Court Opinion

ID: 9711333
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 04:29:36.517931+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:03.924590
License: Public Domain

*88Hughes, J.
(dissenting). I am of the opinion that the authorities cited in the majority opinion have no application to the factual situation which exists in the instant case.
Booth Fisheries Co. v. Industrial Comm. (1924), 185 Wis. 127, 200 N. W. 775, holds simply that an employer who had the right to operate outside or within the Workmen’s Compensation Act and who elects to come under the provisions of the act must accept such act in its entirety.
In Pera v. Shorewood (1922), 176 Wis. 261, 263, 186 N. W. 623, the plaintiff sought to recover on a claim for damage to his property occasioned by districting under a village zoning ordinance. His claim was disallowed and he brought suit to recover under a section of the ordinance. In connection with that suit he also sought to challenge the validity of the ordinance. The court there said:
“The only question raised by the plaintiff on his appeal is the constitutionality of sec. 61.35, Stats., delegating the power to the village to pass an ordinance dividing the village into districts. He claims it is unconstitutional for various reasons. Upon the state of the record and the statute referred to we cannot pass upon the question raised. When plaintiff filed his claim with the village for compensation for damages caused by the districting of the village he asserted the validity of the ordinance, though the claim as filed contained' this statement:
“ ‘This claim is submitted and filed without prejudice to any of the rights and privileges of the claimant to contest the validity of said ordinance.’
“This reservation may well preserve the right of the plaintiff to contest the validity of the ordinance in a proper proceeding, but it cannot have that effect in the proceeding now before us. As stated, the filing of the claim asserted the validity of the ordinance and the statute under which it was passed, otherwise the plaintiff could not contend that his claim had any validity. When he took his appeal to the circuit court from its disallowance by the village he did so as an aggrieved party, again asserting by his acts the validity *89of the ordinance. So he came into court relying upon the ordinance as the valid basis for his claim. . . .”
The appellants in the instant case have a right to do business in Kenosha in the absence of any ordinance. They likewise have the right to concede that Kenosha may pass valid ordinances under the police power for protection of its citizens. It would also appear that they should have the right to comply conditionally during the pendency of litigation challenging the provision. This they attempted to do.
If the majority opinion is sound, then in the event that any city should by ordinance levy a confiscatory tax under the guise of expense of inspection and enforcement of a health measure, every established business operating within such city and affected thereby would have to cease business and suffer the consequential losses in order to test the validity of the ordinance.
The city, of course, had the right to refuse appellants a permit in the absence of complete compliance with the ordinance. The city did deny appellants’ application once because of a reservation in the application of the right to contest the validity of the ordinance. Later, upon an application containing the identical reservation, the city entered into the stipulation for payment of the moneys into court and issued its permit. Appellants had a right to retain their funds, but were induced by the city’s stipulation to pay into the hands of the clerk of court to abide the decision of the court. This is not a maneuver engaged in by one seeking to gain advantages under an ordinance while seeking to avoid its obligations. I can see nothing sly or contrary to public policy in the appellants’ conduct.
If the assessments required by the ordinance are valid, appellants are willing to pay; if not, they expect the clerk of court to refund their money. Either way, they are entitled to do business in Kenosha, and have gained no unfair advantage by the terms of their stipulation with the city.
*90There is no reason why the appellants should not have a determination in this litigation of the validity of the ordinance questioned.
I am authorized to say that Mr. Justice Martin and Mr. Justice Gehl concur in this dissent.