Leoni v. Water Pollution Control Authority

571 A.2d 153, 21 Conn. App. 77, 1990 Conn. App. LEXIS 78
CourtConnecticut Appellate Court
DecidedMarch 20, 1990
Docket7823
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 571 A.2d 153 (Leoni v. Water Pollution Control Authority) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Appellate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leoni v. Water Pollution Control Authority, 571 A.2d 153, 21 Conn. App. 77, 1990 Conn. App. LEXIS 78 (Colo. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

Norcott, J.

This appeal arises from the plaintiffs’ declaratory judgment action requesting that a certificate of taking filed by the defendant be declared a nullity. The defendant, the Harwinton water pollution control authority (WPCA), appeals from the trial court’s judgment granting the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and denying the defendant’s cross motion for summary judgment. It further argues that the trial court erred in considering the plaintiffs’ action for declaratory judgment. We find no error.

The following relevant facts are undisputed. The plaintiffs, Joseph Leoni and Vilma Flaherty, are owners of several contiguous parcels of land in Harwinton. Prior to 1955, the town of Harwinton drained certain highway runoff through a drainage swale located on [79]*79the plaintiffs’ property. In 1984, the town installed sewer lines along the highway, causing the flow of water onto the plaintiffs’ property to increase. The plaintiffs instituted an action to abate that alleged nuisance. The WPCA then instituted a condemnation proceeding to obtain and pay for the right to increase the water flow. The plaintiffs appealed the statement of compensation, seeking judicial determination of the fair market value of the land in question. That action is pending.

The plaintiffs then instituted the action that is the subject of this appeal seeking a declaratory judgment that the WPCA’s taking be declared a nullity. The plaintiffs filed a motion for summary judgment claiming that, as a matter of law, the WPCA violated its own enabling ordinance and General Statutes § 8-24 when it condemned a portion of the plaintiffs’ land for an easement. The defendant then filed a cross motion for summary judgment alleging that General Statutes § 8-24 does not apply to this situation and that the WPCA’s ordinances do not require specific actions in a condemnation action. The defendant further claimed that because the plaintiffs have two pending actions relating to this claim, declaratory judgment is inappropriate, and they should be left to the relief provided by the other actions.

The trial court granted the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and denied the defendant’s cross motion. In denying the defendant’s cross motion, the court held that its challenge to the propriety of the declaratory judgment action exceeds the scope of a motion for summary judgment.

The defendant appeals from the trial court’s judgment claiming that the trial court erred (1) in failing to dismiss the action on its own motion for failure to provide reasonable notice to all interested parties, (2) in [80]*80considering the plaintiffs’ action for declaratory relief despite the pendency of other actions, (3) in finding as a matter of law that § 8-24 governs the actions of the WPCA, and (4) in finding as a matter of law that the town enabling ordinance may extend controls over the WPCA in excess of those imposed by General Statutes § 7-246 et seq. We find no error.

I

The defendant first claims that the trial court should have dismissed this action on its own motion for violation of Practice Book § 390 because the plaintiffs did not provide notice to the town electors. Practice Book § 390 requires that all persons having an interest in the subject matter of the complaint be parties to the action or have reasonable notice thereof. The defendant argues that the electors had an interest in the outcome of this proceeding because of the plaintiffs’ claim that § 12 of the Harwinton ordinance requires the WPCA to notify the board of selectmen prior to the institution of eminent domain proceedings.

The defendant raises this claim for the first time on appeal. Failure to provide notice to all interested parties is, however, a jurisdictional defect. Kolenberg v. Board of Education, 206 Conn. 113, 122 n.5, 536 A.2d 577, cert. denied, 487 U.S. 1236, 108 S. Ct. 2903, 101 L. Ed. 2d 935 (1988); Manley v. Pfeiffer, 176 Conn. 540, 545, 409 A.2d 1009 (1979); SantaMaria v. Manship, 7 Conn. App. 537, 543, 510 A.2d 194 (1986). “Once brought to the court’s attention, it must be resolved. Cahill v. Board of Education, 198 Conn. 229, 238, 502 A.2d 410 (1985).” Kolenberg v. Board of Education, supra. We will, therefore, address this claim.

In this action, the plaintiffs seek only a determination of whether the WPCA’s actions effectively constituted a taking. They do not challenge the validity or constitutionality of General Statutes § 8-24 or of the [81]*81town’s enabling ordinance, but rather ask the court to determine from the clear language of the statute and the undisputed facts whether the WPC A followed the requisite procedures to effectuate a taking. This action involves only the interests of the plaintiffs and the WPC A, and, therefore, all those persons with “an interest in the subject matter” were given notice of the action and made parties thereto.

The defendant relies on the cases of Russo v. Watertown, 184 Conn. 30, 441 A.2d 56 (1981), and Tucker v. Maher, 192 Conn. 460, 472 A.2d 1261 (1984), to support the assertion that the town electors are entitled to notice. Those cases, however, involve declaratory judgment actions that are clearly distinguishable from the present one. In Russo v. Watertown, supra, 30-33, the plaintiffs sought to have certain portions of a town charter declared null and void. Such a judgment would have great potential of adversely affecting the interests of many citizens. See also Wenzel v. Danbury, 152 Conn. 675, 677, 211 A.2d 683 (1965).

In Tucker, the plaintiff, a landlord, sought a declaratory judgment holding General Statutes § 17-82k, which prohibits the assignment of public assistance funds to other persons, unconstitutional. Tucker v. Maher, supra, 463. The court held that Practice Book § 390 had not beep complied with because “[i]t is clear that welfare recipients who are tenants and perhaps landlords may have a legitimate interest in the outcome of [that case] and they were entitled to notice.” Id., 469.

In this case, the plaintiffs sought a much narrower ruling, and they accept the validity of the statute and ordinance. They requested only that the trial court determine, based upon a plain reading of the rules, whether the defendant complied with the requirements contained therein. We conclude, therefore, that the town electors had no interest in that subject matter and were not entitled to notice.

[82]*82II

The defendant’s claim challenging the propriety of the declaratory judgment action requires little discussion. This claim is not one of lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The Superior Court has subject matter jurisdiction “in any action or proceeding to declare rights and other legal relations on request for such a declaration whether or not further relief is or could be claimed. General Statutes § 52-29. ...

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Bluebook (online)
571 A.2d 153, 21 Conn. App. 77, 1990 Conn. App. LEXIS 78, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leoni-v-water-pollution-control-authority-connappct-1990.