Opinion ID: 2049885
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: 720 causes of action apart from causes of action under ch. 427, stats.

Text: [15-18] The respondent moved to dismiss under sec. 802.06, Stats. We have held that a motion to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action under sec. 802.06 is the same as the purpose of the old demurrerto test the legal sufficiency of the claim. Morgan v. Pennsylvania General Ins. Co., 87 Wis.2d 723, 731, 275 N.W.2d 660 (1979); and The standards a trial court is to apply in ruling on demurrers is firmly established. The rules were recently summarized by this court in International Found. Emp. Benefit Plans v. Brookfield, 74 Wis.2d 544, 548, 247 N.W. 2d 129 (1976): `The demurrer tests only the legal sufficiency of the pleading. All material statements of fact well-pleaded are considered true while legal conclusions or erroneous conclusions from the facts as pleaded are not. Val-Lo-Will Farms v. I. Azoff & Asso., 71 Wis.2d 642, 238 N.W.2d 738 (1976); Drake v. Milwaukee Mut. Ins. Co., 70 Wis.2d 977, 236 N.W.2d 204 (1975); De Bauche v. Knott, 69 Wis.2d 119, 230 N.W.2d 158 (1975); Scheeler v. Bahr, 41 Wis.2d 473, 164 N.W.2d 310 (1969). A demurrer to a complaint admits the facts which are wellpleaded but denies that they have the legal consequences asserted by the plaintiff. Scheeler, supra, 476. `... The plaintiff is bound by the facts he alleges but not by his theory of recovery. Val-Lo-Will Farms, supra, 644; Milwaukee County v. Schmidt, Garden & Erickson, 43 Wis.2d 445, 168 N.W.2d 559 (1969); Nelson v. La Crosse Trailer Corp., 254 Wis. 414, 37 N.W.2d 63 (1949).' In State v. Ross, 73 Wis.2d 1, 3, 4, 242 N.W.2d 210 (1976), we stated: `The rules relating to review of orders overruling or sustaining demurrers were set forth by this court in  Weiss v. Holman (1973), 58 Wis.2d 608, 614, 207 N.W.2d 660: `... The following oft reiterated rules relating to review of orders overruling or sustaining demurrers are applicable: (1) Pleadings are to be liberally construed with a view to substantial justice between the parties and are entitled to all reasonable inferences in favor of the pleadings which may be drawn from the facts pleaded; (2) all material well-pleaded facts are to be taken as true; ...' Since motions to dismiss under sec. 802.06(2), Stats., serve basically the same purpose as demurrers, the preceding rules on demurrers are equally relevant to matters involving sec. 802.06(2) motions and should be held to apply to them.... Hartridge v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 86 Wis.2d 1, 4, 5, 271 N.W.2d 598 (1978). Appellants have attempted to state causes of action under sec. 196.625, Stats., and Wis. Adm. Code secs. PSC 165.052(1) (a) and 165.051 (2). Sec. 196.625, Stats., provides: ... It shall be the duty of every telephone company, or person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of supplying the public with telephones and telephonic service or operating a telephone exchange to receive and transmit without discrimination messages from and for any other company, person or persons upon tender or payment of the usual or customary charges therefor; and upon such payment or tender of the usual or customary rental sum it shall be the duty of every telephone company, person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of leasing telephones to the public or supplying the public with telephones and telephonic service or operating a telephone exchange to furnish, without unreasonable delay or without discrimination and without any further or additional charge to the person, firm or corporation applying for the same, including all telegraph companies or other telephone companies, a telephone or telephones with all the proper or necessary fixtures, as well as connection with the central office or telephone exchange, if desired, and to connect the telephone of such person, firm or corporation with the  telephone of any other person, firm or corporation having a connection with the same or a connecting exchange or central office, whenever requested to do so, without regard to the character of the messages to be transmitted provided they are not obscene or profane; ... Wis. Adm. Code secs. PSC 165.052(1) (a) and PSC 165.051(2), which were in effect at the time this action was commenced, provided: PSC 165.052 (1) CASH DEPOSITS (a) The amount of deposit required shall not exceed the bill for 1 month's exchange service plus estimated toll charges for 2 months. PSC 165.051 (2) The utility may not refuse establishment or re-establishment of service if satisfactory arrangements are made for payment of bills for future service except as provided in subsection (6) (a) below. .... (6) The utility may not attempt to collect by the threat of disconnection or by refusal of service: (a) For delinquency in payments at another location unless service was continuous from the other location to the new location and no final bill was rendered with respect to such service. In support of their causes of action under sec. 196.625, Stats., appellants have alleged: ... the said defendant is indebted to the plaintiffs in the sum of ... according to the provisions of Section 196.625, chapter 196, of the revised Statutes of the State of Wisconsin; the particular offense or delinquency thereunder being a refusal to furnish, without unreasonable delay or without discrimination and without any further or additional charge to the person applying for same, ... a telephone and telephone service, upon payment or tender of the usual and customary rental sum. Sec. 288.02, Stats., applicable to all forfeiture actions, provides in part: ... it shall be sufficient to allege in the complaint that the defendant is indebted to the plaintiff in the  amount of the forfeiture claimed, according to