Case Title: Gaythor D. Lindsey a/k/a Randy Lindsey v. Deep South Properties, LLC

Citation: 

Docket Number: 1080701

State: alabama

Court: Alabama Supreme Court

Date: 2009-08-21T00:00:00Z

Document:
REL: 8/21/2009 
Notice: T h i s o p i n i o n i s s u b j e c t t o f o r m a l 
r e v i s i o n b e f o r e 
p u b l i c a t i o n i n 
t h e 
advance 
s h e e t s o f 
Southern Reporter. 
R e a d e r s a r e 
r e q u e s t e d t o n o t i f y t h e 
Reporter of 
Decisions, 
Alabama A p p e l l a t e C o u r t s , 300 D e x t e r Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36104-3741 ((334) 229¬
0 6 4 9 ) , o f 
any 
t y p o g r a p h i c a l o r o t h e r e r r o r s , i n 
o r d e r t h a t c o r r e c t i o n s 
may 
be 
made b e f o r e 
t h e o p i n i o n i s 
p r i n t e d i n 
Southern Reporter. 
SUPREME COURT OF ALABAMA 
SPECIAL TERM, 2009 
1080701 
Gaythor D. L i n d s e y a/k/a 
Randy L i n d s e y 
v. 
Deep South P r o p e r t i e s , LLC 
Appeal from J e f f e r s o n C i r c u i t Court 
(CV-08-4161) 
STUART, 
J u s t i c e . 
G a y t h o r 
D. 
L i n d s e y 
a / k / a Randy 
L i n d s e y 
a p p e a l s t h e 
j u d g m e n t 
e n t e r e d 
b y t h e J e f f e r s o n 
C i r c u i t 
C o u r t 
on an 
a r b i t r a t i o n a w a r d r e t u r n e d a g a i n s t h i m 
a n d i n 
f a v o r o f Deep 
S o u t h P r o p e r t i e s , L L C , 
f o r 
$52,644. 
We d i s m i s s t h e a p p e a l . 
1080701 
On 
O c t o b e r 14, 
2004, L i n d s e y 
and 
Deep S o u t h 
P r o p e r t i e s 
e n t e r e d 
i n t o 
a 
c o n t r a c t 
p u r s u a n t 
t o 
w h i c h 
Deep 
S o u t h 
P r o p e r t i e s was 
t o b u i l d a c u s t o m h o u s e f o r L i n d s e y 
i n S h e l b y 
C o u n t y . 
T h a t 
c o n t r a c t 
c o n t a i n e d 
a p r o v i s i o n 
r e q u i r i n g 
t h e 
p a r t i e s 
t o 
r e s o l v e 
any 
d i s p u t e s 
t h a t 
a r o s e 
r e g a r d i n g 
t h e 
c o n s t r u c t i o n 
v i a 
a r b i t r a t i o n 
p r o c e e d i n g s 
c o n d u c t e d 
i n 
a c c o r d a n c e 
w i t h 
t h e 
C o m m e r c i a l 
A r b i t r a t i o n R u l e s 
o f 
t h e 
A m e r i c a n A r b i t r a t i o n A s s o c i a t i o n ("AAA"). 
I n December 2005, 
a d i s p u t e 
d i d a r i s e t h a t 
e v e n t u a l l y 
c u l m i n a t e d 
i n 
L i n d s e y ' s 
r e f u s i n g t o make a d d i t i o n a l p a y m e n t s t o Deep S o u t h P r o p e r t i e s . 
Deep S o u t h P r o p e r t i e s 
a c c o r d i n g l y 
s t o p p e d w o r k on 
t h e 
h o u s e , 
w h i c h was 
a p p r o x i m a t e l y 7 0 % c o m p l e t e a t t h e 
t i m e . 
I n S e p t e m b e r 2007, Deep S o u t h P r o p e r t i e s 
f i l e d 
a demand 
f o r 
a r b i t r a t i o n w i t h 
t h e 
AAA. 
An 
a r b i t r a t o r was 
a p p o i n t e d 
and, 
i n November 2008, a r b i t r a t i o n p r o c e e d i n g s were c o n d u c t e d 
i n 
J e f f e r s o n C o u n t y . 
On 
December 
11, 
2008, 
t h e 
a r b i t r a t o r 
