Opinion ID: 1532831
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Propriety of City's Actions

Text: We cannot condone the City's action in issuing an expired license on June 21, 1978, as a good faith compliance with our mandate in Roy, supra . The City justifies its conduct on that occasion, as well as its rejection of Roy's renewal application on July 17, 1978, on the grounds of an intervening criminal conviction (aiding in the illegal sale of liquor on September 27, 1977), and the failure to establish a sufficient property interest in 79-81 Cony Street. We can discern no legitimate reason why the City should not have issued its license immediately after our prior decision and then promptly moved, on adequate notice and hearing, for revocation thereof. By that process, the issues between Roy and the City would have been directly addressed since the license by its very terms, permits a revocation thereof only for cause. [2] Thereafter, when the City received Baker's application and evidence of Baker's potentially superior right to possession of the premises in question, notice of hearing on revocation of Roy's license would also have directly addressed that issue. Presumably a joint hearing would result in a resolution of the issue. If not, the City could properly withhold further action on either license pending appropriate action by the private parties to perfect their rights. The production by either party of evidence of valid title or leasehold interest in the property at 79-81 Cony Street might well have been dispositive under the facts and circumstances of this case. The administrative procedures adopted by the City materially prolonged and unnecessarily complicated its dispute with Roy.