Salt Lake City Water & Electrical Power Co. v. Salt Lake City

67 P. 791, 24 Utah 282, 1902 Utah LEXIS 7
Utah Supreme Court·Decided February 11, 1902·No. No.1326·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinions

BARTOH, J.

The petitioners made application to this court for a writ of certiorari commanding one of the judges [291] of the district court of tbe Third judicial district to certify to the Supreme Court a complete transcript of the record and proceedings relating to the granting of a certain motion by the district court made in a certain action pending in that 1 court. An order to show cause why the writ should not issue was made, and thereupon the record referred to was duly certified to this court, and the questions presented may thus be considered upon their merits.

It appears from the certified record that originally the petitioners, Salt Lake City et al., brought an action in that court against the respondents, Salt Lake City Water & Electrical Power Company et al., to quiet title to the water of the Jordan river, and to the right to store the same in the river and Utah Lake. The power company filed an answer in that action, and by counterclaim set up a right to the use, for power-creating purposes, of the water of the river, theretofore appropriated by the plaintiff city, by virtue of an appropriation in accordance with the statute. The power company also instituted condemnation proceedings to condemn the right to make connection with the canal of the city for the purpose of discharging the water, after use by the power company, through a flume across the river, into the canal opposite the respondent’s power-creating plant. Thereafter, in these suits, the power company moved the court for permission to construct its flume and connect it with the canal pending the condemnation proceedings; and at the hearing of the motions the court entered an order permitting the power company and its receiver, pending the action, or until the further order of the court, to occupy the city’s premises and make connection of the flume with the canal, and to discharge the water, after use by the power company, through the flume into the canal, upon executing and filing in the court a bond, to be approved by a judge thereof, in the sum of $5,000. This action of that court the petitioners now seek to have reviewed by means of the writ of certiorari, insisting that they have no other plain, [292] speedy, or adequate remedy. Their principal contention appears to be that the action of the court in the premises was erroneous and without its jurisdiction. The respondents insist that the writ of certiorari can not be used to perform the functions of a writ of error, and that the only thing which can be inquired of, under our statutes, by certiox*ari, is whether the inferior court has exceeded its jurisdiction. The same question here presented was before this court in the case of Gilbert v. Board, 11 Utah 378, 40 Pac. 264; and, upon a careful review of authorities and statutes, it was held, adversely to the contention of respondent herein, that on cer-tiorari the appellate court may review the evidence to find if there is any proof to legally warrant the judgment or 2 decision of the inferior tribunal, and whether it had jurisdiction, and whether its proceedings were had in accordance with law. It was there said: “The office of the common-law writ has been much enlarged by statute and decision in cases where there is no other proper remedy, and, in addition to determining questions of jurisdiction, errors in law affecting the substantial rights of the parties may now be corrected, and the testimony may be included in the return, and examined to determine whether there is competent evidence to warrant and justify the judgment of the inferior tribunal. Such enlargement of the writ, however, does not warrant the setting aside of a judgment when it is based on conflicting evidence, nor when there are errors in the proceedings in matters not material as affecting the substantial rights of the party, and not violating any rule of law or affecting the jurisdiction; but where there is an entire absence of proof to support the judgment or decision or order, or where the adjudication made is entirely unauthorized by the proof, it will be set aside and reversed, even though the inferior tribunal had jurisdiction of the person or subject-matter, and so where the proceedings culminating in the judgment are manifestly erroneous, and in violation of those prescribed by law. [293] Tbe same rule applies to new jurisdictions created by statute, wben tbe proceedings required are different from those of tbe common law. Tbe examination of tbe evidence by tbe appel-. late court is not for tbe purpose of determining whether tbe preponderance thereof is on one side or tbe other, but to determine whether there is any testimony which will justify the judgment or finding of the inferior tribunal, as a legitimate inference, under the rules of law, from the facts proven, regardless of whether or not the appellate court would draw such inference from such facts. And this power of review on cer-tiorari is recognized as the settled law in England as well as in this country. The English courts have long exercised the power under this writ to review the record and proceedings of inferior tribunals, to determine questions of law arising therein, in eases where there was no other remedy for review.” We have no disposition to depart from the doctrine of that ease, and do not regard this question as any longer an open one in this jurisdiction.

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Salt Lake City Water & Electrical Power Co. v. Salt Lake City, 67 P. 791, 24 Utah 282, 1902 Utah LEXIS 7 (Utah 1902).

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