Court Opinion

ID: 4142075
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2017-02-18 03:17:52.110046+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:01:29.451088
License: Public Domain

OFF’ICE OF THE ATTORNEY                GENERAL           OF TEXAS
                                        AUSTIN         L    :

    Boaorabh R. B. Ritohsy, Jr.
    County Attorney
    Jasper  County
    Jasper,  IPera8

                                       Cplnlon 30. 0.4272.:
                                       R61     IO the oounty                 attkrnsyantltled
                                               to     reo4:v4..10%~pomlM~on                   QD    Q
                                               rin0     pf@       in    ‘Ebb    db38riOt oourt
                                               by     defetiU~~%
                                                               in n oantenptgro-
                                               oee&lng  oaae GRinw defendant
                                               had~violatsd an lniunoB$on  4s
                                               jblniiig         her    froa   ~~911~~ liquor
                                                or utefnd        her     prenlaeo   for thst
                                             I’ ptipP#?           ‘:

                                                                                           dqxmt-
    mot    on'th4   above ateted quee‘tion.irqada68 rollows:

.

           ing4~oats0*me       U4k~br&ont'~@b
                                            oioldted~~en~~in-
           junoflon enJeinlng her '%mc&,sel2in(t~llq$?r, ox
           uufng her ppi%&wq
                ,.-.,
                              for @iat.;purpooe?
                          ..
             ,;' *&$bh   95b c~~'pro~iues~   The UXitriot
           #   om$y’   attorzmf,#+ll           be entibled             ,to    t4n    p4z
           foe& or oLt/r,lmu~ fcMelture8     or a0luys ~ollsa8-                                         ..
          : aa ;rar theC.,Std*aor oountp, upon .+Upibn8i1 ro-
          'yv"y      bT 45; :
                         *   I
               ~~.~~~~'J~lspr~d~n84, Vol 15, pam W2, says,
           ffi p~OV~&XI~of     the ofxle of crhlxml   prooeeburo
           that   at44 distrlot   or oounty  attarney  ahal' b4
           entitlsd~ to tdn per sent of all f~Lne4, fortelforss
           or ~,oneye.oollsated        for    the "tat% OF County, upon
           Jud~snta    reoovsrod  by hhw              he6   baen       hbld     to    CO&-
           far no rl&t     to commlseions             tta aolleotlon ci
                                                      rGr
           money    in suite whioh am          in every rerpeot afvil
HoGorclpra R. 3. FUtohey, Jr.*      %XfJ 2

          in abslwaoter or in no rcannar ooamotad with the
          abmfialstratfon of arlnlnal law, but to a.nply
          only 1~ case8 arlainr, undem t~ha Ten61 Code, or
          Coda or .2rininal Prooaa-dura.'
                *!Che raota in the inntant kaoa arat x4y
          Selton had bean oonvlotad In ~oounty oourt la
          .Jaapar~Countyfor selling liqtmr from her pr4~z;lsas.
          An lnjunatlon was gotttn out In Cletrlot Court
          enjoining her frocuslng her wen?iaea ior that
          purppse.    The rIolate   the lnjunotlon,  3. Zortln
          of t&o Attornay Qanaral*a department prepared the
          papers Sor rrontampt  prooeadinge  tor lb. .Grady '57 Tex. 307; %ate vs. ?laton,
192 5. n. iSl&+r!?tate vs. ilart, 70 :‘.7. 91s). Thertiors,
we do not believe that Article    950, suprs, authorized the
County Attora p to roceiva   ten peroanb    (lO$) ooz3mi6sion on
tho rlne pmld In tho ,above mntIoned     oontmpt prooesding.

             Xn 1% part0 tircen, 295 Z. I!. 910, the %prene       Court
said:

             Where Oll&J ia adjudged 1~ contezipt Or COlWb
        for vlolatl~   an lajunotlon lssued’wder        the ne-
        vloed ?tatuteo of 1925, &tiole 5110, (whltih pro-
        vlae8 ror M injunotion) sna foTbiddfnO the sale
        or lntodaating Ilquore in violation of'the law,
        the ornateifse oiyil oeae; not II orir~nd. omse~~
        rlthin the seaalnp, or “evlcod  ‘;I~11  ‘:tatcitw   of
        1925, mlole    1737, grovldi~   that the Zuprento
        court siey leaus writs of hrbeas oorpus In oerteln
        lnntoaoecr 1~ any oivll. case."    (Parenthesis ours)

           ias0 sF1e the rd~hdni; OSSBS, XX pm+3 ::0ir, 3ir 3. -.
(2) 2771 7x psrte Greta, 372 3. "1. 161; 7% parte blderet, 203
z. 2. 764.

          There ABe ocher aasos holding that violstion og suah
Fnjun0tion:fb L( oh11 mtter:   Sowever. none or tk08e oases
hold +&a$ auoh proceedings are aivil cases in ths striOteSt
smne , or es that tarszis ordinarily def:ned by law.

          .~rtlolc 335, Ferson’s      Annotated Xv11    "tatutes pro-
vldve ln >artr
             *:%en ttZlstriot or Pounty ittorney has ool-
        leated aoney for the "tate or my County, he shall
    Eonarable' R. 73. Xltohey, Jr., Pago 6

          wlthiithlrty days arter wosiving the same, pey
          it into the Treesurg 0r the Sbato or the County
          in drloh it belongs, after deduoting thersfroa
          and ratalnlng the oornriaalonoallowad hia thereon
          br law. Suoh Distriot or County Attorney shell
          be entitled to lw~ oomt.isrlonfrom the llr8t 31000
          aolleoted by hit?in any one oaaa for tha State or
         .Couuty troll,a4 :ndlvldualoz!aostpa4, and 5$ on
          ell suma over 41000, to be retained out of the
         mqney when ooltr,otrd, and he shall also be entitled
          to retain the sam oamlaalons ou al'1oolleotlona
          made for the 3tate or for the County. . . ."
               Apparently the above quoted statute provide8 oak
     niselonn ror the Mstrlat or County Attorney on nonays ool-
     looted by hla-sII~:6lvll
                            8uitn and doeo not apply to acmtoz&
     prooeedfngs behau~, aa stated above, oontempt moaaedislga
     era not ptoperly ololl suits. Gontan@e are matters au&
     gsnoric end are neither orlminal oases nor olrll oases in
    -the atrloteat sense; or au these terms Bra ordinarilyde-
     fined by law. 1% have railed to rind any statute providing
    ia occxaiaslon?or a Dietriot or County Attorney on mmey
     paid aa a :l.nein a oantexsptproooeding and in the abeenoe
.    or auoh a statute, wa raspeotfullyauswer the abovr stated
     question in the negative.

     -                                       Youre very truly