Arizona republican., 1922-01-28
BARS DEFENDANTS
FROM INTERFERING
WITH ASSOCIATION

A temporary injunction restraining
the defendants as stockholders ana
directors of the association from IN
terfering or in any manner oDstrucC-
ing the Lotus Valley Water Users
association from carrying on its busl-
ness was ISSUED yesterday by Judge
Stanford against Robert II. Williams
Howard Rule, Roscoe Wykof, Joe
Philips and j. d. Weatherford. The
court issued an order citing the de-
PENDANTS to appear in his court on
January 81 and show cause why the
order should not be made permanent.
The injunction was asked in a suit
brought against the defendants yes
terday in the superior court by Z.
O. Case, president of the Lotus Valley
Water Users Association on behalf
Of the association.
The association was organized on
October 28, 1920. the complaint
states, for the purpose of reclaiming
certain lands in Yuma county by
irrigation. On October 8, 1921, the
petition states, c. o. Case. Robert
H. Williams, Howard Rule, Roscoe
Wykoff, j. A. Ford, Ed Sans and
Cecil r. Jones were elected directors
and at their first meeting, the di-
rectors elected Case as president.
Wykoff as vice. president, Rule as
secretary and Cecil Jones as treas
urer. Later Rule resigned, the petit
tion states, and Ed Sans was desig-
mated as treasurer.
For the facilitation of the business
or the company, the petition states.
the company opened an office at 16
South Second avenue where the rec
ords, books and papers of the com
pany We're kept. Sometime between
the closing of the office on the night
of January 19, 1922, and the openinA
of the office on the morning of Janu-
airy 20, the defendants, the petition
alleges, took possession and refused
to permit the officers of the company
to enter the office, compelling the
officers of the company to take
possession of the office by force.
Since then, the petition states, the
defendants have obstructed the Of
ficers Of the company in carrying
on the work Of the company, and the
petition asks that the injunction be
made permanent after a hearing of
the case.
The suit &iled yesterday for the
injunction Is the result of a climax
in the affairs of the association
reached at a meeting of the stock
holders of the company on January
company endeavored to remove from
office. the presidenl and other Off
GERS Of the association because of
an alleged effort on the part of the
majority of the board of directors to
give to one person the sole right to
locate people on the government land
under the Lotus valley project and to
collect fees from applicants for MEM
bership In addition to charges for the
water rights.
After the meeting was adjourned,
1t is said the minority faction of
the directors who csaimed to repre-
sent the majority OF the stockholders
remained and proceeded to take a
vote for the removal of four of the
officers from office after which they
elected two new members to the
board of directors and elected Robert
II. Williams as president, J. M. Phil
lips as secretary and J. D. Weather
ford as treasurer. The new officers
then, 1t is said, took charge Of the
office and refused to permit the old
officers to resume charge. After
several days of contention between
the new and the old officers, the suit
for the injunction was filed and the
restraining orders served on the de-
PENDANTS by the sheriff's office.