Case Title: ANDY HAMILTON V. HON. WILLIAM LARRY MILLER, JUDGE AND GEORGE WASHINGTON NOBLE

Citation: 

Docket Number: 2006-SC-000395-MR

State: kentucky

Court: Kentucky Supreme Court

Date: 2006-10-19T00:00:00Z

Document:
IMPOR 'ANTNOTICE NOT 7'O BE PUBLISHED_OPINION THIS OP'INIO'NISDESIGNATED "NOT TO BE PUBLISHED. f" PURSUANT TO THERULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE PROMULGATED BY THE SUPREME COURT, CR 76.28 (4) (c), THIS OPINION ISNOT TO BE PUBLISHED AND SHALL NOTBE CITED OR USEDASAUTHORITYINANY OTHER CASE INANYCOURT OF THISSTATE. ,SixpremE Courf of 2006-SC-000395-MR RENDERED : OCTOBER 19, 2006 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED i --\a A CT V APPEAL FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS ACTION NO . 2006-CA-0541-OA ANDY HAMILTON APPELLANT HON . WILLIAM LARRY MILLER, JUDGE APPELLEE AND GEORGE WASHINGTON NOBLE REAL PARTY IN INTEREST MEMORANDUM OPINION OF THE COURT AFFIRMING The Appellant appeals a decision of the Court of Appeals denying his petition for writ of prohibition in a case in which the trial court voided a voluntary dismissal and re-docketed the case against him based upon the Appellee, Plaintiff below, not having authorized his counsel to dismiss the complaint . He appeals to this Court as a matter of right pursuant to Ky . Constitution § 110(2)(b) . FACTS On May 28, 2004, George Washington Noble, Appellee, filed a medical malpractice action in the Breathitt Circuit Court alleging that Andy Hamilton, Appellant, negligently placed an IV in the Appellee's arm. A summons was issued for the Appellant and delivered to Constable Ken Thompson for service on the Appellant . Seven days into the action, Appellee's counsel filed a "notice of voluntary dismissal," allegedly without the Appellee's knowledge or consent . The certificate of service on the dismissal had no address for the Appellee, and therefore, it did not reach him. The dismissal was filed "without prejudiced" [sic] . It was not until October, 2004, that the Appellee learned his case had been dismissed without his knowledge or consent. However, by that time the statute of limitations had run . He then retained new counsel and filed a motion to set aside the dismissal because it was without his permission or knowledge . Notice of the motion to re-docket was sent to the Appellant in care of his employer, Kentucky River Medical Center. On October 22, 2004, the Appellant did not appear for the hearing on the motion, and the motion was granted in favor of the Appellee . The order gave the Appellant twenty days to answer and was sent to the Appellant's business address by the Breathitt circuit clerk's office . Twenty days later, the Appellant filed a motion for summary judgment . He alleged that a summons was never issued and that the statute of limitations had run and the dismissal was with prejudice. A hearing was held and the Appellee showed that a summons was issued along with a copy of the check tendered and cashed by Constable Ken Thompson . The judge then denied the motion for summary judgment because the Appellee made reasonable efforts to have the Appellant served. On October 20, 2005, the Appellant filed an answer in which he pled failure to obtain service and/or statute of limitations . On that date, he sent requests for admissions, requests for production of documents, and interrogatories to the Appellee . The Appellee answered the requests, and in turn, requested interrogatories and production from the Appellant . These were never answered by the Appellant . The Appellant next scheduled the depositions of the medical record custodians for all medical providers who had provided treatment to the Appellee . The Appellant's counsel scheduled the deposition of the Appellee, but refused to provide a date when the Appellant could be deposed . As a result, the depositions have not been taken . Over a year later, the Appellant filed a motion to dismiss based upon lack of subject matter jurisdiction . On February, 18, 2006, the trial court denied the motion and the Appellant filed an original action seeking a writ of prohibition with the Court of Appeals . The Court of