Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN o- 0. YInrc --mu , e4 PJNA $ Boaor8bla Bert Ford, hdnlnirtrator Tar8 Liquor Control Board Austin, Tax88 Dew Slrl requsrtlng our op Ity ai th8 LIqu in your lrttrr @ p@lUit i8 8U8d Iolation pi tin J ritrr 8 uoh aul- d tmdor th8 -8 Thr a 0r:eretIon took .ot $3,000, rhloh wa8 rub- Phillips hCkae8 Store, hWor~at.d, ha8 8pp11d to thr Liquor Contml lb8rd r0r a pInit to Opcrrt@ 8 pOk8eO 8tOr8 OXIprWi8@8 OWlI br per61 Phllllp~. The Bo8rd ir r&ii384 th8t ?rrnki8 8iUOrly i8 th8 rlfa of ha8 8iImrly who, for th8 part 188r, h8 b8Ua 8ap1Or84 in the p8OkQa 8tOr8 iOr shish Parat Phillip h8ld 8 PeEnit OallOa18d by thr ti8I-d. -8 6iiLWlt WW tWiO8 ODWiOt8d Of ViOl8tiw th8 Tar88 Liq,uor OentrOl Aat, tha ilrrt inrtanoa bdna hbx'la8rt16, 1936, an4 tbr 88OOlldiMt8M8 brlq hbmM?t 26, 1936. IdO lt81r Wa8 aadar iUhULOtiOS for liquor riobtlon in 1934, 8ad h88 b88i Op8reting fo ti8W Oi tha ronigoipg hot8 out1lna4 In four lettar, you 88k our oplnloa upon th8 r0ii0airrg qU88tiOIlS t 'Tha'qU88tiOU d8a8 88 t0 What flrribilit~ Of 18W 8Xi8t8 to pST8lit l 00~ or8tion to raak and obtdn a priti- 1w8 d8Ilid 80 inaitichql., 8rd Whhst fart8 8nd Oir8U8t8tiO88 would jU8tie thi8 lb8rd in d8n7hg 8 p8mit 8ppliad ;~,;a a oorporatlon unbar tha lxlating "TO what 8XtWt =8t th8 8XWOi88 of fraud OF 8Ubtartug8 k 88tablirhad t0 jU8tifr a rafU881 Of 8 POreit 8Oueht br 8 @OrpOl%tiOlY?” A8 w8 int8rpret 7 ar elU68tiOn8, that r818t8 to tha snma rubjaot, sad thaf will thrrrrora ba SMWar8d togathrr. fn our opinion, It Canmt be 8814 that 88 l mattar of low undrr tbr fSOt8 atatrd, the Taxar Liquor Control Boar4 WX~& ba jurtISIa4 lo refiring a permit to tha oorporatlon. &?;(iTrr,tha iclOt Of rhloh tb BOQ-d h98 nOtiW lre Unply 8UffiOiULt t0 Warrant th8 Board in aonduotiq 8 had.ri6 to datrrdn8 whathar Or not tlm aorporatIoon IS bdry wad a8 I 8ub .rrfa%r to ow8r th8 intandad oprrdion oi 8 liquor bUSiin.88 by di8poalifid persona or tha operation ot ruoh bU8in888 in 8D iuje8i iDaMar, ati if th8 Board 8OnOlnb88 that th8 OOrpm8tlOn I8 bra 80 U88d, it ha8 8uthcrit;lto ranarr tha pmnllt. 793 BOCbOr8bl8 krt Ford, pm8 3 Tb f8Ct8 8tCtid in JOrU 18tttr 40 not On their iat8 8hOW th8t th8 OCZpZ’at iOB 18 di8QMlifi8d ?r- h0iabg thr permit. Earln~ never rn~a~ad In th8 liquor buBin.88, the Oar bnttion, of O~pnr, ha8 not b88n &Iiltr Of 8af TiO P 8tiOtl8 Of the 8Ot, 8od it Wm thartior, b8 Il80888~r~ icS th8 board to OODdUOt t hs8rlq IU Order t0 d8ftrmint whtthar or nOt f8Ot8 d8t WhiCh 8&W th8t th8 OOrpOretibII Wa8 IWt iOr8d in ($004 filth, but otr81y t8 8 8Ubt#rfU&8. The Doer4 or the A3ainIctrator I8 roquirab br Artlolt 666-11, Vernon’8 Pant1 Coda, to rsfurr t par.& aftrr 8 hterlng in whioh it fin48 enf or the 6FOUlld# t0 8xi8t *Ioh tr8 lirtad in Uid trtiO18. In 8pp17Ing thi8 rtututa, it 18 to be ramsnburrd that “Th Ttxer Liquor Control Aot 18 intend84 88 an axtr- 0180 of the pcllitrpaatrr of the State to prottat t&a health, wyllfara, 5~808 ard tamparenoa or Ita paoplr; and all of It8 provI8lom 8rt to bt oon8trut4 llbtrtll~ t0 tffUttU8tU rush purpo8a8.w Texas Liquor Control Boer4 V8. &mint Exohanat 8001tl Clubs 127 9. Vi:‘. (24) 967. The flnding8 of hot aurt be mtdt by the Board or the Adaioi8tr#tOr, rnd when bared UpOKI subrt;zf;l arldrnc4’,will not be ret trI48 by the court. Liquor Control Board 18. fO!lt8, 112 9. B. (24) 2311 ;;;;a Liquor Control Board ~8. Lanz8, 129 S. N. (24) . slnor the Eour4 or tha Mainl8tretor mart hold the herin 8n4 8808rtein the i8Ot8, It 18 !lOt vlthln cur prorinor \io rtata whet the COUOlU8iOM of the Boer4 or thr Adainirtretor should br upon any lrI4aoet whloh nay be heard. Howatrr, it I8 our opinion that the Eo8x-4ha8 authority to r r fulr a l pamIt where It tines a8 a iaot that the COr~rrtiOn he8 btrn tormrd for th8 pUrpO88 Of btfng U8td It l rubtarfugr to oottr the oparetion of the busint88 by 8 4irq~tllfItd parron or the oporatlm Of th8 bU8&888 in an illegal mnnar. ~paolr~0~ii~ rrfarring to th8 ca88 *Ioh I8 thg rubjret ai pur 18 ttar, wa balir~a thr tollo*l~ ooml4aretIont 8r8 partinrntr . 7!j: Eonorebla Bert Tore, pa?8 4 (1) Srction 2 o? Artiola 666-11, Vernon’8 hn81 COda, prOvid88 t&t the ptmit My b8 Ft.'wad I? the lppliCUlt &l8 TiOl8t8d 8Ill prOTi8iOn O? thi8 lot or rnr rub or r!gu.btlon of tb beard during the prarlout rrmlt period. Saot loa 9 of thi8 lrtlala 8180 pro 4 da8 that the word l epplicant~ rhall InOluda “t&t owea or owmr8 o? the majority of th8 oorpbrata rtook of t oorp0retlon.n on tht h8t8 8tittrd, it 4088 not lppaar tlabt P8roy phIllIp l8 tb owner o? t& aajorlttO? the corporeta rtotk, but the iaotr alght ahow upon 8 htsrlnd t&t ha, in feot,prld for all of the 8tOok or ?UrOi8h#d th8 montt to th8 Other prtit8 to buy tha ttook end that ha, In raalltf, 18 the owoar of all or o? 8 mejorltf of the ttook, If the herd 00mludrr that three an the feot8, we baliora thet the parnlt me7 be rrl'urrd, (2) Dnbtr stotlon 6 of Article 666-11, V4rnont8 Panel Coda, the Boerd 18 authorized to ra- fU8t 8 permit where the ?iadiq ia a.94athet,thr tp- ~11. ant will con4uct the bu8ina88 rt II plnot or in ouch a mao6r that, nbeaa4 on the gaaarel walfsra, health, praoa, aomla, ati aefaty ct the paopla and on tba public 8anoa o? daosncy ?mrantc I r zfuurel of t perm: tvm 10 pe88ill8UPM this i8SUt, tht B0Fal.d ~3~14 be authorized to consider ell of tha tact8 with raitrenct to the monasr In r:hlob the bUsina88 la to be conducted, lncl::UIn~ the plaot where the butlnrsr 18 to be operated, the faot it 18 the came place when the buei8e88 ~88 operated for which the permit he8 barn cencala4, tk8 fact thet the oem8 of the Qor- poratlon would lead to the belle? that it la to ba operated by Percy Phillipr, end tha general ohsreatar 8nd repltatlm of 811 o? the rtockholdrr8 end ortloerr o? the corporation. In other worda, the mere ?OLXM- tlon ot the oorporetlon will not prtolodt the Boer4 from inqalrlw into all ot the feota relating to tLm place and minn~r in which tha buiintrs ir tc be oon- ductad, including tiU part r4COrd end r4pUt4tiOn Of the parro-r who form the o~rporatlon and who will rM th bWufo888. (3) s&Ion 5 o? Article 666-11 prorldar thet the &874 8htil rafUa0 t0 i88Ut 4 permit t0 an Bon:r ablr krt lord, pam 5 appllaant who 10 n:;t or uood moral oharrotrr or who har a bad reputatloa, as a praorablr law-eb+Ilna - ' oltizen la the comaunlt~ where ha rerlbil. In oonneotlon with thr prorlaiona of rratlon 9 Of t416. artlcb, we bellete that the Board zBT lnqulra into the qtmrtlon aeta whether of not any Of the oftlOer8 o? thr oorporetlon, or tb uwn6ra of a ssjorltl or thr oorporrtr atook, arm pereonq who have a bed rrputetlon or who era or bad moral oharactar. If the Board 00mlude8 that any or the Orflcors, or thr rtockholdars ounlw a mjorltl of the stock, ma not of PC& mnral charaotsr or have bad rpputo tiona aa law-ahldlW, citizen8 in ths comuzltr, we bsl.iavr the Board wculd be suthorlzed to rsfum the perait. Your0 rsrp truly ATWRNETC:NZRAL Q? TEXAS f.pgOVEZSEP 16, 1940 -f-w- ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS