Court Opinion

ID: 9666015
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 01:02:10.823521+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:22.046545
License: Public Domain

HEFLIN, Chief Justice
(concurring in the result):
The legislature of Alabama has restricted the review by courts of the action of the Public Service Commission in rate-fixing cases. The legislature has proclaimed that the rate-fixing order of the Public Service Commission must be taken as prima facie just and reasonable; and where the reasonableness or validity thereof is an issue, the burden is upon any party attacking such rates or orders to show that the same are invalid or unfair and unreasonable. Title 48, Section 71, Code of Alabama 1940 (Recompiled 1958). A long line of decisions has interpreted this legislative mandate to mean that the Commission’s order must be affirmed if there is any substantial evidence to support it. Hiller Truck Lines, Inc. v. Alabama Public Service Commission, 292 Ala. 161, 290 So.2d 649 (1974); Floyd & Beasley Transfer Co., Inc. v. Alabama Public Service Commission, 276 Ala. 130, 159 So.2d 833 (1964); Alabama Public Service Commission v. Nunis, 252 Ala. 30, 39 So.2d 409 (1949); Alabama Public Service Commission v. Crow, 247 Ala. 120, 22 So.2d 721 (1945); North Alabama Motor Express, Inc. v. Rookis, 244 Ala. 137, 12 So.2d 183 (1943).
In Alabama Public Service Commission v. Crow, 247 Ala. 120, 22 So.2d 721 (1945), the precedent was established that courts must guard against a substitution of their own judgment for the judgment of the Commission.
It is further clear that an appeal from a circuit court review of a Public Service Commission order reaches this court without any presumption favoring the correctness of the circuit court decision, and the Commission’s order is’ reviewed in this court as though the appeal had been directly and primarily to this court. Alabama Public Service Commission v. Nunis, supra; Osborne Truck Lines, Inc. v. Alabama Public Service Commission, 284 Ala. 166, 168, 223 So.2d 284, 286 (1969); State v. Southern Bell Tel. & Tel. Co., 274 Ala. 288, 295, 148 So.2d 229, 235 (1962); Alabama Public Service Commission v. Southern Ry. Co., 269 Ala. 63, 66, 111 So.2d 214, 215 (1959).
The only reason expressed by the lower court for reversing the majority order of the Public Service Commission was that- it was not supported by substantial evidence in the certified record. The certified record reveals that the company spent considerable time endeavoring to support its position with testimony. In all candor, I can not say that there was no substantial *608evidence in the certified record to support the order of the Public Service Commission.
In regard to the fraud and misconduct issues, it seems to be abundantly clear that the intervenors do not contend that any fraud was involved. In fact, there was no allegation in the appeal to the lower court that there was any fraud or misconduct involved. While the trial court allowed the intervenors to present evidence on these issues, the trial court did not find any fraud or misconduct. If the trial court had based its judgment on fraud or misconduct it would have been inescapable that it would have had to remand the cause for a new hearing before the Public Service Commission, which it did not do.
I concur in the result of the opinion of this court since I can not say that there was no substantial' evidence before the Public Service Commission to support its order.