the provisions of the statute which imposes it, specifying the statute. And when such statute imposes a forfeiture for several offenses or delinquencies the complaint shall specify the particular offense or delinquency for which the action is brought, with a demand for judgment for the amount of such forfeiture.... [19] The appellants have complied with sec. 288.02, Stats., to the extent that they have (1) alleged that respondent is indebted to them in a specific amount, (2) specified the statute according to the provisions of which, respondent is indebted to them, (3) specified the particular offense for which the action is brought, and (4) demanded judgment for the amount of the forfeiture. However, sec. 196.625 states that it is the duty of every telephone company to furnish a telephone and telephone service upon such payment or tender of the usual or customary rental sum. Appellants have alleged that at the time the telephone service to 7832 Highway 32 was disconnected and at the time each of them requested respondent to reestablish telephone service, the amount of the unpaid bill was $579.92. Appellants have further alleged that prior to the disconnection they proposed to respondent payments of $25 per week on the outstanding balance. Thus the appellants failed to allege that they paid or tendered the usual or customary rental sum. Therefore, since there was an absence of an allegation of a tender or payment of the usual rental sum, appellants have failed to allege that respondent had a duty to furnish telephone service to 7832 Highway 32. Also, Wis. Adm. Code sec. PSC 165.01(4) and sec. 196.66, Stats., provide that actions for violations of Wis. Adm. Code secs. PSC 165.052 and 165.051 are forfeiture actions to which chapter 288, Stats., in general, and sec. 288.02, in particular, apply.  In support of their claim that respondent violated Wis. Adm. Code secs. PSC 165.052(1) (a) and PSC 165.051(2), appellants have alleged: ... that the Wisconsin Administrative Code, to-wit, PSC 165.052(1)(a), in effect at all times material hereto, provided that the amount of cash deposit required shall not exceed the bill for 1 month's exchange service plus estimated toll charges for 2 months; that the bill for 1 month's exchange service to the plaintiff Max D. Hupp was at all times material hereto Eleven and 35/100 ($11.35) Dollars; that the maximum toll charges for any 2 months to the plaintiff Max D. Hupp is Nine hundred forty-four and 51/100 ($944.51) Dollars. Appellants have also alleged that prior to disconnection of their telephone service and at various times subsequent to disconnection, respondent conditioned continuance or reinstatement of telephone service upon a $1,000 cash deposit. Finally, appellants have alleged that, ... Upon information and belief, that the One thousand ($1,000.00) Dollar cash deposit requirement was excessive and in violation of PSC 165.052(1)(a); that the refusal to re-establish service except upon payment of said amount was in violation of PSC 165.051 (2); ... and that the plaintiff, ... has been injured and sustained damages in consequence thereof in the total amount of... [20] Sec. 288.02, Stats., expressly provides that one must allege that the defendant is indebted to the plaintiff in the amount of the forfeiture claimed. Appellants in this case have not alleged that respondent has incurred a forfeiture; instead, they have alleged that they have been personally injured as a result of respondent's violation. Secs. PSC 165.052 and PSC 165.051 do not provide personal injury causes of action, but they are to be enforced by a forfeiture action. This is clear from sec.  196.66, Stats., and Wis. Adm. Code sec. PSC 165.01 (4). Since appellants have failed to plead forfeiture causes of action, the complaint does not state a cause of action under either sec. PSC 165.052 or sec. PSC 165.051. [21] Furthermore, PSC 165.052 provides that the deposit required cannot exceed the amount of one month's exchange service charge plus estimated toll charges for two months. This court held in an early case, in reference to the word estimate, that the ... word precludes accuracy. Doctor Webster defines it as `an approximate judgment or opinion as to weight, magnitude, cost and the like; a calculation without measuring or weighing.'... Shipman v. State, 43 Wis. 381, 389 (1877). The ordinary and common meaning of a word may be established by definition of a recognized dictionary. State v. Killory, 73 Wis.2d 400, 413, 243 N.W.2d 475 (1976). Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (1977 ed.) defines estimate as ... to judge tenatively or approximately the value, worth or significance of ... and to produce a statement of the approximate cost of. It appears from appellants' complaint that the amount of the cash deposit should have been $955.86, instead of $1,000, as respondent demanded. This is a difference of about $45. Based upon the facts set forth in the complaint it cannot be held that the cash deposit requested by the respondent exceeded the amount of one month's exchange charge plus the estimated toll charges for two months. [22] Also, appellants have failed to allege that respondent violated Wis. Adm. Code sec. PSC 165.051 (2). That section prohibits a utility from refusing to establish or reestablish service if satisfactory arrangements are made for payment of bills for future service. Nowhere in the  complaint have appellants alleged that Max D. Hupp made satisfactory arrangement for payment of future bills. The other three appellants, all members of the Hupp family, have merely alleged that they requested that respondent establish telephone service in the name and based upon the credit of the plaintiff. The order of the trial court is affirmed and the cause is remanded for further proceedings. By the Court. Order affirmed.