Case Title: Geer v. Hall

Citation: 333 P.2d 1040

Docket Number: 

State: colorado

Court: Colorado Supreme Court

Date: 1958-01-12T00:00:00Z

Document:
333 P.2d 1040 (1958) Edward O. GEER, Manager of Safety and Excise of the City and County of Denver, Plaintiff in Error, v. Donald F. HALL, Defendant in Error. No. 18144. Supreme Court of Colorado, En Banc. January 12, 1958. *1041 John C. Banks, City Atty., Ty R. Williams, Asst. City Atty., Denver, for plaintiff in error. No appearance for defendant in error. MOORE, Justice. Defendant in error, to whom we will refer as Hall, made application for the issuance of a "three-way" liquor license. Following a hearing before the Manager of Safety and Excise of the City and County of Denver, the application was denied. Pursuant to provisions of Rule 106 R.C. P.Colo., Hall instituted proceedings in the district court of Denver in the nature of certiorari. Counsel for plaintiff in error filed a motion in the district court to disqualify the trial judge to whom the cause was assigned. The motion to disqualify was in the following form: This motion was supported by the following affidavit duly subscribed and sworn to: "2. That in the past few weeks, other cases have been assigned for trial to the Honorable Edward J. Keating, one of the Judges of the District Court in and for the City and County of Denver, and that in each of said cases, said Judge has ruled against *1042 the Manager and in favor of the Petitioner; The judge whose disqualification was sought heard the motion and denied it. Notwithstanding that in matters of this kind the review is upon the record made before the licensing authority, the trial judge caused a subpoena to be served upon plaintiff in error commanding his attendance before the district court at the time the case was to be heard upon review. Plaintiff in error was examined by the trial judge, during the course of which matters wholly unrelated to the issues to be determined were referred to by him in a rather lengthy statement, the general tenor of which was unmistakably critical of the action of the Manager of Safety in granting or denying other applications for liquor licenses, and was far removed from the area involved in the instant case and wholly unrelated thereto. No rule of practice known to this court justifies such action, and it must be, and is, disapproved. Following this examination of plaintiff in error, conducted by the trial judge, his order as the Manager of Safety denying Hall's application for a liquor license was vacated and the trial court entered a judgment, Defendant in error seeks review by writ of error and one of the points relied on for reversal is that the trial judge erred in refusing to disqualify himself. We think the point is well taken. The trial court erred in denying the motion of defendant in error which sought his disqualification. We need say no more. His disqualification should not necessitate a reversal for a certiorari review at the trial court level. On the identical printed record before the trial court and us, we can determine the propriety of the Manager's decision as well as the trial court can upon remand, and we shall proceed to do so. Geer v. Stathopulos, 135 Colo. 146, 309 P.2d 606; MacArthur v. Presto, 122 Colo. 202, 221 P.2d 934, 935. "The question now before us is not as to whether there was any evidence to support the decision of the trial court, but rather whether there was any evidence to support the decision of the licensing authority, or whether he acted arbitrarily and capriciously." MacArthur v. Presto, supra. It is incumbent upon an applicant for a license to make a prima facie showing of facts which satisfy the requisites of the Liquor Code. Board of County Commissioners in and for County of Fremont v. Salardino, 138 Colo. ___, 329 P.2d 629; Geer v. Stathopulos, supra. This burden Hall failed to meet. Without evidence before the Manager making a prima facie case for the issuance of a license, he had but one course to pursue, and that was to deny the application. The judgment is reversed. HOLLAND, C. J., not participating.