Times Mirror Cable Television of Springfield, Inc. v. First National Bank

582 N.E.2d 216, 221 Ill. App. 3d 340, 164 Ill. Dec. 8, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 1919
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedNovember 14, 1991
Docket4-91-0304
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 582 N.E.2d 216 (Times Mirror Cable Television of Springfield, Inc. v. First National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Times Mirror Cable Television of Springfield, Inc. v. First National Bank, 582 N.E.2d 216, 221 Ill. App. 3d 340, 164 Ill. Dec. 8, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 1919 (Ill. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

JUSTICE KNECHT

delivered the opinion of the court:

The plaintiff, Times Mirror Cable Television of Springfield, Inc., sought to install cable television in the Bissel Village Mobile Home Park (Bissel Village) in Springfield, Illinois. The legal owner of Bissel Village, First National Bank of Springfield, trustee under trust No. 2834, the operator of Bissel Village, Capital Supply Co., Inc., and the equitable owner, Elmer Knecht, refused the plaintiff access to the mobile home park. Plaintiff sued the owners and operator of Bissel Village seeking a permanent injunction, which the Sangamon County circuit court granted. On appeal, defendants contend section 11 — 42—11.1 of the Illinois Municipal Code (cable statute) (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1989, ch. 24, par. 11 — 42—11.1) violates the United States and Illinois Constitutions. They also argue no evidence of public use was presented and the circuit court erred in finding plaintiff’s notice of intent to install cable met statutory requirements. We disagree and affirm.

After receiving requests for cable television from Bissel Village residents, plaintiff notified the defendants of its intent to install cable television facilities at the mobile home park. Defendants responded to plaintiff’s letter and denied plaintiff access to Bissel Village. Defendants cited defective notice and their rights under the due process clause of the United States Constitution as grounds for their refusal to allow plaintiff to install cable services. Defendants made clear any entry on the premises by plaintiff would be treated as trespass.

Plaintiff filed suit seeking a permanent injunction on November 7, 1989. Plaintiff filed an amended complaint on January 2, 1991. The amended complaint alleged plaintiff entered a nonexclusive franchise agreement with the City of Springfield (city) which allowed plaintiff to provide cable television service to the city. The city annexed the property on which Bissel Village is located on April 4, 1972, and the property has remained within city limits. Various Bissel Village residents notified the plaintiff of their desire to receive the cable television services offered by plaintiff. The complaint alleged plaintiff’s notification of intent to install cable television at Bissel Village and defendants’ refusal to permit entry on the premises. Plaintiff alleged the cable statute precludes owners and operators of residential properties from denying access. Plaintiff sought a permanent injunction, having also alleged irreparable injury and inadequate remedies at law.

Defendants answered and alleged six affirmative defenses which the court struck on February 21, 1991. The court granted plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on the amended complaint on April 1, 1991, having determined the cable statute violates neither the United States nor Illinois Constitution. The court permanently enjoined the defendants from precluding plaintiff from installing cable television facilities at Bissel Village. This appeal followed.

The defendants first argue the cable statute violates the fifth and fourteenth amendments of the United States Constitution (U.S. Const., amends. V, XIV) because it allows physical occupation of property prior to a hearing. Defendants contend a permanent physical occupation of land amounts to a “taking” of the property for which the owner is entitled to just compensation. The United States Supreme Court’s decision in Loretto v. Teleprompter Manhattan CATV Corp. (1982), 458 U.S. 419, 73 L. Ed. 2d 868, 102 S. Ct. 3164, supports defendants’ position regarding compensation. The plaintiff in Loretto, owner of an apartment building, sued the cable television company alleging installation of cable services in the building constituted a “taking” without just compensation under State law. A New York statute provided a landlord could not interfere with cable installation or demand payment from tenants in exchange for permitting the installation. Landlords were also precluded from demanding payment from the cable television company in excess of the amount allowed by the State Commission on Cable Television. The landlord could require the cable company or the tenant to pay for cable installation. The New

York Court of Appeals upheld the statute and concluded there was no “taking.” The Supreme Court disagreed. “[A] minor but permanent physical occupation of an owner’s property authorized by government constitutes a ‘taking’ of property for which just compensation is due under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution.” Loretto, 458 U.S. at 421, 73 L. Ed. 2d at 873, 102 S. Ct. at 3168.

The Illinois statute implicitly recognizes cable installation involves a taking, as it provides a procedure for compensating the property owner. If the property owner seeks compensation in excess of $1, he must serve written notice on the cable television franchisee within 20 days of the date on which he was notified of the franchisee’s intent to install cable. The owner then has 30 days to notify the franchisee of the amount of compensation claimed. If the franchisee does not agree to pay the specified amount within a given period of time, the statute provides for a suit by the owner in which a jury may determine just compensation for the decrease in the property’s fair market value due to installation of cable television facilities. Thus, the cable statute does not unconstitutionally permit a taking without just compensation.

In addition to just compensation, defendants claim the constitution requires a hearing before they are deprived of their property. Defendants cite Fuentes v. Shevin (1972), 407 U.S. 67, 32 L. Ed. 2d 556, 92 S. Ct. 1983, as support for their argument. The Fuentes case involved challenges to replevin statutes in Florida and Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs purchased consumer goods pursuant to installment contracts. When they defaulted on payments, the merchants went to local sheriffs, who removed the goods from the consumers. The court invalidated these procedures because they did not provide for predeprivation hearings.

“ ‘[A]n individual [must] be given an opportunity for a hearing before he is deprived of any significant property interest, except for extraordinary situations where some valid governmental interest is at stake that justifies postponing the hearing until after the event.’ Boddie v. Connecticut [(1971), 401 U.S. 371,] 378-379[, 28 L. Ed. 2d 113, 119, 91 S. Ct. 780, 786] (emphasis in original).” (Fuentes, 407 U.S. at 82, 32 L. Ed. 2d at 571, 92 S. Ct. at 1995.)

The extraordinary situations in which the court has permitted a taking without a prior hearing include collecting internal revenue, meeting the needs of a national war effort, protecting against bank failure and protecting the public from misbranded drugs and contaminated food. (Fuentes, 407 U.S. at 91-92, 32 L. Ed. 2d at 576-77, 92 S. Ct. at 2000.) Defendants argue there are no extraordinary circumstances present in this case which permit a taking before a hearing.

Defendants concede, however, Mitchell v. W.T. Grant Co. (1974), 416 U.S. 600, 40 L. Ed. 2d 406, 94 S. Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
582 N.E.2d 216, 221 Ill. App. 3d 340, 164 Ill. Dec. 8, 1991 Ill. App. LEXIS 1919, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/times-mirror-cable-television-of-springfield-inc-v-first-national-bank-illappct-1991.