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PRICE v. EMPIRE LAND COMPANY et al.

Supreme Court of Georgia1962-06-25No. 21659
218 Ga. 80

Summary

Holding. The trial judge did not abuse discretion in denying the interlocutory injunction, and the judgment is affirmed.

An interlocutory injunction is an equitable remedy designed to prevent irreparable harm and preserve the status quo while a case proceeds to final judgment. Appellate courts will not overturn a trial judge's decision to grant or deny such an injunction unless the judge has clearly abused their discretion. This deference is especially strong when material facts in the case are disputed.

In this case, the plaintiff claimed that the defendants' actions caused stream pollution, water seepage, mud deposits, and unnatural water flow onto his property, resulting in swampy conditions and erosion. While the plaintiff proved some elements of his claims without significant contradiction, substantial disagreement existed about the amount of damages and whether the damage would continue or worsen during the lawsuit's pendency. The evidence did not clearly establish that the plaintiff's property damage would be irreparable or that an injunction was necessary to protect his interests before final judgment.

The trial judge therefore acted within proper discretion in refusing to issue the injunction. The plaintiff's underlying rights in the case remain unaffected by this denial.

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

Key issues

  • Standard of appellate review for trial court decisions on interlocutory injunctions
  • Requirements for obtaining an interlocutory injunction in equity
  • Whether property damage from stream pollution and water flow constituted irreparable harm requiring preliminary relief

Procedural posture

The plaintiff appealed the trial court's denial of an interlocutory injunction in a case involving alleged property damage from water pollution and abnormal water flow caused by the defendants' actions.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

Quillian, Justice.

No precept is more firmly established in our law than that this court will not disturb or control the trial judge’s discretion in either denying or granting an interlocutory injunction, in the absence of legal abuse of such discretion. Cubbedge & Hazlehurst v. Adams, 42 Ga. 124; Cherokee Iron Co. v. Jones, 52 Ga. 276; Loadman v. Davis, 210 Ga. 520 (81 SE2d 465); Dozier v. Mangham, 215 Ga. 718 (113 SE2d 212). This is true where there is any conflict as to material issues of the case. Jones v. Johnson, 60 Ga. 260; Roughton v. Thiele Kaolin Co., 211 Ga. 15 (83 SE2d 590); Hutchins v. Williams, 212 Ga. 754 (95 SE2d 674). The reasons for this rule are succinctly and pointedly brought out in the case of Kirtland v. Mayor &c. of Macon, 62 Ga. 747, 750, where Justice Bleckley stated: “Injunction ad interim is a part of equity police. It is a device to keep the parties in order to prevent one from hurting the other whilst their respective rights are under adjudication. There is often a cry for police when there is no real danger. The equity of a bill is not lost because an injunction is denied, or because it is not applied for before the final hearing.” (Emphasis supplied).

Equity intervenes by grant of an interlocutory injunction to prevent irreparable damage to one of the parties and to maintain the status quo until a final determination is made. Mobley v. Brundage, 170 Ga. 829 (154 SE 452); City of Elberton v. Hobbs, 121 Ga. 749 (49 SE 779); Edwards v. United Food Brokers Inc., 195 Ga. 1, 8 (22 SE2d 812); First Fed. Savings &c. Assn. v. Owen, 210 Ga. 424 (80 SE2d 169). In short, there must be some vital necessity for the injunction so that one of the parties will not be damaged and left without adequate remedy.

In this case, the plaintiff attempted to introduce evidence to support his contentions that the actions of the defendants materially contributed to the pollution of the stream, to the seepage of water and the depositing of mud upon his lands, and that water from the flume hitting at a point outside the old stream bed caused water to flow unnaturally over his land, causing swampy conditions, erosion and washing, all to the great hurt and damage of the plaintiff.

To some degree, the plaintiff proved his case as laid without conflict. However, there was material conflict as to the quantum of damages, as well as the continuance, or certainty of the continuing nature, of the damages during the interim period from the hearing until the. time of the final disposition of the case. The testimony of the witnesses was not at all conclusive as to the manner, extent or certainty of damage to the plaintiff’s property, nor that such damage would be irreparable. Most important, the evidence did not disclose that an injunction would be necessary to protect the plaintiff’s interests during the pend-ency of the suit.

Upon a careful review of the record here before us, whatever may be the rights of the respective parties on a trial of the ease, we can not say the trial judge abused his discretion in denying the interlocutory injunction.

Judgment affirmed.

All the Justices concur.