Title: MARRIAGE OF REX

State: montana

Issuer: Montana Supreme Court

Document:

No. 81-304 1N THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA 1982 IN RE THE MARRIAGE OF PATRICIA A. REX, Plaintiff and Respondent, and CALVIN T. REX, Defendant and Appellant. Appeal from: District Court of the Fourth Judicial District, In and for the County of Missoula Honorable James B. Wheelis, Judge presidinq. Counsel of Record: For Appellant: Morales, Volinkaty & Harr, Missoula, Montana For Respondent : Anthony Keast, Kissoula, Montana Submitted on briefs: June 24, 1982 Decided: Ailgust 11, 1982 AtJt; 1 i 1582 Filed- !. Mr. Chief J u s t i c e Frank I. Haswell d e l i v e r e d t h e Opinion of t h e Court. Husband a p p e a l s from an o r d e r d a t e d September 24, 1980, which imposed a s a n c t i o n of $400 i n a t t o r n e y f e e s t o be p a i d by him t o w i f e ' s c o u n s e l a s a c o n d i t i o n p r e c e d e n t t o s e t t i n g a s i d e a d e f a u l t e n t e r e d a g a i n s t him on August 4, 1980. Two i s s u e s a r e p r e s e n t e d t o t h i s Court: F i r s t , whether t h e n o t i c e of a p p e a l was f i l e d i n a t i m e l y manner; s e c o n d l y , whether t h e District Court abused its d i s c r e t i o n i n imposing a s a n c t i o n of a t t o r n e y fees a s a c o n d i t i o n p r e c e d e n t t o s e t t i n g a s i d e t h e d e f a u l t . On August 4, 1980, h e a r i n g was h e l d by t h e D i s t r i c t Court on two c o n s o l i d a t e d motions o f f e r e d by respondent w i f e t h a t r e q u e s t e d t h e D i s t r i c t Court (1) t o hold a p p e l l a n t husband i n contempt of c o u r t f o r a r r e a r a g e i n c h i l d s u p p o r t payments and ( 2 ) t o amend a p r i o r s u p p o r t o r d e r nunc p r o t u n c t o r e f l e c t a p p e l l a n t f a t h e r ' s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e c h i l d r e n ' s medical d e d u c t i b l e s and any medical c o s t s exceed- i n g t h e i n s u r a n c e coverage provided by t h e f a t h e r ' s em- p l o y e r . A p p e l l a n t d i d n o t appear e i t h e r p e r s o n a l l y o r by c o u n s e l . No c o n t i n u a n c e had been o b t a i n e d by a p p e l l a n t . The District Court heard and g r a n t e d t h e c o n s o l i d a t e d motions, d e f a u l t i n g a p p e l l a n t f o r f a i l u r e t o appear. L a t e r t h a t day, a p p e l l a n t ' s c o u n s e l moved t h e D i s t r i c t Court t o set a s i d e t h e d e f a u l t . T h i s motion was argued on August 18, 1980. A p p e l l a n t ' s c o u n s e l contended t h a t l o c a l custom and p r o f e s s i o n a l c o u r t e s y r e q u i r e d t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t and opposing counsel t o make i n q u i r y i n t o a p p e l l a n t 's c o u n s e l ' s absence from law and motion p r i o r t o a l l o w i n g d e f a u l t t o be taken. A p p e l l a n t ' s c o u n s e l a l s o argued e x c u s a b l e n e g l e c t based upon numerous informal a t t e m p t s he had taken t o o b t a i n a continuance. The D i s t r i c t Court took t h e m a t t e r under advisement and, on September 2 3 , 1980, handed down an o r d e r which enun- c i a t e d t h a t l o c a l custom provided f o r c o n t a c t i n g a t t o r n e y s t o remind them of h e a r i n g s i n which o n l y l e g a l m a t t e r s would be decided and n o t i n i n s t a n c e s where f a c t u a l m a t t e r s would be c o n t e s t e d . The D i s t r i c t Court d i d f i n d e x c u s a b l e n e g l e c t b u t r e q u i r e d a p p e l l a n t t o pay $400 i n a t t o r n e y f e e s t o respondent ' s c o u n s e l a s a c o n d i t i o n p r e c e d e n t t o s e t t i n g a s i d e of t h e d e f a u l t . I t is from t h i s o r d e r t h a t a p p e l l a n t a p p e a l s . Notice of a p p e a l was f i l e d on June 2, 1981. T h i s Court may c o n s i d e r a m a t t e r on a p p e a l o n l y when appeal is taken p u r s u a n t t o t h e Montana Rules of A p p e l l a t e C i v i l Procedure. Rule 1, M.R.App.Civ.P., c o n f e r s j u r i s d i c - t i o n upon t h i s Court t o h e a r an a p p e a l i n s p e c i f i c c a s e s , which i n c l u d e "a f i n a l judgment e n t e r e d i n an a c t i o n o r s p e c i a l proceeding commenced i n a d i s t r i c t c o u r t " and "from any s p e c i a l o r d e r made a f t e r f i n a l judgment." An a p p e a l from any s p e c i a l o r d e r made a f t e r f i n a l judgment i n c l u d e s an o r d e r s e t t i n g a s i d e o r r e f u s i n g t o v a c a t e a d e f a u l t judgment. S t a t e ex rel. D e c k v. D i s t r i c t Court ( 1 9 2 2 ) , 64 Mont. 110, 112, 207 P. 1004, 1005. Rule 5 , M.R.App.Civ.P., r e q u i r e s t h a t n o t i c e of a p p e a l must t h e n be f i l e d w i t h i n t h i r t y d a y s of e n t r y of judgment o r o r d e r o r w i t h i n t h i r t y days of s e r v i c e of n o t i c e of e n t r y of judgment o r o r d e r when n o t i c e is s o r e q u i r e d by Rule 7 7 ( d ) , I4.R.Civ.P. Such n o t i c e of e n t r y of judgment is r e q u i r e d t o be s e r v e d a f t e r e n t r y of judgment o r o r d e r t o "each p a r t y who is n o t i n d e f a u l t f o r f a i l u r e t o appear" and is t o be t h e n noted i n t h e docket. Rule 7 7 ( d ) , t4.R.Civ.P. I n t h e i n s t a n t c a s e , a c a r e f u l e x a m i n a t i o n of t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t f i l e r e v e a l s t h a t no f i n a l judgment was e n t e r e d a f t e r t h e August 4, 1980, d e f a u l t . Nor was t h e o r d e r e n t e r e d on September 23, 1980, a f i n a l o r d e r . No s e r v i c e of n o t i c e of e n t r y of judgment o r o r d e r was made t o e i t h e r a p p e l l a n t o r r e s p o n d e n t i n r e l a t i o n t o e i t h e r t h e d e f a u l t of August 4, 1980, o r t h e o r d e r of September 23, 1980. T h i s C o u r t does n o t have j u r i s d i c t i o n of t h i s m a t t e r . U n t i l f i n a l judgment is e n t e r e d , any a p p e a l is p r e m a t u r e . Dismissed w i t h o u t p r e j u d i c e f o r l a c k of j u r i s d i c t i o n . g k 4 a C h i e f J u s t i c e gwd* We concur: