Warren Construction Co. v. Grant

2 P.2d 1118, 299 P. 686, 137 Or. 410, 1931 Ore. LEXIS 158
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 4, 1930
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 2 P.2d 1118 (Warren Construction Co. v. Grant) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Warren Construction Co. v. Grant, 2 P.2d 1118, 299 P. 686, 137 Or. 410, 1931 Ore. LEXIS 158 (Or. 1930).

Opinions

CAMPBELL, J.

On July 12, 1920, there was filed in the circuit court of Oregon for Multnomah county, a complaint by the defendants herein against the Highway Commission praying for an injunction against the building of a certain portion of the west side Pacific highway in Polk county. Later the Warren Construction Company, plaintiff herein, was also made a party defendant in that suit. On July 26, 1920, a restraining order was made by the presiding judge enjoining the therein defendants from proceeding with the construction work on that part of the highway described in the complaint, said order “to be effective upon the filing with the clerk by the plaintiffs of a bond in the sum of $10,000 to be approved by the court, conditioned that plaintiffs will pay * * * such damages not exceeding $10,000, as defendants or either of them may sustain by reason of the injunction, if the same be wrongful or without sufficient cause.”

This order was served on the Warren Construction Company July 27, 1920. On August 2, 1920, all of the *412 plaintiffs therein, except Oscar Hayter, executed the bond required by the order. On August 7, 1920, a motion to dissolve the temporary injunction was overruled by the court. The case came on for trial on August 30, 1920, and on September 9, 1920, the court rendered its decision dismissing the case and dissolving the injunction.

On July 1, 1922, the complaint in the instant case was filed, this being an action on the injunction bond filed in the above suit. Plaintiff alleges the filing of the above suit for injunction and the giving of the bond, and that it obeyed the injunction and,- as a result thereof, was damlaged in the sum of $9,022.26. On stipulation the damages were itemized as follows:

Labor dismantling plant_________________________$ 403.68
Plant watchman during the period August 8 to September 22, 1920 __________________________ 150.00
Be-erection of plant_____________________________ 320.92
Loss of time of employe at plant during period of injunction__________________________________ 99.48
Traveling expenses of employes incurred by reason of suspension of work________________________ 136.35
Freight on equipment used elsewhere during period of injunction______________i__________________ 396.52
Interest on state estimates deferred during injunction 506.15
Salaries, superintendent and cashier connected with work at all times____________________________ 609.16
Bental of equipment remaining on work 43 days at $100 per day_____________________________ 4,300.00
Equipment rental for additional time required to complete work by reason of injunction, 14% days at $100 per day_________________________ 1,450.00
Total ___________________■________________$8,272.26

Through dilatory pleas, stipulations and an “Alphonse and Gaston” attitude between opposing counsel, the case was not put at issue until April, 1929.

*413 The defendants’ answer, in effect, denied the issuance of an injunction and any damages flowing therefrom. For a further and separate answer and defense they set up all the proceedings had in the injunction suit, including the separate answer and defense therein filed by the Warren Construction Company, a copy of the restraining order, a copy of the affidavit of Raymond D. Hoyt, the then manager of the Warren Construction Company, which affidavit was filed in support of a motion to dissolve the temporary injunction, and a copy of the decree made by the court in that suit. To this answer the plaintiff filed its reply which amounted to a practical denial of the new matter alleged in the defendants ’ answer.

Shortly thereafter, it was tried and judgment entered May 9, 1929. Both parties waived a trial by jury and submitted the case to the court. At the close of plaintiff’s case in chief, defendants moved for a non-suit which was denied. Again at the close of all the testimony, defendants moved for a directed verdict which was also denied and exceptions duly saved to the ruling of the court.

The court made findings of fact in which he found in favor of the plaintiff and against the defendants, and that the defendants were damaged as follows:

1. Expenditure for labor in dismantling plant______$ 403.68
2. Wages of plant watchman during the suspension of work---------------------------------------- 150.00
3. Ke-erection of plant__________________________ 320.92
4. Interest on moneys for the period during which payment was delayed by injunction, computed at 7 per cent, which the court finds plaintiff was obliged to pay upon said amount of moneys during that period 242.21
*414 5. Salary of cashier-----------------------------$ 235.00
6. Loss of use of equipment (charged by plaintiff as equipment rental) during the period while the work was stopped by injunction, to-wit, from August 3d, date of filing bond, to September 9th, date of Judge McCourt’s decision, 37 days, and for the reassembling of the plant and the working crew, and also for delay in completing the work due to rainy weather computed by the court to be 10 days, all of which times are found by the court to be a reasonable allowance at $50 per day__________________ 2,350.00
Total____________________________________$3,701.81

These findings are in the nature of a special verdict on each item. That is, he made a finding on each item separately and upon these findings based a general verdict. Those items upon which there was competent evidence to- support we may not disturb. On those items that are not supported by competent evidence, of in excess of the amount shown by competent evidence, we may review.

The defendant, Oscar Hayter, not having signed the bond, no judgment could be recovered against him, and we need not further refer to that fact when speaking of the defendants.

The case wherein the defendants herein were plaintiffs and secured the injunction order, for convenience we will hereafter refer to as the injunction suit.

The first contention of defendants is that the restraining order issued in the injunction suit was void. The facts upon which they base this contention are as follows: The motion for the temporary injunction was based on the complaint and affidavits. A hearing, in which both parties participated, was had before the *415 order was issued. The order so far as it is material to the determination of this case, reads as follows:

“* * *

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2 P.2d 1118, 299 P. 686, 137 Or. 410, 1931 Ore. LEXIS 158, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/warren-construction-co-v-grant-or-1930.