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ROSSER v. STYRON

Supreme Court of Georgia1930-09-26No. No. 7557
171 Ga. 238

Summary

Holding. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's injunction, holding that the petition stated a valid cause of action for equitable relief based on an established dedication to public use as an alley, and that an injunction restraining the defendant from obstructing the alley was properly granted despite its incidental effect of requiring the defendant to remove already-constructed structures.

In 1903, a property owner dedicated a 10-foot strip of land to public use as an alley by deed. Decades later, the plaintiff, who owned an adjacent lot, sought to prevent the defendant from constructing a garage on that alley strip, arguing that such construction would block his access to the rear of his property and cause water damage. The defendant challenged the lawsuit on several grounds, including that the plaintiff lacked a legal right to use the alley and that any remedy should come through legal rather than equitable channels.

The trial court overruled the defendant's objections and issued an injunction barring the defendant from erecting structures on the alley strip. The court found that the 1903 dedication was valid, that the alley had been continuously used as such, and that the plaintiff would suffer irreparable harm from obstruction. The court ordered the defendant to remove any structures she had placed there within sixty days.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Whether a strip of land validly dedicated to public use as an alley can be protected by injunction
  • Whether injunctive relief is available when the remedy would incidentally require removal of existing structures
  • Whether the plaintiff adequately alleged irreparable harm and a legal right to use the alley

Procedural posture

Styron sought injunctive relief against Rosser to prevent obstruction of a publicly dedicated alley; the trial court granted the injunction after overruling the defendant's demurrer and hearing evidence, and the defendant appealed.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

Atkinson, J.

On November 8, 1929, S. C. Styron instituted an action for injunction against Mrs. E. M. Eosser. The petition as amended alleged that in 1903 Bryan M. Grant,executed to J. A. Terrell a deed by which he “dedicated to the public for its use as an alley” a described strip of land 10 feet wide, carved from the “north side of lot No. 2 in block 10 of the L. P. Grant estate,” extending from Loomis Avenue southeast back to a 20-foot alley, and that “the same has ever since that time been in constant and uninterrupted use as such;” that petitioner owns said lot No. 2, and the defendant owns the south half of lot No. 3 in block 10 of the L. P. Grant estate; that the respective lots adjoin said alley which separates them; that petitioner has used said alley “for the purpose of egress and- ingress” to the rear of his property for more than 7 years; that defendant “is now attempting . ; . and has actually started the construction of a garage in and on the said alleywajr, which if completed will destroy petitioner’s right of egress and ingress, and further . . will divert the natural flow of water” causing it to flow “over and along . . petitioner’s prop erty,” thereby causing irreparable damage. The prayers were for injunction and general relief. The petition was sanctioned, and a restraining order granted. The defendant demurred to the petition on the grounds: (a) that it failed to allege a cause of action; (b) that a legal right of the plaintiff to use the alley as a private way is not alleged; (c) that plaintiff has an adequate remedy at law to remove an obstruction from a private way, and consequently has no standing in a court of equity; (d) that plaintiff, has an adequate remedy at law to abate the alleged nuisance; (e) that the allegation shows that the obstruction “has been built or partly built,” and the court has no power to grant a mandatory injunction and require removal of the obstruction; (f) that there are no allegations of fact showing irreparable damage to the plaintiff. At an interlocutory hearing the judge overruled the demurrer. After hearing evidence the judge granted an order as follows: “It is ordered that the restraining order heretofore granted be and the same is hereby continued in force until further order. It is further ordered that the defendant, Mrs. E. M. Eosser, be and she is hereby enjoined from erecting any structure or placing any obstruction in and on the strip of land [describing the alley]. . . It appearing from the evidence . . that the tract of land above referred to was by deed from Bryan M. Grant to J. A. Terrell, dated March 16, 1903, recorded in deed book 173, page 208, in the clerk’s office of Eulton superior court, dedicated to public use as an alley, the defendant is restrained from using said tract of land for any purpose other than as an alley, and shall not use the same so as to interfere with plaintiff’s right to the use thereof. And it is further ordered that the defendant be and she is hereby allowed sixty days from the date of. this order in which to remove any structure or obstruction she has placed in and on the tract of land above referred to, either before the filing of plaintiff’s petition, or subsequently thereto. This order is superseded for 20 days.” The defendant excepted.

The petition alleged a cause of action for injunctive relief, and was sufficient as against all of the grounds of demurrer. The allegations were sufficient to show dedication to the public and acceptance, and that the petitioner would be injuriously affected by closing of the alley. Civil Code, § 4171; 8 E. C. L. 900, § 25. The foregoing does not conflict with Healey v. Atlanta, 125 Ga. 736 (54 S. E. 749).

The evidence, though conflicting as to the use of the strip of land as an alley, was sufficient to authorize the grant of the injunction.

While under the code an injunction which is purely mandatory in its nature can not be granted, the court may grant an order the essential nature of which is to restrain, although in yielding obedience to the restraint the defendant may incidentally be compelled to perform some act.” Goodrich v. Georgia Railroad &c. Co., 115 Ga. 340 (41 S. E. 659); Mackenzie v. Minis, 132 Ga. 323 (8) (63 S. E. 900, 23 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1003, 16 Ann. Cas. 723); Spencer v. Tumlin, 155 Ga. 341 (2) (116 S. E. 600); Phinizy v. Gardner, 159 Ga. 136 (2) (125 S. E. 195); Aspinwall v. Enterprise Development Co., 165 Ga. 83 (140 S. E. 67). The order was not erroneous as a grant of mandatory injunction.

Judgment affirmed.

All the Justices concur.