Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

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