State Ex Rel. Chwirka v. Audino

260 N.W.2d 279, 1977 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 930
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedNovember 23, 1977
Docket59119
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 260 N.W.2d 279 (State Ex Rel. Chwirka v. Audino) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Chwirka v. Audino, 260 N.W.2d 279, 1977 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 930 (iowa 1977).

Opinion

REES, Justice.

Defendants, except defendant Security National Bank, are the owners and operators of a gambling house in Sioux City known as Aventino Motor Inn and Convention Center. They appeal trial court’s grant of a permanent injunction enjoining defendants from permitting gambling on their premises upon a finding that a nuisance as defined by § 99.1, The Code, existed. We affirm.

On September 3, 1975 the State of Iowa, on the relation of the Woodbury county attorney, filed a petition for a temporary injunction pursuant to § 99.6, The Code. In the petition, plaintiff claimed that except for defendant bank the Aventino Motor Inn and Convention Center was owned and operated by the defendants and was being used as a gambling house which was a nuisance under § 99.1, The Code, 1975. Plaintiff further claimed that such operation of the premises did not come under any of the exceptions of § 99.1, of chapter 99B or § 726.12 of the 1975 Code of Iowa as amended. Therefore, plaintiff asked the court to restrain the defendants from removing furniture and fixtures which were used in the gambling operations, and sought a permanent injunction restraining the defendants from the use of the premises for gambling operations. On the basis of the petition, the trial court ordered the issuance of a temporary injunction.

Defendants by way of answers either generally denied the allegations of the petition or asserted as an affirmative defense that gambling on the premises was allowed under the statute and cited § 99B.7 in particular for justification.

At the hearing before the trial court, certain exhibits were introduced, including various liquor licenses for the operations of the Aventino Motor Inn by defendant Gold Nugget Co., Inc. (hereinafter Gold Nugget), and the licenses granted by the Department of Revenue of the State of Iowa which allowed the defendant Gold Nugget to conduct as a qualified organization, “bingo games, raffles, games of chance as defined by Iowa Law” at the Aventino Motor Inn under a temporary permit. Also introduced were the rules for playing various games which were conducted under the license such as craps, blackjack and roulette.

The parties agreed and stipulated as to the substance of the testimony of several witnesses. They stipulated that Duane Lynch, if called, would testify to the following facts: Lynch was a special agent for the Division of Vice Enforcement for the Department of Public Safety for the State of Iowa, that on several occasions during the month of August, 1975 he went into the Aventino Motor Inn and found games such as blackjack and craps were being played on the mezzanine level of the premises, that on each visit Lynch purchased chips and played blackjack, and afterwards went *281 downstairs where he exchanged his chips for gold nuggets which were then exchanged for cash; that on one occasion when he cashed in his chips he was given the choice of receiving cash or gold nuggets. Lynch was also present on the premises at the two times when it was raided and various gambling paraphernalia such as blackjack tables were seized by the enforcement officers.

It was also stipulated that Police Officer Russell White, if called, would testify that he witnessed gambling going on at the Aventino Motor Inn and participated in a police raid in which various gambling devices were seized and Allan Larson was arrested. Larson was the president of Gold Nuggett, which was the operator of the Aventino Motor Inn and the gambling activities which were taking place there. Also the parties agreed that Duane Lynch, Prank O’Keefe, Russell White, Jr., and Robert Widner would testify that the Aventino Motor Inn had a reputation for conducting gambling activities.

Under another stipulation it was agreed that Allan Larson, if called, would testify that his company was the owner of the Aventino Motor Inn and was a completely separate entity from Northwest Territories, Gold and Silver Exchange Corporation of Minneapolis, Minnesota (hereinafter Northwest), that Gold Nuggett bought chips in an arm’s-length transaction with Northwest, that Gold Nuggett used the chips in the operation of its games at the Aventino Motor Inn, and that the chips were redeemable for .999 fine gold by Northwest in its office located in the lobby of the Aventino Motor Inn. The agreed testimony of Larson would also support the fact that the posted game rules and the limitations of the amount of money which could be placed on a single game were all in accordance with the Iowa statute.

It was also stipulated that Samuel Pepper, if called, would describe the games being played on defendants’ property, and it was agreed Lorna Anderson would state she worked for Northwest and redeemed chips coming from the Gold Nugget only for gold at the Aventino Motor Inn and did not give the customers a choice between gold or cash. She also stated that after delivery of the gold, she could purchase the gold for cash.

On the basis of the evidence introduced, the trial court ordered the issuance of a writ of permanent injunction. The court enjoined the defendants from the use of the Aventino Motor Inn for gambling purposes, and found there was adequate evidence that the Aventino Inn was being used by some of the defendants for gambling purposes and, therefore, was a nuisance as defined under § 99.1 of the 1975 Code of Iowa. In connection with this determination, the court also found the operations did not fall within the exemptions as provided in § 99.1. Such determination forms the basis of this appeal.

The trial court enjoined the defendants on the basis of § 99.1, The Code, which states:

“99.1 Houses of prostitution or other nuisances. Whoever shall erect, establish, continue, maintain, use, own, or lease any building, erection, or place used for the purpose of lewdness, assignation, prostitution or gambling, or pool selling as defined by section 726.6 is guilty of a nuisance, and the building, erection, or place, or the ground itself, in or upon which such lewdness, assignation, prostitution, or gambling, or pool selling as defined by section 726.6 is conducted, permitted, or carried on, continued, or exists, and the furniture, fixtures, musical instruments, and movable property used in conducting or maintaining such nuisance, are also declared a nuisance and shall be enjoined and abated as hereinafter provided.
“The provisions of this section shall not apply to games of skill, games of chance, or raffles conducted pursuant to chapter 99B or to devices lawful under section 99B.10 or to games lawful under section 726.12.”

As provided in the last paragraph of the above section, § 99.1 is not applicable to games of skill, games of chance, or raffles *282 which are operated in accordance with chapter 99B. The exemptions to § 99.1 provided in chapter 99B which are most relevant to the dispute are the ones provided in §§ 99B.6 and 99B.7.

Section 99B.6 relates to liquor control licensees and the parts relevant to the dispute provide:

“99B.6 Games where liquor or beer is sold.
“1. Gambling is unlawful on premises for which a class “A”, class “B”, class “C” or class “D” liquor control license, or class “B” beer permit has been issued pursuant to chapter 123 unless all of the following are complied with:
“a.

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Bluebook (online)
260 N.W.2d 279, 1977 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 930, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-chwirka-v-audino-iowa-1977.