White v. Perkins

65 S.W.2d 423
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 20, 1933
DocketNo. 9898
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 65 S.W.2d 423 (White v. Perkins) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
White v. Perkins, 65 S.W.2d 423 (Tex. Ct. App. 1933).

Opinion

PLEASANTS, Chief Justice.

This appeal is from an order of the judge of the district court of Jackson county made in vacation granting appellee an injunction restraining the appellants, the mayor, members of the board of commissioners, and the city marshal, of the city of - Eldna, from! preventing or interfering with appellee’s making what he alleges are only repairs of a building owned by him and situated within the fire limits of the city of Edna.

The petition sets out in full the ordinance of the city establishing the fire limits and prescribing the character of buildings authorized to be constructed therein, and also sets out in detail the proposed repairs and changes he intends to make in the building and the extent to which he had proceeded in carrying out his contemplated repairs and changes in the building.

The petition further alleges that before he began to make such repairs and changes in his building he filed an application with the city authorities for a permit to repair the building in the manner and to the extent stated in his petition, and that such permit was denied by the city council.

The petition also attacked the city ordinance therein set out on the ground that it is void because of the provision of section 19, article 1, of the state Constitution, which prohibits the taking of the individual’s property without due process of law, in that said ordinance denies appellee “the right of preserving his property and using it in such manner as to keep it fit for the purposes for which he acquired it, and for which he enjoys the use thereof.”

There are several immaterial allegations in the petition charging, in effect, that appel-lee knew when he commenced to repair his property that there had been open and notorious violations of the fire ordinance which “was generally disregarded by the citizens of [424]*424tlie town, as well as by its officers, to such an extent as in law would amount to an abrogation of said ordinance on the part of the City of Edna, and (believed) that he could proceed to make the repairs on said building, and not be held amenable to said ordinance by reason of its theretofore non observance.” The petition then proceeds:

“This applicant shows to the Court that the defendants are threatening to prosecute him for each and every day he works on said building in repairing the same, as herein outlined, and he verily believes they will so prosecute him unless restrained by an order not to do so by this Court.
“That said ordinance is an unreasonable one in so far as it restricts this applicant in his repair of said building, when same does not in any manner infringe upon the right of any other person in the free open enjoyment of his property and all privileges appurtenant thereto. And it- is unreasonable as to its limitation to material to be used in building or repairing buildings within said city fire limits.
‘,‘That the repair contemplated does not amount to a reconstruction of said building and said ordinance is violative of article 1, § 19 of the Constitution in prohibiting said repairs.
“That your applicant will appeal from the conviction had against him in the Corporation Court of Edna, Texas, for a violation of said ordinance and on such appeal will raise and determine the constitutionality of said ordinance here complained of.
“Wherefore, premises considered, the applicant prays that this Court issue a restraining order restraining the defendants and each of them from further prosecuting this applicant under said ordinance and in view of the present condition of his building with ■ the roof oil' of a part thereof resulting in great damage to him and which will continue and become even greater; he further prays that these defendants be restrained and enjoined from interfering with him in the repairs of his building along the lines herein described in order that he may complete said improvement.”

This petition, which was duly verified by the oath of appellee, was presented to Hon. J. P. Pool, the judge of the district court, in chambers, on July 9th, and upon consideration thereof the judge indorsed thereon his fiat directing the clerk of the court to issue notice to each of the defendants to appear before the judge in the district court room at Edna, Tex., on July 12th at 9 o’clock a. m., to show 'cause why the injunction prayed for should not be granted.

The date of the hearing was subsequently changed by the judge, with the agreement of parties, to July 13 th.

On the date last mentioned, the defendants appeared and filed answer to the petition, and the hearing proceeded. The answer of defendants contains a general demurrer, numerous special exceptions, a general denial, and special pleas. The nature of these special exceptions and pleas, in so far as may be deemed necessary in elucidating the questions discussed and decided in this opinion, will be hereinafter indicated.

This answer sought affirmative relief upon the following allegations: '

“Defendants state that the ordinance pleaded by plaintiff was passed and enacted by the City Commission of the City of Edna, only after there had been a very destructive fire within said City and within the fire zone as established by said ordinance, for the purpose of decreasing the fire hazard and bringing about a decrease in the cost of fire insurance within such City and fire zone and that the enactment and enforcement of such ordinance has had such effect up to this time .and will continue to have such effect in the future; that the ‘fire zone’ as in and by said ordinance established has within it much valuable improvements owned by private persons and it is unfair to them to permit a violation of the ordinance in question and the consequent increasing of the fire hazard and cost of fire; insurance; that plaintiff has already put into the construction of'the1 áüdition to his buildings considerable wood á'ñ’d combustible material and material not 'fire proof and if ■ permitted, to continue to complete such addition'he will put into the construction of same much moré inflammable and combustible material and material not fife proof and will thereby .materially.-increase the fire hazard within such. fire, zone and such addition will,thereby become a. public nuisance; that besides the addition • pleaded by plaintiff which he proposes to and will if permitted by this court add to his improvements, he will build a stairway of wooden material leading up. to such addition from and within the rear room of his said improvements and will occupy the four rooms he proposes to add on to his second room as living quarters, in which he will cook his meals and •provide heat for his comfort in cool weather; that the aforesaid ordinance and all its terms are authorized by statute, the Constitution of Texas, and by the general police power inherent in the Municipal Government of the City of Edna and no permit has been granted by these defendants or any of them in violation of the terms of said ordinance; that if it has been violated in any of its terms it has been without their permission or consent; and they say that its terms have never been abrogated. Defendants say that unless prevented by an injunction and restraining order of this court the defendant will proceed with the building of his proposed addition to the improvements on his land to the great and irreparable injury of the property owners of the City of Edna, particularly those [425]

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Bluebook (online)
65 S.W.2d 423, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/white-v-perkins-texapp-1933.