Title: State v. Miller

State: tennessee

Issuer: Tennessee Supreme Court

Document:

304 S.W.2d 654 (1957) STATE of Tennessee ex rel. J.H. WALLEN et al. v. Wallace S. MILLER, Sr. Supreme Court of Tennessee. June 7, 1957. *655 Dietzen, Graham, Dietzen & Brock, Chattanooga, for petitioners. Van Cleave & Hatfield, Chattanooga, for respondent. BURNETT, Justice. The Court of Appeals, in a well reasoned and succinct opinion prepared for that Court by Hale, J., has stated the proposition here to be determined as follows: The Court of Appeals then well analyzes and sets forth the pleadings and necessary facts thus: The complainants then moved to and were allowed to amend their pleadings so as to name some thirty other citizens as relators. The complainants though still relied upon, as the basis of their action, the defendant's violation of Sections 12-401, and 402, T.C.A., above quoted. The Court of Appeals concluded that the answer to the question was "that the only relief that relators might have obtained (due to their failure to obtain the joinder of the District Attorney) would have been under the Ouster Law, * * *". Due to the fact that the procedure for the enforcement of Sections 12-401 and 402, T.C.A., are not prescribed by statute and have not been directly determined in this State, we granted certiorari. Arguments have been heard, briefs filed and we now have the matter for determination. Frankly we have spent something near a week in reading various cases in this State and from over the United States on the question. This Court and the Court of Appeals have had this Statute before it under various circumstances. It was held enforceable by indictment under the common law, State ex rel. v. Ward, 163 Tenn. 265, 43 S.W.2d 217; an offending official was refused recovery for services rendered or merchandise sold in violation of the statute; Madison County v. Alexander, 116 Tenn. 685, 94 S.W. 604; repayment to the city of funds received in violation of the statute by minor officers was enforced; Savage v. Mynatt, 156 Tenn. 119, 299 S.W. 1043; a member of the County Court was held not to be able to recover from the county for services performed for the county; Hope v. Hamilton County, 101 Tenn. 325, 47 S.W. 487; recovery was had from a municipal officer for contracts which he had made in violation of this statute; Hammon v. Miller, 13 Tenn. App. 458, and M. F. Parsley & Co., Inc. v. Cole & Miller, 1 Tenn. App. 714, it was held that the stockholder of a corporation owning a lumber yard who was also a member of the county court could not lawfully contract with the county for building a school. There are many other cases involving this *657 same statute but in none of them has the question been directly raised as it is here as to the procedure necessary for the enforcement of this statute. In all of the cases so far as we know where the public officer has had an interest in the contract or there has been a suit for recovery back on an invalid contract because of his interest the courts have held unquestionably that the officer could not recover for work done or things furnished under this statute. Probably the latest case on the question is Crass v. Walls, 36 Tenn. App. 546, 259 S.W.2d 670. Annotations on the question will be found in 140 A.L.R. pp. 344, and 583. In this latter annotation a number of cases are cited and the question discussed on the distinction between suits of a public body and suits by a taxpayer and general principles where a recovery is had on a violation of a related statute. There is also a group of cases wherein municipal corporations, counties, townships, etc., recover for violation of a related statute, in actions brought by the cities, counties or townships and also in actions brought by the taxpayers. As we said above though in none of these cases is the question raised of the procedure. The fact of the matter is that in the Savage case the City of Knoxville was made a party "for conformity". This Court in State ex rel. Phillips v. Greer, 170 Tenn. 529, 98 S.W.2d 79, recognized that there was no procedure prescribed by statute or otherwise for the enforcement of this statute. That case, State ex rel. Phillips v. Greer, went off on the proposition that the suit was brought under the Ouster Act and that the court would not apply the statute (12-401, 402, T.C.A.) and that the term of office had expired and consequently the court would not rule on the proposition of whether or not ouster was applicable since it had become moot. In the same volume is the case of State ex. rel. Lavender v. Bingham, 170 Tenn. 552, 98 S.W.2d 86. Of course it is fundamental that for the enforcement of a statute of this kind where there is no statute prescribing the procedure that the proceedings should be prosecuted according to the practice under the common law, Olsen v. Sharpe, 191 Tenn. 503, 507, 235 S.W.2d 11. This suit is brought insisting that Miller has forfeited his office for an act of misconduct on his part in dealing in these school busses. His wrong was a wrong against the public generally. Under such circumstances it seems to us that this statement is