Case Title: Miller v. Holder

Citation: 297 So. 2d 802

Docket Number: 

State: alabama

Court: Alabama Supreme Court

Date: 1974-07-11T00:00:00Z

Document:
297 So. 2d 802 (1974)
In re Willie Leon MILLER
v.
William HOLDER et al.
Ex parte Willie Leon Miller.
SC 682.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
July 11, 1974.
Charles M. Ingrum, Opelika, for petitioner.
Walker, Hill, Gullage, Adams & Umbach, Opelika, for respondents.
COLEMAN, Justice.
Petitioner Miller, who is plaintiff in trial court, filed petition for mandamus to require the respondent Judge to allow plaintiff to amend his complaint by adding additional parties defendant. This court granted the rule nisi. The matters giving rise to the instant proceeding are alleged in the petition as follows:
On August 1, 1973, Miller filed his complaint against four persons, namely, Holder, Grant, Williams, and Walton, and also "XYZ Corp. as surety on Defendant's bonds." The original complaint contained one count which recites as follows:
On November 13, 1973, plaintiff Miller filed interrogatories to defendants.
On December 7, 1973, defendants took plaintiff's deposition.
On January 8, 1974, defendants Walton and Williams filed their answers to the interrogatories.
The respondent admits the foregoing averments of the petition.
Plaintiff alleges in his petition that, upon reading the answers to the interrogatories, he discovered that two more parties, namely: James Pearson, Sheriff of Lee County, and John Jackson, an Auburn police officer, were named as participating in the arrest of plaintiff; that, on January 10, 1974, plaintiff amended his complaint by adding Pearson, Jackson, and ABC Corporation, as surety on the bond of Pearson, as defendants. A copy of said amendment is made exhibit to the petition.
Respondent answers that he has no knowledge of when plaintiff discovered that the two additional parties participated in the arrest of plaintiff. Respondent admits that plaintiff amended his complaint on January 10, 1974, the date of the pretrial hearing.
Plaintiff further alleges in petition that pretrial hearing was held on January 10, 1974, and continued until January 15, 1974, that defendants filed motion to dismiss the complaint as amended; that respondent sustained defendants' motion and refused to allow plaintiff leave to add additional parties.
Plaintiff alleges that respondent's ruling was erroneous under the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure, and that plaintiff acted diligently upon receipt of the answer to his interrogatories and did not desire to cause delay of the trial.
To the latter allegations of the petition respondent answers that under Rule 15(a) of the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure he has the discretion to deny the amendment, if, in his opinion, the amendment would cause actual prejudice to the adverse party for eight reasons which are stated in the answer. The reasons are discussed later in this opinion.
Counsel for respondent argue in brief that the writ of mandamus should not be available to review the decision of a trial judge under Rule 15(a) of the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure because of the trial judge's broad discretionary power in granting or disallowing amendments.
As amended by Amendment 328[1] of the Constitution of 1901, Section 140 of the Constitution provides in pertinent part as follows:
In all material respects, Section 140, as amended, confers on the supreme court the same authority granted to the court by the following provision in the original Section 140 of the Constitution of 1901, to wit:
This court has consistently held that mandamus will not lie to review an interlocutory order of a trial court where adequate relief can be had by appeal. This court has said:
". . .
A number of cases to the same effect are cited in Alabama Digest, Mandamus.
In awarding mandamus to require a trial judge to vacate an order, this court said:
In a subsequent case the court said:
The test to be applied in deciding whether mandamus should be granted to review an interlocutory order has been stated as follows:
In the case at bar, if the ruling disallowing plaintiff's amendment adding additional parties is allowed to stand, he will be put to trial against the original defendants. He will be able to obtain review of the ruling denying his amendment only by appealing from the final judgment in a trial against the original defendants. If plaintiff is successful on such an appeal, and judgment is reversed, he will be put to a second trial against the additional defendants and possibly against the original defendants also. On these considerations, the remedy by appeal is not an adequate remedy. Accordingly, review on petition for mandamus is due to be granted.
It is not to be assumed or understood, however, that mandamus will be allowed as a method of reviewing all rulings denying the right to amend a complaint or other pleading. In accord with the weight of authority and sound reasoning, it may well be that review of the great majority of rulings allowing or disallowing amendments will be only by appeal.
Paragraphs (a) and (b) of Rule 15 of the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure recite as follows:
With two exceptions, Paragraphs (a) and (b) appear to be substantially identical with Paragraphs (a) and (b) of Rule 15 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The first exception is that the words and figures, "20 days," in the first sentence of the Federal Rule 15(a) have been changed to the words and figures, "thirty (30) days," in the Alabama Rule 15(a). The second exception is that the last two sentences in Alabama 15(b) do not appear in Federal Rule 15(a).
The Supreme Court of the United States has said:
The following comment has been made on Rule 15(a):
Committee Comments on Rule 15(a) contain the following statement:
Another commentator has written:
Respondent's argument in support of disallowance of plaintiff's amendment is summarized in brief as follows:
For reasons already stated, plaintiff will be prejudiced by wrongful disallowance of plaintiff's amendment because, in that event, plaintiff will be required to prosecute two separate cases to obtain full compensation for the single injury upon which plaintiff bases his claim to relief.
The respondent asserts in paragraph 6 of the answer that allowing the amendment would cause actual prejudice to the original defendants for eight reasons which are next set out and considered. The reasons are designated by the letters in parentheses from "(a)" to "(h)," both inclusive, as shown below.
Reason (a) may be relevant to the inquiry as to what prejudice plaintiff might suffer if the amendment is disallowed, but the fact that plaintiff could have filed a separate second action against the additional defendants does not in anywise affect the original defendants in presenting their defense to the action against them.
It is not shown that the original defendants would have any concern as to any defense the additional defendants might or might not be able to assert in the second suit. The fact that the additional defendants could not assert the defense of res judicata in the second suit, to which the original defendants would not be parties, *808 would not prejudice the original defendants in presenting their defense to the original suit on any theory which has been presented on this appeal. To say that the inability of the additional defendants to present the defense of res judicata in the second suit would result in actual prejudice to the original defendants if the amendment is allowed, appears to be a non sequitur.
The premise of Reason (c) is a presumption that the additional defendants will make inconsistent statements in two trials. The assertion that a witness will make inconsistent statements on a material matter must rest on speculation or conjecture. If the witnesses do not make such statements, the conclusion seems to be that the original defendants would not be prejudiced. The relevancy of Reason (c) to the question whether allowance of plaintiff's amendment will result in actual prejudice to the original defendants because the additional defendants may make inconsistent statements is not perceived by this writer. In any event, a showing of actual prejudice ought to be based on something other than speculation or conjecture.
Rule 15(b) provides that:
"... An amendment shall not be refused under subdivision (a) and (b) of this rule solely because it adds a claim or defense, changes a claim or defense, or works a complete change in parties. The Court is to be liberal in granting permission to amend when justice so requires." 290 Ala. 434.
If justice requires that defendants be allowed to take additional deposition of plaintiff, the court may allow a continuance and opportunity for defendants to take such deposition as a condition for allowing plaintiff's amendment.
There is nothing to show that plaintiff was guilty of unreasonable delay or lack of good faith in seeking to amend when he did so. It appears that plaintiff was not informed until January 8 that the additional defendants had participated in the arrest of plaintiff and that plaintiff filed his amendment two days later on January 10. The following appears to answer Reason (e):
Inability of Walton to attend the F.B.I. Academy is a personal disappointment and inconvenience to him, but his attendance of the Academy is a matter not relevant to determination of the instant case. It is not shown that his attending or not attending the Academy will have any effect on his defense of the suit, or prejudice his defense in any manner. The actual prejudice which will bar an amendment appears to be a disadvantage in presenting a claim or defense and not a personal inconvenience in a matter which has no connection with the case in which the amendment is offered.
The additional defendants are not indispensable parties to the suit, but the additional defendants are proper parties according to the allegations of the amended complaint. No authority has been presented which holds that defendants will be prejudiced by the addition of proper parties although such parties are not indispensable. The fact that the additional parties are not indispensable parties does not appear to be a reason for disallowing an amendment which adds additional defendants.
As already mentioned, the court may impose as a condition to the amendment that defendants be allowed opportunity to obtain further discovery if they so desire.
Rule 15(a), with respect to amendments for which leave of the court is required, provides that "leave shall be freely given when justice so requires."
Rule 15(b) admonishes that: "... The Court is to be liberal in granting permission to amend when justice so requires."
Referring to the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 1 provides that: "... They shall be construed to serve the just, speedy and inexpensive determination of every action."
On consideration of the matters noted above, we are of opinion that the defendants would not suffer "actual prejudice" for the reasons noted in respondent's answer, and that in the light of the admonitions that leave to amend shall be freely given when justice so requires, the plaintiff here should be allowed to amend his complaint by adding the additional defendants as he has undertaken to do.
If, upon advice of this decision, the trial court does not enter an order allowing the plaintiff to amend his complaint by adding James Pearson, ABC Corporation as surety on the bond of James Pearson, and John Jackson as parties defendant, the peremptory writ to effectuate such ends will issue at the request of petitioner.
Writ awarded conditionally.
HEFLIN, C. J., and BLOODWORTH, McCALL and JONES, JJ., concur.
[1]  Under annotations and amendments to the Constitution of Alabama 1901, in the 1973 Cumulative Supplement to Volume 1 of the 1958 Recompiled Code, the Michie Company has indicated that the new Judicial Article is Amendment No. 333; however, the official records of the Secretary of State of Alabama reflect that the amendment number is 328.