Quinn v. Baldwin Star Coal Co.

19 Colo. App. 497
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 15, 1904
DocketNo. 2405
StatusPublished

This text of 19 Colo. App. 497 (Quinn v. Baldwin Star Coal Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Quinn v. Baldwin Star Coal Co., 19 Colo. App. 497 (Colo. Ct. App. 1904).

Opinion

Gunter, J.

November, 1894, one Sprankle filed a coal declaratory statement on tbe S. 4 S. E. 4 Section 18, Township 15 S., R. 86 W., and September, 1895, entered the same as coal land. October, 1895, he made a warranty deed for the land to one Pnrrier, who, January, 1896, executed a warranty deed therefor to appellee; The Baldwin Star Coal Company. Patent issued to Sprankle January, 1896. September 20, 1895, appellant Quinn made a coal filing on the N. 4 S. E. 4 said section, township and range, and September, 1896, entered the same as coal land. Appellee filed a protest against the entry of Quinn before its allowance. September 2, 1896, Sprankle filed a petition in the proper IJ. S. land office asking a correction of the patent issued to him as to the land therein described on the ground that the land intended to be entered; and in truth entered, by him was that covered by Quinn’s entry. The proceeding initiated by the petition, to which Quinn was a party, resulted April 19, 1899, in a decision ty the secretary of the interior cancelling Quinn’s entry and ordering the filing and entry of Sprankle to be amended to conform to the intention of the parties, that is, to embrace the N. 4 of the S. E. 4 instead of the S. 4 °f the S. E. 4 of said section, township and range. This amendment related, back to the time when the entry of Sprankle was made, that is, to September 30, 1895. Patent in time issued in pursuance of the amended entry and recited that it was [500]*500granted in' pursuance of the entry of September 30, 1895. September" 11, 1896, Qninn, after his entry of the N. S. E. i said section, township and range, and the issuance of his final receipt therefor, instituted an action against appellee to recover damages for coal mined on the land therein described and to enjoin' appellee from continuing its workings on such land. Notice was given of the hearing of the application for a preliminary writ of injunction. Appellee employed counsel to resist this application, and services were rendered by them in its resistance. The writ was granted September 21, 1896, and thereby appellee enjoined from working the mine-pending the writ. This injunctive action instituted in the district court of Gunnison county, Colorado, and subsequently transferred to the circuit court of the United States for the District of Colorado, was dismissed’by Qninn June 5,1899. Previous to its dismissal appellee had employed counsel to move a dissolution of the writ, which counsel performed services of value in preparing such motion, and before the institution of this action appellee had paid counsel for such services. July 18, 1899, the present action by appellee was instituted to recover damages on the injunction bond given in above case. Trial was had resulting in a verdict and judgment for appellee in the sum of $1,500.00. Therefrom defendants below are here on appeal.

1. It is said error was committed in giving instruction No. 4. This authorized the jury to allow the appellee as an element of damages such loss of profits, if any, as the evidence showed it had sustained through the closing of the mine pending the writ. No objection below was made to this instruction, appellants, therefore, are not in position to question it. In legal effect it was an instruction given by consent. Further, if there be error in the instruc[501]*501tion, appellants suffered no prejudice from it as it is clear that the jury allowed no damages whatever on account of a loss of profits sustained through a closing of the mine.' The verdict was for $1,500.00, and it is clear from the evidence it embraced hut two items of damage. One thousand dollars damage from the falling in of the workings of the mine pending the writ, and $500.00 damages for that sum expended foi counsel fees in resisting the issuance of the writ and in preparing the motion to dissolve.

2. The court authorized the jury to allow as an element of damages reasonable counsel fees expended in resisting the issuance of the preliminary writ and in efforts to secure its dissolution. Counsel were employed to resist the motion for the preliminary writ, and after its issuance to secure its dissolution. They performed the services for which they were employed, and the undisputed evidence was that they received from appellee therefor the sum of $500.00, and that such sum was a reasonable fee. The evidence does not apportion such fee between the services performed before the issuance of the writ and those performed thereafter. The services performed after the issuance of the writ consisted in making preparations to file and present the motion to dissolve. Such motion was not filed. Before this was done, plaintiff in that suit dismissed his action and thereby dissolved the writ.

It is said there can he no recovery for counsel fees expended in resisting the issuance of a preliminary writ of injunction, because they were incurred before the giving of the bond and the issuance of the writ. It is further said that counsel fees expended in preparing a motion to dissolve — which motion was not heard, the writ having been dissolved on motion of plaintiff before the filing of the motion —cannot he recovered. As stated, the fee of $500.00 [502]*502was not apportioned between tbe services performed before tbe issuance of tbe writ and tbe services performed thereafter, and if it was error to allow in the action on the injunction bond for services performed before the giving of the bond and the issuance of the writ, this entire element of damages — counsel fees— must be rejected, there being no means of knowing how much of the $500.00 to apportion to the services performed after the issuance of the writ. The extent of the recovery upon the injunction bond is determined by the condition of the bond. The bond, including its condition, is substantially in the terms of our code authorizing the issuance of a writ upon the giving of a bond. If the condition of the bond, however, were even broader than that prescribed by the code, there could be no recovery upon the condition of the bond without the limits of that prescribed by the code.'

“But when the condition of the bond is broader than that required by law, while the obligation may be held good to the extent that the condition accords with the statute, there can be no recovery beyond what would have been allowed had the condition been in accordance with the statute.” — High on Injunctions, Yol. 2, § 1622, p. 1221; Menken v. Frank, 57 Miss. 732.

Mills’ Ann. Code, sec. 156, provides:

“On granting an injunction, the court or judge shall require * * * a written undertaking on the part of the party in whose favor an injunction is granted, with one or more sufficient sureties, to the effect that the plaintiff will pa3^ to the party enjoined all damages, not exceeding an amount to be specified, as such party may sustain by reason of the injunction, if the court finally decides that the party in whose favor the injunction was issued was not entitled thereto.”
[503]*503“These bonds being generally prescribed and regulated by statute, differ in different states, their general purpose and object, however, being everywhere the same, viz, to protect defendant from any wrongful interference with his rights, and to reimburse him for all damages and costs incurred by reason of an injunction improperly issued.” — High on Injunctions (3d ed.), Vol. 2, § 1619, p. 1218.

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Bluebook (online)
19 Colo. App. 497, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/quinn-v-baldwin-star-coal-co-coloctapp-1904.