Kostmayer v. Police Jury

1 La. App. 618, 1925 La. App. LEXIS 98
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 16, 1925
DocketNo. 9904
StatusPublished

This text of 1 La. App. 618 (Kostmayer v. Police Jury) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kostmayer v. Police Jury, 1 La. App. 618, 1925 La. App. LEXIS 98 (La. Ct. App. 1925).

Opinion

CLAIBORNE, J.

Relator seeks by mandamus to command the defendants to appoint him as Drainage Commissioner and by injunction to enjoin them from appointing anyone e)se.

He alleges that he was appointed drainage commissioner by the Police Jury on February 8, 1*922, for the term of two years; that his term expired on February 8, 1924; that by Section 7 of Act 85 of 1921 it is made the duty of the- Police Jury annually at their regular meeting in the month nearest the date of the creation of the drainage district to appoint one commissioner for said drainage. district in the same manner as the original commissioners were appointed; that the appointments of Commissioners by the Police Jury shall be made upon the recommendation of a majority in number of acres of land-owners of said proposed Drainage District, or a majority in numbers of the land owners of such districts where the district contains forty or less land owners; where the proposed district has more than forty land owners embraced therein, then the said appointments shall be made upon the recommendation of twenty-five of the land owners of said district. When there is a contest over the appointment of commissioners the Police Jury shall give the Appointment to those commissioners who are recom[619]*619mended by land owners owning the majority in number of acres of land in said district, or who are recommended by a majority in number of the land owners in said district, in the discretion of the Police Jury; that it became the duty of the Police Jury to appoint a successor to relator at their regular meeting held on February 6, 1921, which was the date of their regular annual meeting nearest to the date of the creation of the Drainage District; that at said meeting a petition containing a majority in number of acres of the land owners and more than twenty-five of the land owners of said district embracing more than forty land owners recommended relator for appointment by the Police Jury as commissioner for said Drainage District; that on presentation of said petition it was the duty of said Police Jury to appoint petitioner, provided there was no contest for said office or no other applicant for the position, and that there was no contest for said appointment; that the Police Jury refused to make said appointment or to tabulate or investigate said petition, and postponed the appointment until the next meeting in the month of March, the President . stating that there would be applicant for said position at said meeting; that r.elator is informed that the Police Jury will disregard the petition in his favor and will appoint some other person in his stead; that the action of the Police Jury is illegal and will work relator irreparable injury; that there is no compensation attached to the office.

Relator prayed for an injunction prohibiting the Police Jury from entertaining any petition for the pdsition of commissioner which may be filed other than his own, or which may be filed after February 6th, and from appointing any other person than himself as commissioner; and petitioner prayed for a mandamus also commanding the Police Jury to act upon the petition presented by him and to appoint him as a Commissioner of Drainage.

An injunction was issued as prayed for and an alternative writ' of mandamus.

For return to the writs the defendant pleaded an exception of no cause of action. For answer stated that since the term of office of relator did not expire until February 8th, and the meeting of the Police Jury was held on February 6th, there was no vacancy to be filled at that meeting, and the matter of filling the vacancy was deferred until the next March meeting; they deny that they refused to appoint relator commissioner, but inasmuch as there was a contest for the office, under the law they had a discretion in making the appointment.

J. G. Bruning intervened in said suit and alleged that he was recommended for appointment as a Commissioner of Drainage by a majority in number of land owners and that said petition was filed with the Police Jury at their meeting held on February 6th, at which he contested the appointment with relator Kostmayer. He prayed for judgment rejecting relator’s demand. Annexed to this intervention is a petition recommending John C. Bruning with the names of nearly 300 persons.

On the trial of the case there was evidence to show that Bruning’s petition had been placed in the hands of the President of the Police Jury prior to February 6th, but not presented to the Police Jury itself on the statement of the President that no petition would be acted upon at that meeting because there was yet no vacancy in the term of office.

There was judgment dismissing relator’s suit for the following reasons:

“However, the court is of opinion from the evidence in this case that there was a contest in the said office and that there was presented to the Police Jury of the [620]*620Parish at the meeting held on February' 6th, 1924, two petitions, one recommending the plaintiff, M. D. Kostmayer, and another recommending the intervenor, J. G. Bruning.
“The Police Jury took no action in the matter at the meeting held in the month of February, but deferred the whole matter to its following meeting of March, 1924.
“The court being of the opinion that there was a contest in the said office and under the law the Police Jury being given the discretion to appoint either of the parties recommended by the majority of the number of acres, this court has no right to issue a writ of mandamus or a writ of injunction until the Police Jury is first given an opportunity to pass upon the sufficiency of the petitions filed.”

