Court Opinion

ID: 9572215
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:39:42.467803+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:31:56.764009
License: Public Domain

Wyatt, P. J.,
dissenting. I cannot agree with the majority opinion. It is my view that this court is without jurisdiction in *3the instant case. This case is expressly brought under the provisions of the Declaratory Judgments Act (Ga. L. 1945, p. 137; Code, Ann. Supp., Ch. 110-11). This court has previously held that, in order for a declaratory-judgment case to fall within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, the case must be an equity case, or involve other questions over which the Constitution gives this court jurisdiction, and that injunctive relief sought in a law case to preserve the status quo will not give this court jurisdiction. Findley v. City of Vidalia, 204 Ga. 279 (49 S. E. 2d 658); Ulmer v. State Highway Department of Georgia, 210 Ga. 513 (81 S. E. 2d 514). It has also been held that an attack upon the constitutionality of a city ordinance is not such a constitutional question as will give this court jurisdiction. Loomis v. City of Atlanta, 206 Ga. 822 (58 S. E. 2d 813); Moore v. City of Tifton, 207 Ga. 443 (62 S. E. 2d 182). The real issue involved in this case is the validity of the city ordinance under attack, and that, of course, is strictly a law question.
The only provision in the Declaratory Judgments Act with reference to injunctive relief reads as follows: “. . . The Court, in order to maintain the status pending the adjudication of the questions or to preserve equitable rights, may grant injunction and other interlocutory extraordinary relief, in substantially the manner and under the same rules as apply in equity cases.” Code, (Ann. Supp.) § 110-1102. It follows, under the Declaratory Judgments Act in a law case such as the instant one, the only injunctive relief that can be granted is temporary to preserve the status pending the determination of the questions involved and a declaration of the rights of the parties. As previously stated, that sort of injunctive relief does not give this court jurisdiction.
The prayers in the instant petition read as follows: “That this court adjudicate and declare the rights of plaintiffs and defendants as to the validity or invalidity of said ordinance, and more particularly that this court declare said ordinance unconstitutional, null, and void. 2. Waiving discovery, plaintiffs pray that process issue requiring the defendants to answer this petition as required by law, that the court temporarily restrain defendants from enforcing said ordinance against plaintiffs and that defendants be temporarily restrained from interfering in any manner with plaintiffs in conducting their business and that a rule nisi *4issue requiring the defendants to show cause why they should not be temporarily restrained from enforcing said ordinance against plaintiffs or interfering in any manner with plaintiffs in the conduct of their business and that the said defendants be permanently enjoined from enforcing said ordinance against plaintiffs, and that the defendants be permanently enjoined from interfering in any manner with the plaintiffs in the conduct of their business.”
In Findley v. City of Vidalia, supra, the prayers of the petition were as follows: “(a) That this court declare the aforesaid contract between the defendant municipality and the defendant corporation null, void and ultra vires, (b) That the defendant municipality and the defendant corporation be restrained and enjoined from carrying out any of the provisions of said contract or performing any acts pursuant thereto until there is a final adjudication as to the validity or invalidity of said contract. (c) That the defendant municipality be restrained and enjoined from paying any money to the defendant corporation or doing any other things looking to the performance of said contract.” It will be noted that the only real difference in the prayers in the instant petition and those in the Findley case, supra, is that in the instant case the words “permanently enjoined” are used, and that these identical words are not used in the Findley case. However, the prayers in the instant case and in the Findley case are to all intents and purposes the same. In the Findley case, supra, it was held by this court that no question was presented which would give the Supreme Court jurisdiction.
Simply to tack onto a purely law case a prayer for permanent injunction, a remedy not provided for under the terms of the Declaratory Judgments Act, is not sufficient to give this court jurisdiction. If that rule should be adopted, then the constitutional provisions relating to the jurisdiction of the Court -of Appeals and the Supreme Court would be completely nullified. This is true for the reason, in that event, the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals could be destroyed by the subterfuge of tacking on to any case a prayer for permanent injunction. It follows that the jurisdiction of this case is vested in the Court of Appeals and not in the Supreme Court.