Appeals held in a unanimous decision that the Appellant was not entitled to the writ because he had not shown exceptional circumstances. We agree and affirm . WRIT OF PROHIBITION REVIEW A writ of prohibition is an extraordinary remedy and a court must be cautious and furthermore, conservative in granting such relief . The Independent Order of Foresters . V . Chauvin, 175 S.W.3d 610, 613 (Ky. 2005) . "This careful approach is necessary to prevent short-circuiting normal appeal procedure and to limit so far as possible interference with the proper and efficient operation of our circuit and other courts." Powell v Graham , 185 S.W.3d 624, 627 (Ky. 2006) . Moreover, "they are truly extraordinary in nature and are reserved exclusively for those situations where litigants will be subjected to substantial injustice if they are required to proceed." Foresters , 175 S .W.3d at 615 ; See also Grange Mutual Insurance Co. v. Trude , 151 S.W.3d 803, 810 (Ky . 2005). "[T]he proper standard of review actually depends on the class or category of writ case . Grange at 810 . Writs are generally divided into two classes and are distinguished by "whether the inferior court allegedly is (1) acting without jurisdiction (which includes `beyond its jurisdiction'), or (2) acting erroneously within its jurisdiction ." Id . at 808 (citing Bender v. Eaton , 343 S.W.2d 799, 800 (Ky . 1961)) . The appellant argues that this case falls into the first category, claiming the Breathitt Circuit Court is about to proceed outside of its jurisdiction and he has no remedy . Thus, the Appellant must show that the "lower court is proceeding or is about to proceed outside of its jurisdiction and there is no remedy." Hoskins v Maricle , 150 S.W.3d 1, 6 (Ky. 2004) . This is where the Appellant's argument fails. ARGUMENT The Appellant argues that he is due a writ to prohibit the Breathitt Circuit Court from proceeding with this case because it was erroneously re-docketed after the statute of limitations had run . However, the Appellant did not file an objection to the case being re-docketed . He continued to proceed with the preparation for trial and did not ask for a writ until fourteen months after the case was re-docketed . As the Court of Appeals points out in its decision : The order granting Noble's motion to place [the] case back on the active docket was entered on October 22, 2004 . However, it is not at that time that Hamilton sought a writ. It is not even at that time that he moved the trial court to dismiss the action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction . In fact, the case history indicates that Hamilton filed his answer and conducted some discovery before filing his motion to dismiss in November, 2005 . The Appellant has not shown that he has no adequate remedy, or as stated by the Court of Appeals, the "exceptional circumstance to support his entitlement to the granting of the writ." Whether or not to grant a writ is at the discretion of the appellate court, "even when the trial court [is] acting outside its jurisdiction ." Hoskins v Maricle 150 S.W.3d 1, 9 (Ky. 2004). Therefore, because the Appellant has not shown that he has no other adequate remedy, the Court of Appeals did not abuse its discretion in its denial of the writ and its decision is affirmed . Lambert, C.J . ; Graves, McAnulty, Scott and Wintersheimer, JJ ., concur . Roach, J., concurs in result only . Minton, J., concurs in result only and would affirm the Court of Appeals for the simple reason that the Appellant has failed to demonstrate exceptional circumstances . COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT Martin A. Arnett Phillips Parker Orberson & Moore, PLC 716 West Main Street Suite 300 Louisville, Ky . 40202 William P . Swain Phillips Parker Orberson & Moore, PLC 716 West Main Street Suite 300 Louisville, Ky . 40202 Tera M. Rehmel Phillips Parker Orberson & Moore, PLC 716 West Main Street Suite 300 Louisville, Ky . 40202 COUNSEL FOR APPELLEE Judge William Larry Miller Breathitt Circuit Court 10 Court Street P.O. Box 430 Campton, Ky . 41301-0430 Melissa Carol Howard 1104 Main Street P.O . Box 992 Jackson, Ky . 41339