d e c i d e d t h e c a s e i n f a v o r o f Deep S o u t h P r o p e r t i e s and 
a w a r d e d 
i t $52,644. 
On December 23, 2008, Deep S o u t h P r o p e r t i e s 
f i l e d 
a c o p y 
o f 
t h e 
a r b i t r a t i o n a w a r d w i t h 
t h e 
J e f f e r s o n 
C i r c u i t 
C o u r t and moved t h e 
c o u r t 
t o e n t e r 
a j u d g m e n t b a s e d upon 
t h a t 
a w a r d . 
On 
J a n u a r y 
23, 
2009, 
t h e 
c i r c u i t 
c l e r k 
e n t e r e d 
a 
2 
1080701 
j u d g m e n t 
on 
t h e 
a r b i t r a t i o n 
a w a r d 
i n 
f a v o r 
o f Deep 
S o u t h 
P r o p e r t i e s . 
L i n d s e y 
d i d n o t 
t h e r e a f t e r f i l e 
w i t h t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
any 
m o t i o n 
t o 
v a c a t e 
t h e 
j u d g m e n t 
e n t e r e d 
on 
t h e 
a r b i t r a t i o n a w a r d ; i n s t e a d , L i n d s e y 
f i l e d , 
on M a r c h 6, 
2009, 
a n o t i c e o f a p p e a l 
t o t h i s 
C o u r t . 
I n 
H o r t o n 
Homes, 
I n c . 
v. 
S h a n e r , 
999 
So. 
2d 
4 
62 , 
467 
( A l a . 
2 0 0 8 ) , 
we 
s t a t e d t h a t 
a p a r t y 
s e e k i n g 
r e v i e w 
o f 
an 
a r b i t r a t i o n 
a w a r d i s r e q u i r e d t o 
f i l e 
i n t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
a 
m o t i o n t o v a c a t e t h e j u d g m e n t e n t e r e d on t h e a w a r d . 
" T h i s i s 
so n o t o n l y b e c a u s e § 6 - 6 - 1 5 [ , A l a . Code 1 9 7 5 , ] 
c o n t e m p l a t e s 
a p a r t y ' s 
f i r s t 
s e e k i n g 
r e l i e f 
f r o m an a w a r d i n t h e 
c i r c u i t 
c o u r t , b u t a l s o b e c a u s e ' [ a ] n y g r o u n d s n o t a r g u e d t o t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t , 
b u t 
u r g e d 
f o r 
t h e 
f i r s t 
t i m e 
on 
a p p e a l , 
c a n n o t 
be 
c o n s i d e r e d . ' " I d . 
( q u o t i n g L l o y d N o l a n d Hosp. v. Durham, 
906 
So. 
2d 
157, 
165 
( A l a . 2 0 0 5 ) ) . 
P u r s u a n t 
t o 
t h e 
p r o c e d u r e 
o u t l i n e d 
by 
t h i s 
C o u r t 
i n S h a n e r , 
L i n d s e y , 
i f he 
d e s i r e d 
j u d i c i a l r e v i e w o f t h e a r b i t r a t i o n a w a r d r e t u r n e d a g a i n s t 
h i m , 
s h o u l d h a v e f i l e d 
a m o t i o n t o v a c a t e t h a t a w a r d w i t h t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
w i t h i n 
30 
d a y s 
a f t e r 
t h e 
c i r c u i t 
c l e r k 
e n t e r e d 
t h e 
j u d g m e n t on t h a t a w a r d .
1 
As e x p l a i n e d i n S h a n e r , t h e j u d g m e n t 
1The 
p r o c e d u r e 
f o r s e e k i n g j u d i c i a l r e v i e w o f 
a r b i t r a t i o n 
a w a r d s i n A l a b a m a i s now 
g o v e r n e d by R u l e s 
71B 
and 
71C, 
A l a . 
3 
1080701 
e n t e r e d 
b y t h e c i r c u i t 
c l e r k 
on t h e a r b i t r a t i o n 
a w a r d i s 
c o n d i t i o n a l a n d does n o t become 
f i n a l f o r 30 d a y s so as t o 
p r o v i d e t h e p a r t y c h a l l e n g i n g t h e a w a r d w i t h an a p p r o p r i a t e 