Relator has appealed.

We are of opinion that the judgment is correct.

A mandamus does not lie where the office is vested with discretion. Nixon vs. Houillon, 20 La. 518; State of Louisiana, Edward Pinac vs. W. S. Mount and J. O. Landry, 21 La. Ann. 352; Howell vs. St. Charles St. R. R. Co., 22 La. Ann. 603; Schully vs. Canal and Claiborne Streets Railroad Company, 23 La. Ann. 333; State vs. Board of Liquidators, 29 La. Ann. 690; State vs. Mayor and Council of New Orleans, 32 La. Ann. 268; State vs. Nicholson and Wife, 37 La. Ann. 842; State vs. Police Jury, 39 La. Ann. 759, 2 South. 305.

In the case of State ex rel. Daboval vs. Police Jury, 39 La. Ann. 759, 2 South. 305 the court quoted with, approval the following language of High on Remedies, Sec. 24: “The principle is that mandamus will lie to 'compel the performance of duties purely ministerial in their nature and so clear and specific that no element of discretion be left in their performance; but that, as to all acts or duties necessarily calling for the exercise of judgment and discretion on the part of the officer or body at whose hands their performance is required mandamus will not lie.”

Affirming State vs. Young, 38 La. Ann. 923, and quoting State vs. Board of Liquidators, 29 La. Ann. 264; State vs. Police Jury, 29 La. Ann. 146; State vs. Johnson, 28 La. Ann. 932; State vs. Judge of Sixth District Court, 28 La. Ann. 905; State vs. Judge of Sixth District Court, 32 La. Ann. 549; State vs. Judges of Civil District Court, 34 La. Ann. 1114. To which we may add Sanderson vs. Ralston, 20 La. Ann. 318; State vs. Mount & Landry, 21 La. Ann. 352; Howell vs. St. Charles St. R. R. Co., 22 La. Ann. 603; State vs. Canal and Claiborne Streets Railroad Company, 23 La. Ann. 333; State vs. Board of Liquidators, 29 La. Ann. 690; State vs. Mayor and Council of New Orleans, 32 La. Ann.

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

Related

State ex rel. O'Hara v. Heath
20 La. 518 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1868)
Kansas City Southern Railway Co. v. Railroad Commission
106 La. 583 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1901)
State ex rel. Pinac v. Mount
21 La. Ann. 352 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1869)
Howell v. St. Charles Street Railroad
22 La. Ann. 603 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1870)
State ex rel. Scully v. Canal & Claiborne Streets Railroad
23 La. Ann. 333 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1871)
State ex rel. Beebe v. Judge of the Sixth District Court
28 La. Ann. 905 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1876)
State ex rel. Longstreet v. Johnson
28 La. Ann. 932 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1876)
State ex rel. St. Martin v. the Police Jury of the Parish of St. Charles
29 La. Ann. 146 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1877)
State ex rel. Exchange Bank v. Board of Liquidators
29 La. Ann. 264 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1877)
Roudanez v. Mayor of New Orleans
29 La. Ann. 271 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1877)
State ex rel. Forstall v. Board of Liquidators
29 La. Ann. 690 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1877)
State ex rel. Blackman v. Strong
32 La. Ann. 173 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1880)
State ex rel. N. O. Gaslight Co. v. Mayor of New Orleans
32 La. Ann. 268 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1880)
State ex rel. City of New Orleans v. Judge of the Sixth District Court
32 La. Ann. 549 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1880)
Harrison v. City of New Orleans
33 La. Ann. 222 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1881)
Lèche v. Police Jury
37 La. Ann. 195 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1885)
State ex rel. Nicholson v. Judge of the Civil District Court
37 La. Ann. 842 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1885)
Bell v. A. Riggs & Bro.
38 La. Ann. 555 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1886)
State ex rel. Gaynor v. Young
38 La. Ann. 923 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1886)
State ex. rel. Daboval v. Police Jury
39 La. Ann. 759 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1887)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1 La. App. 618, 1925 La. App. LEXIS 98, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kostmayer-v-police-jury-lactapp-1925.