Luchini v. Police Jury

53 So. 68, 126 La. 972, 1910 La. LEXIS 744
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJune 20, 1910
DocketNo. 18,216
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 53 So. 68 (Luchini v. Police Jury) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Luchini v. Police Jury, 53 So. 68, 126 La. 972, 1910 La. LEXIS 744 (La. 1910).

Opinion

BREAUX, C. J.

The plaintiffs, alleging that they are citizens, residents, real estate owners, and taxpayers of the city of Shreveport, attack an ordinance of the police jury on the ground of illegality.

The ordinance attacked provides for a reward of $50 to any person who will furnish sufficient evidence to convict for any violation of the prohibition law in any prohibition ward, payable upon the conviction of the person reported.

Plaintiffs also aver that the parish board of school directors agreed with the police jury to pay for the rewards it paid and for evidence in cases of violation of prohibition laws. “Said fines aggregating approximately $15,000 or over” that sum.

They allege want of authority in the police jury to pay for detective service.

Furthermore, plaintiff’s contention is that the ordinance creates a debt without provision made for its payment, and that rewards are offered for a violation of a state law, and not for a violation of an ordinance of the police jury.

The complaint, further, is that over $2,000 have been paid for rewards by the police jury and the school board, and that, unless [975]*975restrained by an injunction (for which they pray in their petition) the police jury and the school hoard will continue to pay out public funds.

A rule nisi was issued. No cause of action and misjoinder were pleaded by way of exceptions.

These exceptions were overruled and the preliminary injunction prayed for was issued.

To which defendant filed a motion to dissolve on the following grounds:

That the injunction bond was signed by plaintiffs’ attorney at law and not by plaintiffs, although they were present.

The plaintiffs tendered a new bond of in junction, properly signed.

The court dissolved the injunction and condemned plaintiffs to pay $50 fee of attorneys as a penalty.

Thereafter plaintiffs petitioned for new writs of injunction, and furnished required bond.

The defendant moved to dissolve the second injunction on the ground that one bond had been furnished; that two bonds — that is, one bond for each plaintiff — should have been furnished.

The court correctly held that the plaintiffs complied with its order, and overruled the motion.

The injunction, after due trial, was sustained against the school board, but dissolved as to the police jury.

The school board appealed, also the plaintiffs.

Here plaintiffs have moved to dismiss the appeal on the ground that the appeal bond furnished by the school board is fatally defective in form.

Motion to Dismiss.

We take up in the first place for decision the illegal bond just above referred to.

The school board, under the law, is not obliged to furnish a bond of appeal. It is exempted by statute from that formality. Act No. 173 of 1902.

The board in furnishing bond was simply going beyond the requirements of the law.

Furnishing the illegal bond did not have the effect of waiving the benefit conferred by statute.

The motion to dismiss is overruled.

The Exceptions.

We pass the exceptions, first of misjoin-der and of no cause of action, as to the former, with the comment that the two corporations — the school board and the police jury — were acting together, it was alleged, in violating the law. It was a joint act — a common cause on the part of the defendants.

If it was as alleged, both these bodies were conniving together and disposing of funds paid by the taxpayers.

We, therefore, do not think that there was misjoinder. As to the exception of no cause of action, that question will come up in considering the issues.

On Motion to Dissolve the Injunction.

This motion relates to the first injunction, as before stated.

No legal bond having been furnished, as before stated, the district court could not do less than to dismiss the injunction.

The attorney was absolutely without authority to sign for his clients.

This is not disputed; therefore the first injunction was properly dissolved, but plaintiffs’ contention at this point is that they had a right to an injunction; that they ought to be allowed to furnish another bond.

A legal bond should have been furnished; it is a condition for an injunction to issue.

The first bond was an absolute nullity; the writ of injunction, therefore, was equally as null.

If plaintiffs in injunction were permitted [977]*977to obtain an injunction on such a bond, and afterward, on objection, it was declared null, and then all that a plaintiff in injunction would have to do would be to furnish another bond, it would open the door to the possibility of obtaining an injunction without the least regard to the law’s requirement; any bond would answer at first.

Counsel cite decisions in which it was held that another injunction can issue.

The decisions cited are without application where the one seeking to enjoin has failed to comply with one of the most essential formalities in matter of obtaining an injunction.

If there was an irregularity — an oversight possibly — and it were evident that plaintiffs in injunction had a right to a writ then the decisions cited would be controlling.

Such is not the case in this instance, for the nullity is absolute and cannot be cured in the manner it was proposed by plaintiffs.

On dissolution of the first injunction, the court condemned the plaintiffs in injunction to pay a $50 fee.

It may be that such damages have never heretofore been allowed, as contended' by plaintiffs; that is, plaintjffs’ contention is that, in cases quite similar, the court remained satisfied after dissolving the injunction, and did not impose damages.

The failure to allow such damages cannot very well be pleaded as a precedent. In the decision cited by plaintiff in injunction the matter of damages does not seem to have been insisted upon.

The amount allowed does not appear to be over the amount which may be allowed a defendant who succeeds in setting aside an injunction in a case similar to that at bar.

The fee is recovered by the defendant at whose instance the injunction is dissolved. He is the creditor, and not the attorney of-the person enjoining for the fee.

True, the police jury and the school board have their counsel. For that reason, we are not inclined to hold that the defendants-ought to be treated differently than the client in other cases who has regular- retained counsel. In either case, it is evident that services have been rendered for which defendants in injunction are entitled to recover, if not for the attorneys, for themselves. It is sufficient if.the services have been rendered for which there should be compensation.

In the following case a fee was allowed: Gauthier v. Gardenal, 44 La. Ann. 884, 11 South. 463.

Fifty dollars was the amount allowed altogether. We must decline to amend the judgment in this respect.

The police jury has adopted an ordinance, as alleged by plaintiffs.

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Related

Meeske v. Baumann
241 N.W. 550 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1932)
Everett v. Hue & Aarnes
137 So. 201 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1925)
City of Shreveport v. Maroun
64 So. 388 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1914)
Board of Com'rs v. Howard Land & Timber Co.
61 So. 868 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1913)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
53 So. 68, 126 La. 972, 1910 La. LEXIS 744, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/luchini-v-police-jury-la-1910.