applicable: In a proceeding of the kind it is well said that: What is quo warranto? Quo warranto is a common law remedy. The Supreme Court of the United States speaking through Mr. Justice Lamar in Newman v. U.S., 238 U.S. 537, 35 S. Ct. 881, 883, 59 L. Ed. 1464, has well stated the reason of why actions of the kind here should and must be brought by quo warranto, in the absence of a statute authorizing other procedure. In this opinion it is said: It is noted that Sections 12-401, and 402, T.C.A., under which this action is brought, are the first two sections under the Chapter of Public Contracts. The following section, 12-403, T.C.A., declares it unlawful for any state official to do certain acts, and then immediately following this section is 12-404 which provides a penalty for the violation of Section 12-403, T.C.A. The penalty makes the person guilty of violation of that section guilty of a felony. We refer to these two sections because of their relationship to the section of the Code here involved. Here a civil remedy, that of quo warranto, is the only one that is available in view of the fact that the legislators did not see fit to provide any additional procedure for their enforcement. In Tennessee we have statutory provisions defining the use of quo warranto and indicating in what cases and upon what grounds it will lie, these are covered by Sections 23-2801 to 23-2821, T.C.A., inclusive. Section 23-2801, subsection 2, thereof, provides that when "any public officer has done, or suffered to be done, any act which works a forfeiture of his office" quo warranto will lie. The power to institute such proceedings is conferred by Sections 23-2809 and 23-2810, T.C.A. Section 23-2809 provides that the suit shall be brought by the Attorney General for the district, etc., while Section 23-2810, T.C.A., provides that the suit may be brought "on the information of any person" under certain provisions and qualifications. Under this Section, 23-2810, T.C.A., by an individual on relation, the bill or suit will not lie unless it is in the name of the district attorney general. State v. McConnell, 71 Tenn. 332. In subsequent cases involving the question the Court has strictly adhered to this principle so well reasoned out in the McConnell case, *659 that is, to the principle that even when a suit is brought on relation of individuals it must be in the name of the Attorney General. In such an action the district attorney general has the option, if he concludes that the suit is improperly brought, to dismiss the action and the relators who sign the complaint on their relation are liable for the cost of the action as provided in the section of the Code last referred to. These relators assume that liability and the peril of being taxed with the cost any time that they bring a suit if the Attorney General deems the suit is improperly brought. State, ex rel. v. Red River Turnpike Co., 112 Tenn. 615, 79 S.W. 798; State, ex rel. Warner v. Agee, 105 Tenn. 588, 59 S.W. 340; State, ex rel. Hardwick v. Vest, 136 Tenn. 167, 188 S.W. 1143. On this feature of the case this Court speaking through the late Mr. Justice Cook in State ex rel. v. Ward, supra, [163 Tenn. 265, 43 S.W.2d 218] said: It is argued in the present action that we should likewise consider the matter under the Ouster Act which is Chapter 11 of the Acts of 1915 and is incorporated in T.C.A. §§ 8-2701 through 8-2726. The basic act on which the present suit was brought, as set forth at the outset of this opinion, was passed by the Legislature in the Session of 1869 and 1870 and it has been on the books for lo these many years. The Ouster Act was not passed until 1915. Are violations of Sections 12-401 and 12-402, T.C.A., grounds for ouster under the 1915 Act? This Court has answered the question in an opinion by the late Mr. Justice Cook, in State ex rel. v. Perkinson, 159 Tenn. 442, 19 S.W.2d 254, 255, where it is said: When we compare Section 23-2810, T.C.A., the quo warranto procedure with Section 8-2710, of the Ouster Act, we see how the Legislature has prescribed the different method of procedure. In the quo warranto section the Attorney General must join with the relators while in the Ouster Act it is expressly provided that the relators (10) may bring the action "without the concurrence of any of said officers * * *". The pleadings and the proof required under the two acts, that is the Ouster Act and the Act under which this suit is brought (12-401, 12-402, T.C.A.) as will be noted by reference to State ex rel. v. Perkinson, supra, and State ex rel. v. Ward, supra; Vandergriff v. State ex rel., 185 Tenn. 386, 206 S.W.2d 395; State *660 ex rel. Phillips v. Greer, supra, is different. In as much as the complainants undertook to proceed under the statute, 12-401, 12-402, T.C.A., their remedy is governed by its provisions. Even if we considered the amendment making more than ten relators parties complainant that this suit had been instituted under the Ouster Law then the question now has become moot because the term of office of Miller has expired. For the reasons herein expressed the opinion of the Court of Appeals is affirmed.