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519 F.2d 405

Docket No. 75-1155.

Concepcion v. Soto

Third Circuit Court of Appeals

Argued April 22, 1975.

Decided July 7, 1975.

Third Circuit Court of Appeals · decided 1975-07-07

2 counsel of record

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“We think the relief sought here, a judicial order that would compel the Authority to surrender its assets in payment of a money judgment for tortious personal injury, is within the meaning of the quoted prohibitory language, since the order sought would be “judicial process” designed to reach the property of the Authority.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Lindway v. Government of the Virgin Islands

“All property including funds of the Authority shall be exempt from levy and sale by virtue of an execution, and no execution or other judicial process shall issue against the same nor shall any judgment against the Authority be a charge or lien upon its property.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Turbe v. Government of the Virgin Islands

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1975-07-07

How this case has been cited

Cited by 12 later decisions — most recently June 1994

5 federal appellate · 1 district ·

50197519801990decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶1Leroy A. Mercer, Christiansted, St. Croix, V. L, for appellant.

¶2Verne A. Hodge, Atty. Gen. of the Virgin Islands, Emory W. Reisinger, Asst. Atty. Gen., Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, V. I., for appellee.

¶3Before HASTIE, GIBBONS and HUNTER, Circuit Judges.

¶4*406OPINION OF THE COURT

¶5HASTIE, Senior Circuit Judge.

¶6This is an appeal from a judgment that denied the petition of a judgment creditor for an order “commanding the [Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority] to make payment of” a $20,000 money judgment, plus costs and an attorney’s fee, entered against the Authority in a tort action for personal injury and property damage. Failure of the Authority to respond to the original complaint had resulted in imposition of liability by default. Thereafter, damages had been determined by a jury.

¶7The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority is an incorporated instrumentality of the Government of the Virgin Islands. In the Act of August 13, 1964, No. 1248, Sess.L.1964, 30 V.I.C. (1974 Supp.) § 103, the Legislature of the Virgin Islands created this corporate instrumentality, defined its functions and powers, authorized it to issue bonds and created and limited its amenability to judicial process. While the enumerated powers of the Authority included the capacity “to sue and be sued”, 30 V.I.C. § 105(4), its amenability to judicial process was restricted by the following provision:

“All property including funds of the Authority shall be exempt from levy and sale by virtue of an execution, and no execution or other judicial process shall issue against the same nor shall any judgment against the Authority be a charge or lien upon its property; Provided, however, That this subsection shall not apply to or limit the right of bondholders to pursue any remedies for the enforcement of any pledge or lien given by the Authority on its rates, fees, revenues, or other income or any other funds.” 30 V.I.C. (1974 Supp.) § 111(a).

¶8We think that the relief sought here, a judicial order that would compel the Authority to surrender its assets in payment of a money judgment for tortious personal injury, is within the meaning of the quoted prohibitory language, since the order sought would be “judicial process” designed to reach the property of the Authority.

¶9This does not make the right to sue the Authority or the obtaining of judgment against it meaningless. As a responsible agency the Authority can, and apparently does,1 carry liability insurance.

¶10Separately, the appellant contends that the quoted provision of Section 111(a) was in effect repealed by a subsequent comprehensive waiver of governmental immunity from tort liability that was enacted in the 1971 Virgin Islands Tort Claims Act. 33 V.I.C. (1974 Supp.) § 3408.

¶11Whether this is a tenable argument depends upon the following provision of the Authority creating 1964 statute:

“Insofar as the provisions of this chapter are inconsistent with the provisions of any other Act of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, the provisions of this chapter shall be controlling and no law heretofore or hereafter passed governing the administration of the Government of the Virgin Islands or any parts, office, bureaus, departments, commissions, municipalities, branches, agents, officers, or employees thereof shall be construed to apply to the Authority unless so specifically provided . . . .” 30 V.I.C. (1974 Supp.) § 122.

¶12The Tort Claims Act does not expressly overrule the particular exemption from judicial process granted in Section 111(a) of Title 30 and now relied upon by the Authority. Indeed, the Tort Claims Act *407makes no mention whatever of the Authority. But Section 122 of Title 30, in terms and in legal effect, has precluded repeal of Section 111(a) by implication. Therefore, the Tort Claims Act cannot properly be read as having that effect.2

¶13The judgment will be affirmed.

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