pertain to the primary right to the use of the street for travel or other public purposes. The public derives no benefit therefrom generally. Such extraordinary use of a street may, however, be permitted as a favor, under restrictions safeguarding the rights of the public to the street in certain cases, as necessity may require.”

Williams v. Railway Co., supra, was an injunction case where a street railway complained that the moving of a building would destroy its property. The court said:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Casey v. Massachusetts Electric Co.
467 N.E.2d 1358 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1984)
Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. Ostermiller
608 P.2d 491 (Montana Supreme Court, 1980)
Blackburn v. Southwest Missouri Railroad
167 S.W. 457 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1914)
Edison Electric Light & Power Co. v. Blomquist
124 N.W. 969 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1910)
Clyde Telephone Co. v. Parmenter
8 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 147 (Sandusky County Court of Common Pleas, 1908)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
115 N.W. 244, 151 Mich. 309, 1908 Mich. LEXIS 612, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kibbie-telephone-co-v-landphere-mich-1908.