Opinion ID: 1954603
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Special Injury Status

Text: The local contends that it has standing by reason of a special injury peculiar to itself. The remedy of declaratory judgment may be available to a litigant when a controversy exists as a result of a claim asserted against one who has an interest in contesting such claim, the controversy is between persons whose interests are adverse, the party seeking declaratory relief has a legally protectable interest or right in the subject matter of the controversy, and the issue involved is capable of present judicial determination. Mullendore v. Nuernberger, 230 Neb. 921, 925, 434 N.W.2d 511, 514-15 (1989), quoting Mullendore v. School Dist. No. 1, 223 Neb. 28, 388 N.W.2d 93 (1986). See, Schroder v. City of Lincoln, 155 Neb. 599, 52 N.W.2d 808 (1952); Graham v. Beauchamp, 154 Neb. 889, 50 N.W.2d 104 (1951). While not a constitutional prerequisite for jurisdiction of courts of the State of Nebraska (cf. U.S. Const. art. III, § 2), existence of an actual case or controversy, nevertheless, is necessary for the exercise of judicial power in Nebraska.... The `case or controversy' prerequisite to maintain litigation applies with equal, if not stronger, force to an action for a declaratory judgment, since the right to maintain the action is expressly granted only to those `person[s] ... whose rights, status or other legal relations are affected by a statute.' [Neb.Rev.Stat. § 25-21,150 (Reissue 1989).] .... ... `In order to maintain an action to enforce private rights the plaintiff must show that he will be benefited by the relief to be granted.' Stahmer v. Marsh, 202 Neb. 281, 284, 275 N.W.2d 64, 66 (1979).... `Clearly, the plaintiff must show that conditions exist which justify the court's exercise of its discretionary power to grant declaratory relief....'... Thus ... a plaintiff has the burden to prove the existence of a justiciable controversy and an interest in the subject matter of the action. Therefore, a plaintiff in a declaratory judgment action challenging the validity of a statute must prove that the plaintiff is a person `whose rights, status or other legal relations are affected' by the challenged statute. See § 25-21,150. H.H.N.H., Inc. v. Department of Soc. Servs., 234 Neb. 363, 367, 451 N.W.2d 374, 376-77 (1990), quoting Mullendore v. Nuernberger, supra . The city argues that the local has failed to make a showing that its rights or status is affected by the city's ultimate acquiescence in the authority's decision. Because all of the city's firefighters, with but one or two exceptions, maintain membership in the local, the local argues that the 12 lost positions at the airport automatically translated not only into a present loss of membership and accompanying dues but to a future loss as well. Even assuming for the purpose of this analysis, but not deciding, that the city by contract or other means can bind itself to never reduce the size of its fire division for any reason, we have been provided no evidence that the city purported to undertake such an obligation. That being so, the local has failed to prove that it is a party whose rights, status or other legal relations are affected by the city's acquiescence in the authority's decision. Therefore, the local does not have special injury standing.