People ex rel. Sandnes v. Sheriff of Kings County

164 Misc. 355, 299 N.Y.S. 9, 1937 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1798
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 1, 1937
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 164 Misc. 355 (People ex rel. Sandnes v. Sheriff of Kings County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People ex rel. Sandnes v. Sheriff of Kings County, 164 Misc. 355, 299 N.Y.S. 9, 1937 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1798 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1937).

Opinion

Pecora, J.

By order of this court made at Special Term, Part 2, in Engs county on July 16, 1937, the relator was found guilty of contempt of court, and sentenced to imprisonment for thirty days for an alleged violation of a temporary injunction order which had been issued in the action above referred to by the same learned justice on July 12, 1937. An application for a stay of execution was denied, and the relator’s imprisonment was directed [357]*357to commence forthwith. On the following day a writ of habeas corpus was obtained from this court and the relator was admitted to bail pending the decision herein.

In this proceeding an attack is made upon the power and jurisdiction of the court in issuing the original injunction order, as well as upon its power to punish for contempt, without conforming to the provisions respectively of section 876 of the Civil Practice Act and section 753-a of the Judiciary Law. In addition to these two main contentions, certain fatal defects in the order of commitment are claimed to exist. These will be discussed hereinafter.

This court is required in this habeas corpus proceeding to make inquiry into the power and jurisdiction of the court which issued the mandate. (Civ. Prac. Act, § 1253, subd. 1.) If the learned justice exceeded his jurisdiction in granting the temporary injunction, such injunction would be void, and the relator could not be committed for contempt for its violation. In People ex rel. Tweed v. Liscomb (60 N. Y. 559) the court (at p. 568) said: “ It matters not what the general powers and jurisdiction of a court may be; if it act without authority in the particular case, its judgments and orders are mere nullities, not voidable, but simply void, protecting no one acting under them, and constituting no hindrance to the prosecution of any right.”

So too in Ex Parte Fisk (113 U. S. 713) the court said (at p. 718): When, however, a court of the United States undertakes, by its process of contempt, to punish a man for refusing to comply with an order which that court had no authority to make, the order itself, being without jurisdiction, is void, and the order punishing for contempt is equally void. It is well settled now, in the jurisprudence of this court, that when the proceeding for contempt in such a case results in imprisonment, this court will, by its writ of habeas corpus, discharge the prisoner.”

The inquiry, however, relates solely to the power of the court which issued the injunction, and not as to the propriety of the order. If the court had authority to grant the injunction, even though it may have been in error, the order would have to be obeyed. Escape from it would have to be sought in vacating, modifying or appealing from it.

The power to issue temporary injunctions is granted by the Legislature, and is not inherently a part of the jurisdiction of a court of equity. (Bachman v. Harrington, 184 N. Y. 458, 462.) It follows that the Legislature may impose restrictions upon the exercise of that power. Section 882 of the Civil Practice Act, dealing with temporary restraining orders, provides: The order may be granted only upon notice. Where an application for an [358]*358injunction is made upon notice, either before or after answer, the court or judge may enjoin the defendant until the hearing and decision of the application; but only upon such notice as the court or judge, in its or his discretion, may direct.”

The evidence adduced before this court in this proceeding clearly establishes that section 882 of the Civil Practice Act was not complied with, and that the injunction order was issued without the requisite notice. The facts with respect thereto are these: On July 9, 1937, certain members of the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America and of Local 13 of that union, were served with a summons and complaint in the above action, together with a notice that “ an order to show cause for an injunction pendente lite will be submitted for signature to the Justice presiding at Special Term, Part 2 * * * on the 12th of July.” On July 12, 1937, the learned justice not only signed the order to show cause why a temporary injunction should not issue, but without further notice proceeded to hold an ex parte hearing, at the conclusion of which he issued the temporary injunction involved herein. The notice served upon the members of the union was not the notice required by- section 882 of the Civil Practice Act. It was merely that at a certain time an order to show cause would be submitted for signature. In fact attached to this form of notice was an unsigned order to show cause which contained therein a blank space as to the time when such notice would have to be served. In Stuhmer & Co. v. Korman (235 App. Div. 856) a restraining order was vacated, the court saying: “ The notice contemplated by section 882 of the Civil Practice Act * * * is a formal notice of the application in the action pending * * * returnable forthwith or at such time as the judge or court may direct, in the discretion of the court or judge, the exercise of such discretion and the service of the notice to be incorporated in an order by the court or judge, a copy of which order is to be served with the notice.” (Italics mine.)

In the instant case the order to show cause was never served upon any one after it was signed. Furthermore, although signed on July 12, 1937, the show cause order contained a provision that notice be given on or before July 9, 1937. The temporary injunction, having been granted without, notice, the court which issued it exceeded its power. This was not only error but rendered the injunction void. (See Ciancimino v. Man, 1 Misc. 121, 124.)

In addition the injunction order was void because it was issued in a case governed by section 876-a of the Civil Practice Act, without compliance with the conditions precedent to give the court jurisdiction in such cases. Section 876-a, subdivision 1, [359]*359limits the jurisdiction of a court or judge to issue injunctions “ in any case involving or growing out of a labor dispute, as hereinafter defined.” A “ labor dispute ” is defined in subdivision 10 of that section. The injunction order herein contained the following statement: “It appearing from the testimony of Eugene M. Wheeler, Dominico Gilberto, Lawrence Leach, and Anthony Minikino that no strike or labor dispute of any kind whatsoever, within the meaning of Section 876-a of the Civil Practice Act, existed or now exists in the plaintiff’s shipyards.”

Since the determination of whether that case involved or grew out of a labor dispute constitutes the very essence of the question as to whether the court had jurisdiction, it is proper upon this habeas corpus proceeding to examine into the facts upon which jurisdiction was assumed. Jurisdiction is not conferred merely by a judicial or other assertion. It must have a basis in law and in fact, before power dependent upon conditions may lawfully be exercised. Inquiry into the question of jurisdiction is not precluded by a mere recital of its existence. (People ex rel. Tweed v. Liscomb, supra; People v. Cassels, 5 Hill, 164, 168; People ex rel. Hackley v. Kelly, 24 N. Y. 74; Matter of Depue, 185 id. 60; People ex rel. Schoen v. Murphy, 243 App. Div. 216.) In the well-known Tweed case (supra)

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Bluebook (online)
164 Misc. 355, 299 N.Y.S. 9, 1937 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1798, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-ex-rel-sandnes-v-sheriff-of-kings-county-nysupct-1937.