t i m e i n w h i c h t o f i l e a m o t i o n t o v a c a t e t h e j u d g m e n t 
e n t e r e d 
on t h e a w a r d . 
999 So. 2d a t 467. 
The r e c o r d i n d i c a t e s t h a t 
t h e 
o n l y j u d g m e n t 
e n t e r e d 
i n t h i s 
c a s e was 
e n t e r e d by t h e 
c i r c u i t 
c l e r k 
on 
J a n u a r y 
23, 
2009. 
T h a t 
j u d g m e n t 
was 
a c c o r d i n g l y a c o n d i t i o n a l one, y e t no m o t i o n t o v a c a t e 
was 
f i l e d 
by 
L i n d s e y 
i n t h e 
n e x t 
30 
d a y s 
o r 
a t 
a n y t i m e 
t h e r e a f t e r .
2 
The 
j u d g m e n t 
a c c o r d i n g l y 
became 
f i n a l 
on 
R. C i v . 
P. 
However, 
t h o s e 
r u l e s do n o t a p p l y t o t h e p r e s e n t 
c a s e b e c a u s e t h e y d i d n o t become e f f e c t i v e 
u n t i l F e b r u a r y 
1, 
2009, and t h i s c a s e was i n i t i a t e d by Deep S o u t h P r o p e r t i e s on 
December 23, 2008, and t h e c o n d i t i o n a l j u d g m e n t was e n t e r e d b y 
t h e 
c i r c u i t 
c l e r k on J a n u a r y 23, 2009. 
2 I n h i s b r i e f t o t h i s C o u r t , 
L i n d s e y o b j e c t s t o t h e f a c t 
t h a t a j u d g m e n t was e n t e r e d a g a i n s t h i m on J a n u a r y 23, 2009, 
b u t he was n o t p e r s o n a l l y s e r v e d 
u n t i l two weeks 
l a t e r , 
on 
F e b r u a r y 
6, 2009. 
However, as e x p l a i n e d a b o v e , t h e j u d g m e n t 
e n t e r e d on J a n u a r y 23 was a c o n d i t i o n a l j u d g m e n t -- i t 
d i d 
n o t 
become f i n a l f o r 
a n o t h e r 30 d a y s , h e r e on Monday, F e b r u a r y 23, 
2009. 
L i n d s e y 
f i l e d no m o t i o n t o v a c a t e e i t h e r w i t h i n 30 d a y s 
o f t h e d a t e t h e c o n d i t i o n a l j u d g m e n t was e n t e r e d o r w i t h i n 30 
d a y s o f t h e d a t e he was 
s e r v e d . 
M o r e o v e r , 
t h e 
c e r t i f i c a t e 
o f s e r v i c e a t t a c h e d 
t o t h e 
i n i t i a l m o t i o n f i l e d b y Deep S o u t h P r o p e r t i e s on December 23, 
2008, s e e k i n g t o c o n f i r m t h e a r b i t r a t i o n a w a r d b y t h e e n t r y o f 
a j u d g m e n t i n d i c a t e s t h a t a c o p y o f t h a t 
f i l i n g was m a i l e d t o 
L i n d s e y ' s a t t o r n e y . 
The r e c o r d a l s o i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t m a i l e d L i n d s e y a c o p y o f t h e j u d g m e n t e n t e r e d on 
J a n u a r y 
4 
1080701 
F e b r u a r y 
23, 2009. 
L i n d s e y ' s 
f a i l u r e t o 
f i l e 
a m o t i o n 
t o 
v a c a t e 
i n t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
i s f a t a l t o h i s c a u s e , 
and h i s 
a p p e a l must be d i s m i s s e d . 
APPEAL 
DISMISSED. 
Cobb, C . J . , and L y o n s and B o l i n , J J . , c o n c u r . 
M u r d o c k , J . , c o n c u r s i n t h e 
r e s u l t . 
23, 2009. 
Thus, a l t h o u g h he does n o t a r t i c u l a t e i t as 
s u c h , 
L i n d s e y c a n n o t 
m a i n t a i n t h a t he was d e n i e d due 
p r o c e s s . 
5