Village of Bennington v. Hawks

Powers, J.:

The jurisdiction of the court of chancery is essentially civil. It will not, as a rule, interfere to prevent the commission of a crime or to enforce penal or criminal laws. The fact, however, that the result will amount to a restraint of crime will not prevent the court from acting when ever other facts afford a basis for the exercise of its jurisdiction on recognized grounds. In other words, criminality neither affords a basis for, nor does it oust the jurisdiction of the court-of chancery. The mere fact, then, that this defendant violated an ordinance of the plaintiff by moving…