Opinion ID: 488741
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: territorial court participation in the litigation

Text: 15 The Territorial Court argues that the district court should not have granted the original permanent injunction because the Territorial Court was not joined as a party. Under section 497, the Territorial Court shares with the Police Department the responsibility for the administration of the parking ticket lien statute. Thus, complete relief could not be accorded without the presence of the Territorial Court. The Territorial Court therefore argues that it was an indispensable party and the action should not have proceeded in its absence. Sun Island responds that by naming the Government of the Virgin Islands in its complaint it joined all subdivisions of the government, including the Territorial Court. 16 We will assume without deciding that the Territorial Court was neither a party nor a participant in the original phase of this litigation which resulted in the January 27, 1984, permanent injunction. The parties, however, select the wrong time frame for evaluating the Territorial Court's participation in this litigation. 17 Whatever the joinder infirmities in the original action, in the most recent proceedings, the Territorial Court came before the district court and defended itself against the contempt charges. It fully participated in the evidentiary hearing and presented its view on the merits of this case. The Territorial Court participated in this phase of the litigation like a party and the district court was entitled to treat it as such. There is no unfairness in this result, particularly because the district court accepted the Territorial Court's excuse and entered a clarifying order rather than a contempt citation.