Wright v. City of Guthrie

1931 OK 399, 1 P.2d 162, 150 Okla. 171, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 324
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 30, 1931
Docket20103
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 1931 OK 399 (Wright v. City of Guthrie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wright v. City of Guthrie, 1931 OK 399, 1 P.2d 162, 150 Okla. 171, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 324 (Okla. 1931).

Opinion

CLARK, V. C. J.

Plaintiff in error, as plaintiff, began this action in the district court of Logan county against the defendants in error, as defendants, to enjoin the defendants, their agents and subordinates, from molesting or interfering with the plaintiff in the conduct of his business and prosecuting or attempting to prosecute cases filed against him, and further arresting and har-rassing plaintiff upon alleged violations of what is commonly known as a zoning ordinance, and alleged violation of ordinance with reference to maintaining a public nuisance, pending the final disposition on appeal of the first case against him under each of said ordinances. Temporary restraining order was granted.

Defendants answered by way of general denial, alleged the zoning ordinance was passed pursuant to a general act of the Legislature; that the business of plaintiff is in a district against which a restriction is made in the ordinance, and that the restriction is fair, reasonable and within the power of the city to so legislate; and that the operation of the business of the plaintiff within the defendant city is deemed a nuisance ; that the business so conducted by plaintiff constitutes not only a private but public nuisance; and by way of cross-petition prayed that plaintiff be enjoined from continuing operation of said business. Attached copies of the ordinances.

Reply of plaintiff was by way of denial of the new matter set up in the answer, and that he was engaged in a lawful business.

Upon a hearing the trial court denied the application of plaintiff for injunction; and also dismissed and denied the defendants relief under the cross-petition. Motions for new trials were filed. Overruled. Exception. Plaintiff brings the cause here for review.

The evidence disclosed plaintiff was engaged in the fur exchange business, receiving house for furs, purchased from trappers, hunters, and dealers. A .great many green furs are among them, and some dead animals skinned there on the premises; use heat for drying and preparing them for shipment; takes about 48 hours to dry the furs; light ones 24 hours, and some skins three days; averages about 400 skins a day; scrapes the surplus fat off the furs; that there is a skunk odor in the building, and immediately in front of building, and some evidence that at times it could be smelt for some distance away; that the plaintiff had leased the building and spent money in aa-vertising, and that it was during the open season, and if had to move would be quite an injury to him.

The ordinance in question is what, is commonly known as the zoning ordinance; provides for four zones or districts:

U-l, Residence district;
U-2, Apartment house district;
U-3, ¡Business and light manufacturing district;
U-4, Heavy industries district

■ — and under each is designated the particular type of industries and businesses that shall be confined to such particular districts.

U-4 designates, among other businesses, the following:

(28) Curing rawhide,
(53) Rawhide storage, curing or tanning,.
(02) Skin storage, curing or tanning.

It was stipulated and agreed between the parties that plaintiff had been arrested four times, Dec. 5, 6, 7, 8, 1928. Pound guilty; fines assessed, $5, $10, $15 and $20; that the plaintiff was engaged in business in the district designated under U-3.

It was contended by defendants that the business of plaintiff came under the designated districts set out in U-4.

No contention is made but what the plaintiff began operating his business after the passage of' the zoning ordinance.

It was further agreed in the record that the plaintiff had been arrested for violation of section 340, Revised Ordinances of Guthrie, 1913, which is as follows:

“Any green or unsalted hides kept in any exposed or open place within the city, shall be deemed a unisance. * * *”

It was further agreed:

“That the property in question at 729 West Noble, is a concrete block building 25-foot frontage by about 60' feet in length; that immediately west of this is a barbecue stand, and immediately west of that is the Southwest Grocery Store; that east of the place of plaintiff is a barber shop, mattress factory, cotton gin, and immediately across the street is a second-hand store, Piggley *173 Wiggley grocery store, a drug store, furniture store, and another grocery store.”

Plaintiff in error contends that the business which he was conducting is not defined in specific terms by said ordinance as being a heavy industry, and that it is, therefore, a light industry, and as such is not prohibited at the location selected by plaintiff.

Also, that the ordinance prescribing restrictive and cumulative penalties for violations thereof is unconstitutional and void on its face.

The ordinance prescribes for violation of the ordinance a fine of not less than $5, nor more than $19 for each offense. And further provides that each day that a violation is permitted to exist shall constitute a separate offense.

Chanter 178, Sess. Laws. 1923, pages 301 and 302, provides:

‘•'For the purpose of promoting health, safety, morals, or the general welfare of the community, the legislative body of cities and incorporated villages is hereby empowered to regulate and restrict the height, number of stories, and size of buildings and other structures, the percentage of lot that may be occupied the size of yards, courts and other open spaces, the density of population, and the location and use of buildings, structures, and land for trade, industry, residence or other purposes.”

Zoning laws are of modern origin, and the Legislature, in its wisdom, enacted the zoning law to meet the needs of this modern age, the great increase and concentration of population, and the problems of development, and the problems which are constantly developing, which require, and will continue to require, additional restrictions in respect to the use and occupation of private lands in the cities and villages of our great Nation ; which laws, before the existing conditions of to-day, would have been condemned as arbitrary and unreasonable.

The rights and powers of cities to pass zoning laws have been upheld by this court, and the reasons therefor fully discussed in the cases of Baxley v. City of Frederick, 133 Okla. 84, 271 Pac. 257; McCurley v. City of El Reno, 138 Okla. 92, 280 Pac. 467, and the cases therein cited.

With reference to the question of the plaintiff in error’s right to injunctive relief, this court, in the case of Yale Theatre Co. v. City of Lawton, 35 Okla. 444, 130 Pac. 135, first paragraph of the syllabus, said:

“A prosecution for violation of a municipal ordinance will not be enjoined on the mere ground that the ordinance is void, because such invalidity constitutes a complete defense to the prosecution, and is thus available in a court of law.

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Bluebook (online)
1931 OK 399, 1 P.2d 162, 150 Okla. 171, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 324, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wright-v-city-of-guthrie-okla-1931.