The Spring Valley Water Works vs. the City and County of San Francisco

This is not a Victorian penny dreadful—it is a legal petition filed in the California Supreme Court regarding the Spring Valley Water Works and the City and County of San Francisco. The document consists entirely of arguments before the court concerning the doctrine of res judicata (claim preclusion) and whether a prior judgment settled the question of whether the city was entitled to free water from the private water company in cases of fire or other great necessity. The petitioner's counsel, Charles N. Fox and J.P. Hoge, cite extensive precedent from American and English jurisprudence to argue that prior determinations should be conclusive, requesting the Court reconsider its recent decision denying a rehearing. The text contains only legal argumentation and case citations.