Opinion ID: 2267124
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the appeal of the commonwealth of pennsylvania

Text: In this appeal, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania appeals from the decree of the Commonwealth Court which denied its request for a preliminary injunction. Appellant first contends that under the express provisions of § 14(f) of the Act, 10 P.S. § 160-14(f) (Supp. 1976) once past violations of the Act are established (failure to file a registration statement) an injunction must be issued. In effect, the appellant argues that the Act eliminates a court's discretion as to whether an injunction should be issued. Section 14(f) of the Act provides in part: [W]henever a charitable organization . . . has failed to file a registration statement required by this act . . . in addition to all other actions authorized by law, the Attorney General . . . may bring an action in the name of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania against such charitable organization and its officers . . . to enjoin such charitable organization. . . from continuing such violation, solicitation or collection or engaging therein or doing any act in furtherance thereof and for such other relief as the court deems appropriate. It should be noted initially that this Court has repeatedly held that the issuance of an injunction rests within the sound discretion of the trial court. Vitacolonna v. City of Philadelphia, 382 Pa. 399, 115 A.2d 178 (1955), Rick v. Cramp, 357 Pa. 83, 53 A.2d 84 (1947), Borough of Cheswick v. Bechman, 352 Pa. 79, 42 A.2d 60 (1945). In discussing congressional limitations on the court's discretion in an injunction, the Supreme Court of the United States in Hecht Co. v. Bowles, 321 U.S. 321, 329, 330, 64 S.Ct. 587, 591, 88 L.Ed. 754 (1944) stated: We are dealing here with the requirements of equity practice with a background of several hundred years of history . . . we do not believe that such a major departure from that long tradition as is here proposed should be lightly implied. We agree with the above quoted opinion. The language of Section 14(f) of the Act merely authorizes the Attorney General to bring an action in the name of the Commonwealth upon failure of a charitable organization to comply with the registration requirements of the Act. It does not expressly provide that an injunction must be issued upon proof of a violation. Absent such express language we cannot conclude that the Legislature intended to eliminate the trial court's discretion in determining when an injunction should be issued. The appellants also contend that even if the statute does not expressly provide for the mandatory issuance of an injunction upon proof of a past violation, the court must issue an injunction when continuing violations are threatened. See Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission v. Israel, 356 Pa. 400, 52 A.2d 317 (1947). The record here, however, does not clearly establish that violations are continuing. Although the appellees have challenged the appellants' right to force them to register under the Act, we do not perceive this assertion of their constitutional rights as an indication of their intent to continue violation of the Act in the future. The limits of our review of the denial of a preliminary injunction were stated in Lindenfelser v. Lindenfelser, 385 Pa. 342, 343-44, 123 A.2d 626, 627 (1956): Our uniform rule is that, on an appeal from a decree which refuses, grants or continues a preliminary injunction, we will look only to see if there were any apparently reasonable grounds for the action of the court below, and we will not further consider the merits of the case or pass upon the reasons for or against such action, unless it is plain that no such grounds existed or that the rules of law relied on are palpably wrong or clearly inapplicable. . . .  (Emphasis added.) We must conclude, therefore, that there were reasonable grounds for the action of the Commonwealth Court in denying the preliminary injunction. We have considered other arguments raised by appellants and find them to be without merit. The decrees of the Commonwealth Court ordering the defendants to file an answer to the Commonwealth's complaint within thirty days and denying the Commonwealth's motion for a preliminary injunction are affirmed. Each party to pay own costs. JONES, C.J., did not participate in the consideration or decision of this case.