Town of Mesilla v. Mesilla Design Center & Book Store, Inc.

376 P.2d 183, 71 N.M. 124
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 13, 1962
Docket7053
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 376 P.2d 183 (Town of Mesilla v. Mesilla Design Center & Book Store, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Town of Mesilla v. Mesilla Design Center & Book Store, Inc., 376 P.2d 183, 71 N.M. 124 (N.M. 1962).

Opinions

CHAVEZ, Justice.

Suit was filed in district court on December 2, 1960, by plaintiff-appellant, The Town of Mesilla, hereinafter referred to as The Town of Mesilla, against defendantappellees, Mesilla Design Center and Book Store, Inc., hereinafter referred to as appellee Design Center, and Robert E. Stovall and Ruth Stovall, d/b/a La Joya Gift Shop, hereinafter referred to as appellee La Joya Gift Shop, to enforce one of its municipal ordinances. The case was tried by the court without a jury who, after making its findings of fact and conclusions of law, entered judgment for appellees, Design Center and La Joya Gift Shop, dismissing The Town of Mesilla’s complaint. From this judgment the Town of Mesilla appeals.

The Town of Mesilla relies on the following points to support its appeal:

“I. That the trial court erred in giving its findings of fact numbers 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12 and 13 for the reason that such are unsupported by the competent, substantial and only evidence introduced at trial and that such findings are immaterial to issues properly before the court.
"II. That the trial court erred in refusing to give plaintiff’s requested findings of fact numbers 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 for the reason that such are supported by the competent, substantial and only evidence introduced at trial and that they are material to issues and are supported by the law.
“III. That the trial court erred in refusing to grant plaintiff’s requested conclusions of law numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4, and erroneously concluded that the plaintiff’s complaint should he dismissed.”

The ordinance in question, Chapter No. 1, Ordinance No. 7, of the Town of Mesilla, was enacted August 4, 1959, by its mayor and board of trustees, and imposed a license fee on:

“curio shops, gift shops, souvenir shops, tourist shops, indian goods shops, pottery shops, ceramic shops, art shops, design centers, glass shops, dress shops,”

and purported to regulate "the pursuits, vocations and trades” therein named.

The trial court made the following pertinent findings of fact, among which are those attacked by The Town of Mesilla, each of which is indicated by an asterisk:

* “5. That the defendants, Mesilla Design Center, Inc., and Robert E. Stovall and Ruth Stovall, d/b/a La Joya Gift Shop, are not named or specified as businesses to be regulated under Section 14-42-8, New Mexico Statutes Annotated, 1953 Compilation.
* “6. That the Mesilla Design Center, Inc., and Robert E. Stovall and Ruth Stovall, d/b/a La Joya Gift Shop, have not been regulated within the meaning of Section 14-42-8, New Mexico Statutes Annotated, 1953 Compilation.
* “7. That Chapter 1, Ordinance 7 of the Town of Mesilla does not comply with the requirements as set forth in Section 14-42-8, New Mexico Statutes Annotated, 1953 Compilation, and contains no regulatory clause.
“8. Under the provisions of such ordinance, there was imposed on certain classes of businesses a license fee in the amount of one per cent (1%) of the gross income of such businesses.
* “9. That the plaintiff, the Town of Mesilla, has not regulated the business of the Mesilla Design Center, Inc., or the business of Robert E. Stovall and Ruth Stovall, d/b/a La Joya Gift Shop.
* “10. That the businesses engaged in by the defendants, the Mesilla Design Center, Inc., and Robert E. Stovall and Ruth Stovall, d/b/a La Joya Gift Shop, are not businesses susceptible of regulation under the police power of the municipality.
“11. That the plaintiff, the Town of Mesilla, has an occupation tax ordinance enacted in accordance with Section 14 — 42-7, New Mexico Statutes Annotated, 1953 Compilation.
* “12. That the Mesilla Design Center, Inc., and Robert E. Stovall and Ruth Stovall, d/b/a La Joya Gift Shop, are businesses covered by Section 14-42-7, New Mexico Statutes Annotated, 1953 Compilation.
* “13. That the business of the Mesilla Design Center, Inc., and the business of Robert E. Stovall and Ruth Stovall, d/b/a La Joya Gift Shop, does not impair nor is it in any way detrimental to the health or general fare of the Town of Mesilla.
“14. That the defendants, and each of them, operate the type of business set forth and classified under Chapter 1, Ordinance 7 of the Town of Mesilla.
“15. That the defendants, and each of them, tendered a form to the Town Clerk for an occupational license or tax for the year of 1960, and such tender was refused and the defendants have never received a license under the provisions of Chapter 1, Ordinance 7, and do not now have any type of license for the conduct of business within the municipal limits of the Town of Mesilla.
“16. That the defendants, and each of them, have failed and refused and still fail and refuse to secure the license provided for under the provisions of Chapter 1, Ordinance 7 of the Ordinances of the Town of Mesilla.”

We note that one of the defendants, Mesilla Design Center, Inc., was improperly designated as “Mesilla Design Center and Book Store, Inc.,” but the trial court found it had jurisdiction of said defendant.

The trial court concluded:

“That the Plaintiff’s complaint against the defendants should be, and hereby is, dismissed.
“Dated this 4th day of May, 1961.”

At no place in its brief does The Town of Mesilla set out the text of its requested findings of fact or conclusions of law. The court’s entire findings of fact and conclusions of law are set out as the statement of facts in The Town of Mesilla’s brief and nowhere else. In Bogle v. Potter, 68 N.M. 239, 360 P.2d 650, we held that it is necessary, in order to comply with our rules, to set out findings of fact and conclusions of law under the point wherein they are attacked. Each point must present a legal proposition and be supported by legal authority and argument. Lea County Fair Ass’n v. Elkan, 52 N.M. 250, 197 P.2d 228. Nor may appellant attack the court’s findings and conclusions generally. Hugh K. Gale, Post No. 2182 Veterans of Foreign Wars v. Norris, 53 N.M. 58, 201 P.2d 777. For these reasons we need not consider The Town of Mesilla’s contentions. However, because of the importance of the question of whether The Town of Mesilla had the legal power to enact the ordinance, not only to The Town of Mesilla but to other cities and towns within the state, we have decided to consider the case on its merits. We are aided by two factors in making this decision and are not actually forced to search the record.

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Town of Mesilla v. Mesilla Design Center & Book Store, Inc.
376 P.2d 183 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1962)

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Bluebook (online)
376 P.2d 183, 71 N.M. 124, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/town-of-mesilla-v-mesilla-design-center-book-store-inc-nm-1962.